Twisting legs during menstruation

Why does teenagers experience discomfort?

Adolescence is the first period in a girl’s life characterized by great changes. First of all, this concerns hormones. But the substances have a huge impact on literally all departments and functions of the body. In girls, leg pain in the premenstrual period is due to several reasons:

Lengthening of the skeleton, including leg bones, muscle growth. Often changes occur so quickly that the vascular system cannot keep up with them. Discomfort in the legs is caused by insufficient blood supply and at the same time irritation of the nerve endings. This causes not only an aching sensation, but also a feeling of numbness. The pain can be quite severe, as after long and intense exercise. Overexcitation of the nervous system. During adolescence, many girls become uncontrollable, flare up at the slightest provocation, and cry over a trifle. That is, their nervous reactions are sudden and sometimes violent. Irritation concerns not only the central nervous system, but also brings into a tense state those parts of the system that are located in other parts of the body. This can provoke headaches and generally wandering sensations throughout the body. The girl complains that her legs are cramping or aching or pulling. This can happen even at night. Algodismenorrhea. This is a pathological condition in which the main pain point is located in the area of ​​the uterus. The stomach begins to ache, then the sensation takes over the back area and radiates lower, that is, to the hips. Of all the causes of premenstrual pain in the legs, this is the most painful and most difficult to eliminate. The sensations that are noticed in the limbs are only part of the syndrome, and not the most painful one.

Pain in the legs during the premenstrual period in girls in most cases goes away on their own as the hormonal levels stabilize.

This can be helped by providing the teenager with a calm, measured life, age-appropriate nutrition and physical activity.

Compression garments and ointments

The use of compression garments or elastic bandages has a good effect.
You need to bandage your feet in the morning before getting out of bed. Before applying the bandage, the legs are raised at an angle of 30° upward. You need to bandage from your toes to the middle of your thigh. Apply the coils gently, without squeezing the skin. We recommend similar articles
Once a month, every representative of the fair sex has to deal with an inevitable phenomenon - menstruation. Only a lucky few can boast of good health and mild symptoms before and during the menstrual cycle. Others may feel discomfort:

• irritability;
• pain in the lower abdomen;
• nausea;
• weakness;
• dizziness;
• fatigue and apathy;
• leg pain.

Many women, feeling pain in their lower extremities, do not associate them with the menstrual cycle, since they cannot interconnect these two phenomena. So why do your legs hurt during menstruation? This needs to be sorted out.

During adolescence, big changes occur in a girl’s body, this is due to the restructuring of hormones. Aching pain in the legs, which spreads to the joints and muscles at this age, appears for several reasons:

• The skeleton lengthens, muscles grow. During puberty, growth occurs so quickly that the vascular system cannot keep up. As a result of the discrepancy between biological age and the functionality of the reproductive system, insufficient blood supply and irritation of nerve endings occur. This is what causes pain in the legs.
• When menstruation occurs in adolescents aged 13-15 years, pain may be observed in the mammary glands, lower abdomen, and spine, which very often radiates to the legs and sacrum. Increased sweating, weakness in the leg muscles, as well as numbness can be felt by both adolescents and women in the reproductive period.

• Another reason why legs hurt before menstruation is algodysmenorrhea. This is a pathology in which the main pain point is concentrated in the center of the uterus. First, aching pain is felt in the lower abdomen, then it spreads to the back and hips. Algodismenorrhea is a disease that causes painful menstrual pain that is difficult to eliminate.

Painful sensations in the legs during the premenstrual period in adolescents in most cases go away on their own when the hormonal balance improves. However, a measured and calm life, age-appropriate nutrition and moderate physical activity will help you quickly get rid of the unpleasant symptom.

Pain in the limbs during childbearing years

Sometimes you first learn about discomfort in the legs before menstruation at a fairly mature age, when you have a normal intimate life, perhaps with children. Why do adult women’s legs hurt before menstruation? After all, their hormonal system must work properly. And the reproductive organs (like all others) have reached maturity in development, and there should be no conflicts between different parts of the body, as happens in adolescents.

But all of the above does not negate the variability of hormonal balance. This is its natural property and ensures monthly renewal of the uterine mucosa. And if so, then the phenomenon that adult women’s legs ache before menstruation has several different explanations:

Why do my legs hurt during menstruation: is it dangerous and how can I relieve the pain?

Patients of different ages experience pain in the lower extremities during menstruation. People come to gynecologists with complaints:

• mothers with daughters during puberty;
• women of reproductive age;
• women during premenopausal changes.

Unpleasant sensations arise due to changes in hormonal levels. Some women have mild pain in their legs, others complain that they cannot walk because of the pain; they feel it even during a period of rest.

Symptoms of leg pain during menstruation

Depending on the causes of pain in the legs, the severity of the symptoms changes. Patients may complain of nagging pain or a feeling of aching. Unpleasant sensations are concentrated in the area of ​​the ankle joint, knees, and hips.

Pain is caused by natural physiological changes that occur in the body, or by diseases of blood vessels, joints, and neurological disorders.

Joints hurt during menstruation

Joint pain is one of the symptoms of severe dysmenorrhea. With this diagnosis, severe pain simultaneously occurs in the lower abdomen, lower back, and vegetative and emotional disorders appear.

To determine the reasons why joints hurt before menstruation, you need to undergo a comprehensive examination. During menstruation, discomfort may increase in patients suffering from degenerative changes in joint tissue. It is necessary to pay attention to the following accompanying symptoms:

• pain on palpation;
• swelling, redness;
• mobility impairment.

In some patients, joints begin to ache even in the absence of diseases. Discomfort is caused by an excess of prostaglandins, a lack of endogenous opiates in combination with a low pain threshold. This is a manifestation of premenstrual syndrome.

Pulling legs before period

Pulling sensations often occur in teenagers. Their appearance is due to changes occurring in the body. Bones and muscles grow quickly in adolescence, the vascular and nervous systems do not keep up with their development. Nerve endings become more sensitive, react more strongly to all stimuli, and the effect of prostaglandins becomes more pronounced.

Comment! Girls complain of numbness in the extremities, pain in the arms and sacral region. When a regular cycle is established, the discomfort goes away.

Women of reproductive age may come to the gynecologist with complaints that their legs ache before menstruation. If the pain affects the lower back, abdomen, nausea, weakness, and dizziness appear, the doctor can diagnose dysmenorrhea.

Pulling sensations often appear in patients with chronic adnexitis. Sluggish inflammation of the appendages provokes the appearance of pain in the lower abdomen, which radiates to the lumbar area and lower extremities. Limbs also hurt in women prone to swelling.

Aching legs before menstruation

The feeling of aching muscles and joints on the eve of menstruation is rare. The legs of women whose pelvic bones have diverged excessively before childbirth or whose vertebrae have shifted during pregnancy are severely painful. A change in the shape of the skeleton provokes compression of blood vessels and nerve endings. With the onset of menstruation, the body's sensitivity increases under the influence of hormones.

A feeling of aching legs occurs in women suffering from degenerative changes in the spine. When nerve endings in the sacral region are pinched, the limbs begin to ache. The pain spreads to the thighs and legs.

Thigh hurts during menstruation

Most often, women feel pain in the projection of the uterus and appendages. Some patients come to the gynecologist with complaints of discomfort in the groin and thighs.

They appear on the first day of menstruation or a few days before their start. The spread of pain to the entire lower part of the body is characteristic of dysmenorrhea.

If these complaints appear, you must first exclude diseases of the joints, blood vessels, and neurological disorders.

Causes of menstrual pain in the abdominal area - dysmenorrhea

Dysmenorrhea or menstrual cramps in women is one of the most common and debilitating causes of discomfort. It occurs on a regular basis and affects daily life, depending on the severity and duration.

Types of dysmenorrhea

Primary dysmenorrhea is menstrual pain before, during and after menstruation without any abnormal condition. It begins shortly after menarche (first menstrual cycle).

Secondary dysmenorrhea is caused by a gynecological problem (endometriosis, uterine fibroids or pelvic inflammatory disease). It develops later. The pain occurs on its own or is accompanied by other signs and symptoms, vaginal discharge with or without a foul odor, excessive bleeding, or large clots during your period.

Causes of cramps during menstruation, as well as before and after them

• Every month, the inner lining of the uterus (endometrium) is prepared for possible pregnancy under the influence of hormones, estrogen and progesterone. If pregnancy does not occur, the level of estrogen and progesterone drops, which leads to the destruction of the endometrium, which is excreted during menstruation. When the endometrium breaks down, compounds called prostaglandins are released. They cause the muscles of the uterus to contract, leading to menstrual cramps. Depending on the level of prostaglandins, cramps can be mild or severe.
• The passage of dead endometrial tissue during menstruation is made difficult by the narrow cervical canal.
• Backward tilted uterus.
• Other factors associated with menstrual cramps include lack of exercise, chronic constipation and emotional stress.

Why do my legs hurt during menstruation?

It will be possible to find out the reasons why your legs hurt during menstruation after a comprehensive examination. The appearance of painful sensations can be caused by physiological or pathological reasons.

To establish the exact cause, it is necessary to check the reproductive organs, blood vessels, joints, and determine if there are any problems with the spine or inflammation.

Legs may hurt after childbirth or surgery.

Physiological causes of leg pain before menstruation

Patients with severe premenstrual syndrome often come to gynecologists with complaints that their legs drag during menstruation. The doctor has the right to assume that the appearance of pain is caused by PMS if, during the interview, it turns out that before the woman’s period:

• irritability increases;
• appetite increases;
• taste preferences change;
• swelling becomes visible.

Important! Physiological pain is caused by tissue stretching, which arose due to swelling of the limbs.

Under the influence of hormones, the veins of the legs expand, this leads to a feeling of heaviness and distension.

During the period of preparation for menstruation, the body actively produces prostaglandins necessary for the contraction of the myometrium. Their concentration in the blood increases, blood vessels spasm, and ischemic conditions develop. Hemodynamic barriers are broken, oxygen starvation develops in the cells, so pain increases.

The occurrence of physiological pain is typical for girls in adolescence. In the absence of diseases of the reproductive organs and joints, the discomfort goes away within 1-2 years from the start of menstruation. The hormonal levels are normalized, the imbalance between the development of the musculoskeletal, vascular, and nervous systems disappears.

During premenopause, your legs begin to hurt due to hormonal changes. If such a symptom appears before menopause, you need to make sure there are no diseases of the cardiovascular system or joints.

Pathological causes

To determine the reasons why your legs hurt before menstruation, in the first days of menstruation, gynecologists conduct a visual examination, a two-handed examination of the uterus, and refer you for an ultrasound. Pain may appear due to chronic adnexitis, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and other diseases of the reproductive system.

In the absence of problems with the reproductive organs, the legs begin to hurt due to the progression of vascular diseases and the musculoskeletal system:

• osteochondrosis;
• thrombophlebitis;
• arthritis;
• strangulated intervertebral hernia;
• tumors;
• degenerative, inflammatory diseases of the joints;
• venous insufficiency.

Attention! Legs hurt in patients with diabetes.

Endocrine disease leads to weakened immunity and the appearance of polyneuropathy.

Leg problems during menopause

Menopause is a period as changeable as adolescence. Only in it there is not growth, but extinction of many functions. This cannot but affect your well-being. One of the manifestations is heaviness in the legs, other kinds of discomfort, pain that increases before rare menstruation.

The symptom can be caused by the same reasons as in women during the reproductive period. But new ones are being added:

Hormone surges. This is typical for premenopause. Sometimes you feel like your period is about to start. You feel a headache, breast engorgement, abdominal discomfort, that is, many signs of PMS. But you can wait a long time for menstruation in this state, but the symptoms do not disappear, and they are accompanied by painful sensations in the legs. Diseases caused by aging of the body. The list here is huge: from gynecological pathologies to endocrine and oncological ones. Diabetes mellitus, thrombophlebitis, osteochondrosis, vertebral hernias, arthritis, neuropathy, even vitamin deficiency lead to twisting of the legs before menstruation, painful cramps, swelling, and heaviness may appear in them. This symptom, like the pathologies themselves, is more likely to overtake those women who, with age, switch to a passive lifestyle and do not monitor their diet. And also those who endure severe symptoms of menopause, just not to take hormones. Or he prescribes them to himself, choosing the wrong dose and the wrong drug.

We recommend reading the article about lower back pain during menstruation. From it you will learn about the causes of discomfort in the back before menstruation, lumbar colic during menstruation, possible diagnoses, and ways to get rid of discomfort.

How to get rid of pain

Naturally, pain in the lower extremities will go away as soon as its cause is eliminated. But this is if the disease is to blame. And menstruation cannot be eliminated without harm to health. And yet, when your legs go numb before your period, they hurt, swell, or cause other anxiety, there are several universal ways to alleviate the condition:

do contrasting foot baths; always wear comfortable shoes; strengthen leg muscles; do self-massage.

The problem, no matter what age it appears, cannot be ignored. Perhaps this is the first reminder of the disease. Therefore, it is always worth finding out what causes leg pain in the days before menstruation, that is, go to the doctor if the symptom has become regular.

The problem of pain in the lower extremities during the menstrual cycle affects all women. The pain is constant and variable. Unpleasant sensations cause discomfort to women of childbearing age, teenage girls, with a high pain threshold during menstruation.

Every month, women go through a menstrual cycle that varies individually. Some representatives of the fair sex do not feel symptoms of PMS or pain during menstruation. The reasons are the individual characteristics of the body. The absence of pain during menstruation is a positive factor indicating a woman’s good health.

Pain in women

Causes of leg pain during menstruation

If your legs hurt before your period, the cause is hidden in pathologies of the pelvic organs. Pain in the legs is aching in nature, causing a feeling of numbness in the limbs, goosebumps, and coldness. Feet get cold and cramps appear. This condition does not last long and appears at the beginning of the menstrual cycle. One of the reasons for pain in the legs during menstruation is the hormonal changes in the body that occur throughout life: the onset and establishment of menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and the onset of menopause.

Pain in the lower extremities during menstruation also occurs against the background of diseases. Weakened immunity, colds, imbalance of blood supply to tissues lead to unpleasant sensations in the legs. Severe pain in the lower extremities during the menstrual cycle is a pathology. Indicates improper contraception, diseases of the reproductive system, endometriosis, polyps, adhesions, problems with blood flow, thrombosis.

To find the causes of pain before menstruation in the lower extremities, a general practitioner and gynecologist prescribe an examination: ultrasound of the pelvic organs, blood vessels, curettage, laparoscopy.

Causes

Menstruation indicates the readiness of a woman’s body to conceive a child. In the most favorable case, they begin almost unnoticeably. But this does not always happen. Many women have to go through quite unpleasant moments, including leg pain. Sometimes this fits within the framework of physiological processes based on hormonal changes, and there are other situations associated with deviations from the norm. The latter include:

• Algodismenorrhea.
• Inflammatory diseases.
• Pathology of the venous system.
• Polyneuropathy.
• Joint diseases.

Pain in the lower extremities is directly related to menstruation or is observed in parallel, being a sign of concomitant pathology. Each case is individual, and only a doctor can determine the origin of unpleasant symptoms.

If your legs hurt during or before menstruation, you should consult a specialist. The reason should be sought in hormonal, vascular or other changes in the body.

Leg pain during menstruation at different ages

The causes of pain in the lower extremities in girls and women are different. Pain during menstruation in teenage girls indicates that the body is growing. Menstruation begins at 13-14 years old, sometimes earlier, at 10-11. The discrepancy between biological and physical age leads to an imbalance that causes pain in the legs. When menstruation begins, girls experience breast pain and discomfort radiating to the sacrum and lower extremities. After the menstrual cycle is established, sexual activity, pregnancy and childbirth will begin, and pain in the legs will stop or weaken.

Menstrual cycle

In women who are ready to have a baby, pain in the lower extremities during menstruation indicates health problems. A slight pain syndrome is considered normal, but weakness, dizziness, anemia, and loss of ability to work are a signal for examination. Legs hurt before menstruation in women. Pain after childbirth indicates that blood circulation is not established, the pelvic bones have not returned to their normal position. Previous operations and spinal injuries affect the level of pain.

Women after fifty years of age slowly lose the ability to conceive and bear children. Menstruation becomes irregular. Before the start of the cycle, symptoms characteristic of menstruation occur: the legs, head, back, stomach hurt, and there is no blood. In another cycle it’s the other way around: there are no signs of PMS, but menstruation comes. During menopause, organ functions decrease, leg diseases appear, and blood supply to the lower extremities decreases. The woman is worried about cramps, heaviness, and pain.

Unpleasant sensations in the lower extremities are caused by:

Physical inactivity. Increased blood sugar. Leg diseases. Arthritis. Difficult childbirth. Gynecological diseases. Osteochondrosis. Stroke. Poor circulation of the legs. Tumors.

Leg injury

Pain during the cycle is affected by previous injuries to the lower extremities and operations associated with them.

Why does he twist his legs before menstruation?

> Medicine

During menstruation, before the onset of menstruation, women of any age may experience discomfort in their legs. Such discomfort manifests itself under the influence of hormonal changes in the body. You can get rid of it only if you understand the mechanism of why your legs twist at this time and why they hurt.

Legs hurt before menstruation due to hormonal changes

Why do women have twisting legs during the period before and during menstruation? Pain at different ages

The hormonal changes that occur in a woman’s body during menstruation can trigger the appearance of various negative sensations. For each age, the symptoms are individual, but most often at this time women note that their legs hurt.

Pain in teenagers

During adolescence, girls enter puberty and menstruation appears as a signal of the development of the organs of the reproductive system. During this period, adolescents experience high levels of hormones, bone cell growth, and muscle tissue growth.

When menstruation arrives, the teenager’s body is not yet ready for the normal functioning of the reproductive system, so the blood supply is disrupted and failures occur in providing tissues with proper nerve connections.

This provokes the appearance of pain in the pelvic area and lower extremities.

If menstruation occurs in a girl aged 13 to 15 years, when the body enters its normal physiology, girls may experience:

• Pain in the pectoral muscles and spine.
• Pain may appear in the lower abdomen, which radiates to the sacrum or legs. Weak muscles of the lower extremities hurt and ache, and hyperhidrosis of the feet is also noted. At this time, the teenager may notice the appearance of numbness in the limbs.
• After the teenage body has established a normal menstrual cycle and regular sex life has returned to normal, the pain may stop altogether or reduce its frequency of occurrence.

After the formation of the monthly cycle, pain in adolescents will go away on its own.

Presence of pain syndrome during reproductive age

The onset of menstruation makes a woman feel uncomfortable, as during this period skin rashes, swelling of the limbs, and pain of various localizations appear.

Before the onset of menstruation, a woman notices heaviness in the chest area and compression in the pelvic organs.

This process is normal, but in the presence of pathological changes in different body systems, it intensifies during menstruation.

Such pain during menstruation can intensify in women who have undergone cesarean section or natural but complicated childbirth.

Pain and heaviness in the limbs manifest themselves both at the beginning and at the end of menstruation. The reason for this is a violation of blood microcirculation in the pelvic organs and innervation of the tissues of the lower extremities.

Sprains after childbirth in the sacral area increase pain in the legs during menstruation.

The appearance of such symptoms during menstruation is greatly influenced by disruption of the blood supply to large and small vessels, which occurred as a result of adhesions, thrombosis or abdominal operations.

Vascular thrombosis may cause leg pain

Pain syndrome during premenopause

A woman who enters the perimenopausal stage notices dramatic changes in her health. Menstruation during this period becomes irregular and rare. It is at this time that women feel their periods much more acutely than in their youth, and symptoms can intensify and change.

With the onset of menopausal changes, the function of the reproductive system organs fades due to which the level of natural sex hormones decreases. These changes affect the nature of menstruation, provoking various changes in other body systems.

Bone tissue undergoes significant changes during this period. With the onset of menstruation, the level of female sex hormones decreases, which leads to an additional decrease in elastin in cartilage tissues and the leaching of calcium from bone tissues. Therefore, during premenopause, immediately before the onset of menstruation, a woman feels pain in her legs, swelling and cramps more acutely.

During the first two days of your period, your legs hurt. What is this connected with?

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The peculiarity is that I always have pain before and during the first 3-***** days. The muscles hurt very deeply, I tell everyone that the bones ache))

A week before the start and for three days afterwards, after the start. And they gave me stars))

The peculiarity is that I always have pain before and during the first 3-***** days. The muscles hurt very deeply, I tell everyone that the bones ache))

I also had terrible pain during my periods.. probably there’s nothing wrong with that) this is generally my sign of menstruation

Magnesium does not relieve these pains for me, but it may help the author

Related topics

Well, you're not a robot. It happens differently. My breasts almost never swell before menstruation, but once a year it can happen. I know from my aching bones that it’s starting soon. How old are you?

Source: https://nlmed.ru/pochemu-krutit-nogi-pered-mesjachnymi/

Drug treatment of leg pain during menstruation

If pain in the lower extremities appears before menstruation, the doctor prescribes drug therapy to relieve pain. Pain during menstruation can be relieved with natural medications. Menalgin eliminates or reduces the level of pain, reduces intensity, removes irritability, facilitates menstruation, and lowers the pain threshold. Menalgin allows you to stop taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that negatively affect the gastrointestinal tract.

Why is Menalgin recommended? Firstly, it is prescribed according to individual indications for women suffering from severe pain and has a gentle effect. Secondly, the drug is natural. There is no need to take it on your own. The medication should be taken one day before the expected period. The drug calms, relaxes, has anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, analgesic effects. It is recommended to take vitamins and minerals, hormonal contraceptives, sedatives, and analgesics.

Treatment of pain with folk remedies

If your legs hurt before menstruation, folk remedies help no worse than medications and have a long-lasting, sustainable effect.

Medicines sold in pharmacies relieve pain in the legs during menstruation. It is recommended to brew instead of tea and drink on an empty stomach. Add mint, lemon balm, and chamomile to tea. These herbs soothe and relieve inflammation. Prepare an infusion of oregano. Pour boiling water (two glasses) over two tablespoons of herbs. Let the prepared broth brew for 30 minutes. Drink three times a day, half an hour before meals. It is useful to drink raspberry infusion before menstruation. When consumed regularly, it has anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. Take raspberry leaves - three teaspoons, pour a glass of boiling water, let it brew. Drink small portions throughout the day. Pain in the legs will go away if you take the infusion permanently. Pour four teaspoons of viburnum bark with a glass of boiling water, boil, let cool, strain. Take a tablespoon three times a day before meals. One of the causes of leg pain during menstruation is stress. It is recommended to take soothing preparations sold in pharmacies. Mix chamomile (flowers) and lemon balm (leaves) in equal proportions, pour boiling water over it, let it brew. Strain. Take three times a day before meals. It is recommended to start using the infusion a week before menstruation.

Chamomile and lemon balm infusion

During menstruation, drink plenty of fluids, take warm baths, massage your feet. Foot baths with aromatic oils or medicinal herbs relieve pain. Pour a tablespoon of valerian root, lemon balm leaves, hop cones (the same proportion), two tablespoons of yarrow (flowers ) three glasses of liquid. Mix the ingredients and cook in a water bath for forty minutes. Let it brew for four hours. Strain the broth. Take after meals.

Pain in the legs during the cycle is easy to remove; remember that pain is a serious symptom that is not the norm. The active contraction of the uterus, which rejects the endometrial layer, causes pain. Hence the bleeding. Severe pain in the legs is a reason to take care of your health.

Prevention of leg pain during menstruation

You can avoid pain and reduce the degree of its occurrence by changing your lifestyle, habits, diet, work and rest schedule. Special gymnastics helps, strengthening the abdominal muscles, improving blood supply to the pelvic organs and legs. A woman who regularly suffers from pain during menstruation should exclude spicy, salty, fatty, and sweet foods from her diet. Doctors recommend vegetables and fruits, vitamins.

During menstruation you should not:

Do heavy physical labor, run, climb stairs. Follow a strict diet. Let your feet get too cold. Drink alcohol, smoke. Sunbathe.

Warm herbal foot baths, light massage, fresh air, work and rest regime are recommended. Learn to cope with stress, relax, rest, calm down. Smoking is the reason for the deterioration of the condition during this period. Bad habits have an adverse effect on blood vessels and lead to dangerous consequences.

Doctors recommend paying attention to lifestyle to prevent pain. Adjust your diet, take vitamin complexes, including calcium, magnesium, vitamins B, E. Exercise regularly, in moderation, simple exercise and gymnastics will suffice. Keeping a cycle diary will help you understand and eliminate the cause of pain.

The menstrual cycle of each representative of the weaker half of humanity differs in its individual duration, the amount of bleeding, and the intervals from one bleeding to another. Each woman has her own threshold of sensitivity to painful stimuli. The structure and location of the uterus influences the nature of menstruation and the location of pain. The reason why your legs hurt during menstruation can be determined after a thorough examination of the woman.

Pain in the lower extremities in women over 50 years of age

Women, when they approach fifty years of age, lose their reproductive function. That is, the reproductive ability of the body gradually fades away and the woman begins premenopause. During this period, the menstrual cycle becomes irregular and menstruation becomes rare. Before their onset, women may feel false symptoms of the onset of menstruation, that is, pain in the head, back, abdomen and legs, but there is no bleeding. And in another case, nothing portends about critical days, and they come without any special symptoms. During menopause, periods may not appear for a whole year and then, if they finally do not appear, it means that postmenopause has occurred, that is, a complete absence of monthly female functionality. But at the same time, for some reason my legs continue to hurt or this unpleasant sensation appeared for the first time.

During the aging period, the work of all organs and systems of the body with less activity is considered a natural process. At the same time, wear and tear occurs on the cardiovascular, excretory and regenerative systems. As a result, blood circulation and metabolism are disrupted, which leads to the occurrence of many diseases. After the onset of menopause, the occurrence of pathologies is observed more often, or if they appeared earlier, their progression is noted.

Feelings of pain, heaviness, swelling, numbness and even cramps in the legs can occur in conditions such as:

• Sedentary lifestyle (long-term sitting or lying position, which causes blood stagnation in the lower extremities);
• Vitamin deficiency, diabetes mellitus, thrombophlebitis;
• History of difficult childbirth and gynecological operations;
• Rheumatoid arthritis (inflammatory processes in the joints leading to their deformation);
• Osteochondrosis of the spine (bone growths pinch the nerve bundles that supply innervation to the lower extremities);
• Infringement of the intervertebral nerves by a hernia or cyst;
• Peripheral circulation disorders of the lower extremities (Raynaud's disease);
• Atherosclerosis or multiple sclerosis (damage to blood vessels and nerve sheaths of the legs);
• Stroke;
• Neuropathy (damage and deformation of the nerve endings of the lower extremities);
• The presence of benign or malignant tumors, as well as previous injuries and operations.
  

For any cause of discomfort, maximum physical activity, a healthy diet (mainly live plant foods) and equalization of sleep patterns will always be helpful at any age. These simple steps will bring relief not only from painful sensations, but also improve your overall health.

The menstrual cycle of each representative of the weaker half of humanity differs in its individual duration, the amount of bleeding, and the intervals from one bleeding to another. Each woman has her own threshold of sensitivity to painful stimuli. The structure and location of the uterus influences the nature of menstruation and the location of pain. The reason why your legs hurt during menstruation can be determined after a thorough examination of the woman.

Why do my legs hurt during menstruation?

In girls and older women, the causes of pain in the legs are different. In one case, these may be features of the location of the uterus, in another – serious diseases of the legs.

In teenage girls

During the period when puberty begins, the girl’s body undergoes active restructuring:

The skeleton and muscular frame begin to grow rapidly, and the sex glands begin to actively function, producing the appropriate hormones.

Due to the fact that the growth of blood vessels and nerves does not keep pace with the growth of the skeleton, and physical activity at this time is great, adolescents develop aching pain in the legs. Discomfort is especially intensified before menstruation. These symptoms may be accompanied by numbness and swelling of the legs. The situation is aggravated by fluctuating hormone levels during this time.

In addition, the uterus may still be underdeveloped and have bends. When it contracts during bleeding, the pain radiates down the spine to the legs.

In women of childbearing age

Leg pain can worsen in middle-aged women, especially after having children. After childbirth, complications may occur in the form of displacement of the vertebrae, divergence of the pelvic bones, or the presence of a scar after a cesarean section. In this regard, the nervous regulation of the legs is disrupted, which is accompanied by pain, numbness, and swelling.

Other reasons:

prolonged stay in an upright position; disturbance of the level of hormones in the body; diseases of the urinary system; pathology of the female genital area.

The severity of pain is influenced by the natural content of hormones in the body. Women who have a predominance of estrogens and prostaglandins are more sensitive to pain.

Leg pain in women of childbearing age

Often, during menstruation, women undergo a lot of inconvenience. Skin rashes and excessive sweating, swelling of the face and limbs and of course pain. Before menstruation, heaviness is felt in the chest, lower abdomen and legs. This is, as a rule, a physiological course, but can also be a consequence of pathological processes that worsen during critical days.

Leg pain during menstruation can occur in women after childbirth or after a Caesarean section. Such symptoms can occur before your period begins, during its peak, or after it ends. This happens because after the birth of a child, the pelvic bones do not completely return to their original position, which somewhat changes the microcirculation and innervation of blood and nerve vessels. Also, some women report nagging pain in the lower back after childbirth, which intensifies during menstruation. The reason for this may be minor displacements and sprains of the ligaments in the sacral area, which bring pain and numbness in the legs.

Often, increased pain in the lower extremities during menstruation can be influenced by previous abdominal surgeries, injuries and spinal surgeries. In such conditions, the blood supply to large and small vessels is disrupted, as well as the function of nerve bundles, adhesions and thrombosis occur, which can negatively affect processes associated with the phases of the menstrual cycle.

Premenstrual syndrome as a cause of leg pain

The cause of PMS is a violation of the ratio of sex hormones and nervous regulation processes in the brain. Constant stress and malnutrition can provoke the development of this condition. With the development of PMS, fluid retention in the body tissues is of great importance.

The woman becomes tearful, irritable or depressed. A few days before her period, she experiences heaviness in the mammary glands, pain in the nipples, muscles, and thirst may appear. Such women are often worried about stool upset.

Diseases as a cause of leg pain

This symptom is possible with a whole list of diseases. They may already be known to the woman or diagnosed when menstruation begins.

Endometriosis

This disease occurs when the inner layer of uterine cells grows in places where it should not be. At the same time, it begins to ache in the lower abdomen and lower back. Due to the close location of the nerve plexuses to the uterus, the pain radiates to the lower extremities. Characteristic in this case will be constant heaviness in the legs and its intensification during menstruation.

Algomenorrhea

This is a menstrual disorder characterized by painful periods. This condition is associated with hormonal imbalance. At the same time, the woman becomes especially sensitive to any manifestations of pain.

The condition is aggravated by abnormal position of the uterus or its underdevelopment. If this organ is bent posteriorly and is located close to the nerve plexuses, when it contracts during regulation, the nerves are irritated, transmitting the impulse to all nearby organs.

Spinal problems

Pain in the legs can be caused by diseases of the spine:

previous injuries; osteochondrosis; tumors; spinal cord circulatory disorders.

With significant changes in the spine, the function of the spinal cord may be impaired. In this case, the legs will be cold, the patient does not feel any part of them. The sensation of “insects crawling on the skin” and tingling is characteristic. Over time, the woman begins to limp. With hormonal changes, all symptoms intensify.

Venous insufficiency

Before menstruation, legs hurt and with varicose veins. With this disease, the patient will also be concerned about swelling of the legs and the appearance of ulcers that do not heal for a long time. If this is a young woman whose disease is just beginning, swelling of the legs will not be as pronounced. Menstruation provokes a deterioration in the condition before menstruation, when, against the background of hormonal changes, water begins to be retained in the body.

Joint diseases

With joint diseases, a woman will be bothered by the following symptoms:

pain in the area of ​​one or more joints; redness of the skin over them; stiffness of movement in the morning; crunching when moving; worsening of symptoms after hypothermia.

During menstruation, the disease worsens.

Polyneuropathy

Nerve damage manifests itself as impaired leg function. A woman notices that the skin of her lower extremities is constantly cold and dry to the touch, and the hair on her legs begins to fall out. The legs become “wobbly” and get tired quickly. Pain in the legs during menstruation is especially noticeable.

Symptoms

Any deviations in the state of the body must be identified with the identification of the main signs and provoking factors. It is the subjective symptoms that occur during menstruation that cause a lot of suffering to women. Pain in the legs may have the following characteristics:

1. Aching, pulling, squeezing.
2. Weak, moderate or quite strong.
3. Localized in the thighs or lower legs, along the back or front surface.
4. Disturbs periodically or almost constantly.
5. They appear at various intervals: during menstruation, before or after menstruation.
6. They intensify with walking and exercise, or have no connection with external factors.

But you should pay attention to other symptoms that may be present in a woman and can help in determining the cause of pain in the lower extremities.

Physiological processes

Sometimes even a completely healthy woman can have pain in her legs. This is due to hormonal changes that occur during menstruation. In the middle of the cycle, the level of progesterone increases, which dilates the vessels of the uterus, affecting other organs. In particular, the veins of the pelvis and lower extremities are susceptible to it. As they expand, they accommodate more blood, which can cause heaviness in the legs and swelling.

Pain in the lower extremities sometimes accompanies the establishment of the menstrual cycle in girls during puberty. In this case, there is an imbalance between the growth of the musculoskeletal system and reproductive function, which affects the blood supply and innervation of the tissues of the pelvis and lower extremities. But with the establishment of menstruation and regular sexual activity, the pain goes away.

When wondering about the cause of pain in the legs associated with menstruation, one must first consider the possibility of physiological changes in the woman’s body.

Algomenorrhea

A menstrual disorder characterized by painful periods is called algodismenorrhea. It can develop primarily (functional) or against the background of anatomical changes in the genital organs. But despite the origin, the complex of symptoms will be the same:

• Pain in the lower abdomen of a cramping nature.
• Unpleasant sensations spread to the lower back, groin area and thighs.
• Headaches and dizziness.
• Bloating, nausea and even vomiting.
• General weakness, irritability.

Algomenorrhea can lead to decreased ability to work and significantly reduce the quality of life. Therefore, it is not only a medical, but also a social problem.

Inflammatory diseases

Quite often, the menstrual cycle is disrupted due to inflammatory diseases that affect a woman’s genital area. The most common pathology of the uterine appendages is adnexitis (salpingo-oophoritis). At first, the disease develops as an acute process, but subsequently becomes chronic. In this case, you will be bothered by pain in the lower abdomen, which radiates to the legs or lumbar region. Physiological discharge may change and discomfort may be felt during sexual intercourse.

If inflammation is left untreated for a long time, it provokes the proliferation of connective tissue and the appearance of adhesions in the fallopian tubes, which can cause infertility.

Pathology of the venous system

Considering the influence of female sex hormones on the vascular wall, it can be assumed that pain in the legs associated with menstruation is a sign of venous insufficiency and impaired blood outflow. This often occurs with varicose veins or thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities. And women have to deal with the following symptoms:

• Heaviness in the legs, worse in the evening.
• Swelling of the legs and feet.
• Visible expansion of superficial veins, the appearance of “nodes”.
• Trophic changes in the skin.

Thrombophlebitis is characterized by inflammation of the vein wall, which means that the pain will be much more pronounced, and a strip of redness will become visible on the skin. In the same place you can feel a dense cord - this is the affected vessel.

Polyneuropathy

Sometimes it happens that your legs hurt not only during menstruation, but also at other times. Then you should look for reasons that have no connection with the menstrual cycle. Similar conditions include polyneuropathy, which is a common pathology in patients with endocrine-metabolic diseases (diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, etc.). First, the distal (lower) parts of the limbs are affected, and then the process rises higher. In addition to persistent and rather intense pain in the legs, there are other neurological symptoms:

• Skin numbness, tingling, burning, “pins and needles.”
• Decreased sensitivity.
• Changes in reflex reactions.
• Muscle weakness.

During the examination, the doctor pays attention not only to the manifestations of neuropathy, but also takes into account the signs of the underlying disease.

Joint diseases

Pathology of the joints of the lower extremities can occur in women at any age. Even degenerative diseases, such as osteoarthritis, often develop during the reproductive period of life. And pain in the legs sometimes coincides with menstruation. But at the same time they are associated with movements and physical activity. In addition, the clinical picture will include other symptoms indicating pathology of the musculoskeletal system:

• Swelling and redness of the skin over the joints.
• Limitation of movement in the knee or hip area.
• Joint pain on palpation.

Thus, if your legs hurt during menstruation, you need to undergo a medical examination. The doctor will determine why pain occurs in a particular patient. It is possible that this discomfort is temporary, as it is associated with physiological processes. But we cannot exclude other causes that are within the framework of pathological disorders that require timely detection.

What to do

If unusual complaints appear during menstruation, a woman should consult a doctor. The gynecologist will examine the organs of the reproductive system and prescribe a consultation with other specialists.

Diagnostics

The following examinations are prescribed:

general blood test; blood test for the activity of the inflammatory process; determination of the content of sex hormones; ultrasound of the pelvic organs; analysis of vaginal discharge.

If you suspect venous disease or nerve damage, your doctor will prescribe an examination.

Medical consultations

When choosing the correct treatment tactics for treating a woman, additional specialists will be involved: a vascular surgeon, a neurologist, an oncologist, and a traumatologist.

Diagnostics

To identify the cause of leg pain, doctors may prescribe:

• biochemical, general blood tests,
• MRI,
• hysteroscopy,
• Ultrasound,
• vascular research.

Each doctor selects examinations to verify the absence or presence of specialized problems. In addition to examination and manual palpation of the reproductive organs, the gynecologist gives a referral for an ultrasound scan. If tumors or cysts are detected, therapeutic and diagnostic laparoscopy may be prescribed.

In cases where knees hurt during menstruation, the doctor prescribes x-rays, arthrography, and diagnoses joint mobility. For venous diseases, ultrasound angioscanning, radiocontrast venography, CT or MRI are prescribed.

Treatment with folk remedies

Treatment of this condition includes a whole range of measures. First of all, a woman needs to make adjustments to her usual lifestyle. If distance allows, it is better to walk to and from work. Every 1-2 hours spent in a sitting position, you need to take a break for 10-15 minutes. At this time it is best to walk. When sitting, try not to throw your legs over one another, often lay them horizontally.

If possible, it is useful to periodically sit with your legs up.

When your leg hurts, traditional healers recommend tying it with lightly squeezed fresh cabbage leaves. They are tied to the leg in the evening and left overnight. The leg will hurt less and its swelling will decrease.

The diet is enriched with multivitamins. The diet includes dishes made from fresh celery. The root and leaves can be added to salads or drunk 1 tablespoon of its juice daily for a month. Then they take a month off.

Tea made from lemon balm stems and leaves will help relieve fatigue and stress. For this, 1 tbsp. l. The crushed plant is poured into a glass of boiling water and drunk as tea.