Symptoms such as severe aching pain in the muscles of the legs or feet, a feeling of tightness in the lower leg, a feeling of heaviness and fatigue, even after a short walk, are manifested in 60% of the adult population.
These symptoms can be called harbingers of cramps. And during pregnancy, almost all women experience sensations when they suddenly bring their legs together, especially at night.
Possible reasons for bringing your legs down during pregnancy
In medicine, local cramps, or simply speaking, reduces legs during pregnancy - this is an involuntary and painful muscle contraction. The causes can be either diseases that were observed or were not observed before pregnancy, and the pregnancy itself can provoke the occurrence of seizures. Therefore, with frequent convulsions, persisting pain in places where the legs are reduced to a day, swelling or discoloration of the skin in places of their localization, it is necessary to inform the doctor who is conducting the pregnancy about this problem. For clarity, pregnant women should know the reasons that are provocateurs of such phenomena:
1. Subcooling, or vice versa, overheating. Even completely healthy people are not recommended temperature differences, and for a future mother it is exorbitant load on the body. In the cold, a woman tries to group, warming herself in this way. At the same time, muscles are tensed to the maximum, which when relaxed can cause their spasm.
The heat for pregnant women is dangerous because the body weakened by pregnancy quickly loses the fluid and salts necessary for proper metabolism, which can also lead to muscle cramps.
2. Walking in uncomfortable shoes. This is also a warning not only for pregnant women, and it is clear that a heavy load on the legs suggests fatigue, and uncomfortable shoes only aggravate their condition: blood circulation worsens, muscles are not supplied with enough oxygen and blood, and as a result, cramps.
3. Inactivity or prolonged sitting. Such a situation, like the previous one, does not fully provide blood vessels and oxygen, in addition to the possibility of convulsions, there is the prospect of the development of varicose veins and arthritis. Moderately active life is not superfluous either for pregnant women or for anyone else.
4. Flat feet and varicose veins. The condition of the foot is very important for the calf muscles. Flat feet sharply reduces the amount of movement of the foot, it becomes "wooden", which complicates the blood flow along the lower leg. Any violation of the blood flow can lead to varicose veins, thrombophlebitis and other diseases, which are the reason that during pregnancy reduces legs.
5. Excess weight, and such is present during pregnancy, guarantees the load on the legs and their fatigue. In addition, the fetus, located in the pelvis, compresses the blood vessels and disrupts the outflow of blood in the lower extremities. It is this phenomenon that reduces legs during pregnancy.
6. Diuretic drugs or drugs that regulate blood pressure. Pregnancy is often accompanied by kidney disease or pressure surges. Women take drugs that are designed to remove excess sodium from the body. It retains water in the body, from which pressure rises. And excretion together with sodium potassium and magnesium is a secondary side effect of the drug. The membrane in the excitable tissues, especially in the muscles, becomes unstable, calcium exits inside the muscles, which causes seizures.
7. Genetic factor. If one of the woman’s parents suffered cramps in her legs, then the woman herself is likely to experience this unpleasant phenomenon, especially during pregnancy.
8. The first trimester of pregnancy is often accompanied by toxicosis (vomiting and loss of appetite), which leads to the loss of vital elements for both the expectant mother and the baby. The second and third trimester leads to the loss of trace elements from increased growth of the fetus and the formation of various structures. This may be the root cause of the fact that during pregnancy brings legs together.
Diagnosis: if when legs are reduced during pregnancy
Based on the many reasons that lead to the fact that it reduces legs during pregnancy, women have a question, which doctor's consultation is necessary when such a problem manifests? First of all, the gynecologist who conducts the pregnancy of a woman should know about this. Depending on the cause of the convulsion, the gynecologist will determine for himself which doctor’s consultation is necessary. This can be either a neurologist, or the help of a phlebologist, endocrinologist, orthopedist, or other specialists is needed. Additional clinical and laboratory tests, as well as specialist advice will help determine the next steps.
Disease Actions
The slightest deviations from the norm should be observed by specialists in order to avoid complications during pregnancy, as well as after it. The child needs a healthy mother.
With flat feet, with the help of special massage mats or balls, massage the reflexogenic points of the feet. This improves blood circulation and relaxes the foot, after which the outflow of blood improves. This problem must be solved with an orthopedist.
With varicose veins, with the help of a phlebologist, special compression underwear is selected. The participation of a phlebologist is necessary for the correct selection of the size and degree of compression, only in this case wearing special underwear will be effective.
The endocrinologist, controlling the level of sugar in the blood, prescribes drugs that are acceptable during pregnancy, and selects the optimal diet necessary for correcting the level of sugar in the body. The endocrinologist also controls the thyroid gland, which can malfunction during pregnancy.
Any other changes associated with the disease should be monitored by specialists in the appropriate direction, to which the gynecologist directs.
When she brings her legs during pregnancy - help yourself
Having once experienced painful cramps, there is no desire to experience this again. Some women are even afraid of approaching the night. In order not to reach such an absurd situation, it is advisable to inform your doctor about this phenomenon after the first time. Well, if you still were taken aback by this terrible pain, then some tricks will help get rid of it:
• Sit on the bed so that a healthy leg is on the floor and the patient is lying on the bed. Carefully reaching for the toes, slowly pull them towards you. So you need to repeat until the pain subsides. In conclusion, it is advisable to gently massage the muscles until slightly warmed.
• With your feet pointing, massage your affected leg. It is from that place where severe pain is felt that you need to start light massaging movements.
• The ancient way, when it brings legs together during pregnancy, is better not to use a needle to prick a muscle. Instead, you can use mustard, constantly at hand. An overlaid mustard on a sore spot, warming, soothing and relaxing muscles.
• Pharmacies sell cooling gels and creams made on the basis of horse chestnut, so they are not dangerous for pregnant women. At night or at the time of pain, gel should be applied to the sore spot. Cooling, the gel soothes the muscles.
Prevention
It is impossible to endure regular cramps, and it’s not safe, so you should try to isolate yourself from possible troubles. And the main ways should be:
• Balanced diet. Increase the amount of magnesium and potassium in the form of tomato, baked potato, watermelon, buckwheat, chocolate, banana, dried apricots, raisins and nuts. It is the lack of these microelements that provokes that unbearable pain when it brings legs together during pregnancy.
• Contrast foot bathsand the contrast may be a difference of five degrees. The procedure ends with water at a comfortable temperature. Baths can be done with the addition of sea salt, it helps to accelerate muscle relaxation.
• In the absence of varicose veins, self-massage is used. This can be either stroking from the foot to the lower leg, or vibration tapping.
• Exercises affecting the calf muscles. When doing exercises, you need to feel tension in this area. For example, in a supine position, raise your legs as far as possible and make vibratory movements, that is, a slight tremor with your feet. Or, standing against the wall and resting on it with your hands, rise on your toes, applying maximum effort to tension the calf muscles. Sitting on the couch, you can alternately becomes now on the toes, then on the heels. Exercise is simple, but effective.
• Comfortable shoes - This is the main condition during pregnancy, and especially when the legs often. The heel should be stable and not higher than five centimeters, and the shoe block and shoe insoles should be of high quality.
• Smoking, coffee and tea are excluded without fail, so as not to aggravate the state of the blood vessels that are working so hard during pregnancy.
• Gymnastics for the legs. Lifting socks at least ten times a day, women train and saturate the calf muscles with oxygen, which helps to avoid unpleasant cramps.
• Rest with legs raised up. This position is optimal for free circulation of blood from the extremities. Try to the best of your ability, during the day two or three times to rest in this position for twenty minutes.
• Sleep on the left side. The vena cava, which carries the largest amount of blood in the body, is on the right. In order to relieve pressure on it, you should lie on your right side as little as possible. Thus, the movement of blood is not disturbed, respectively, so you can avoid unnecessary provocateurs of seizures.
Folk remedies: if it reduces legs during pregnancy
Only when you are sure that pregnancy is the provocateur of convulsions, you can turn to alternative methods of getting rid of painful sensations. Drinking herbs and taking any medications during pregnancy is not recommended without a doctor’s prescription, but procedures such as salt baths and the like will not be superfluous.
An excellent way to prevent and prevent the pain of seizures can be self-made warmer. To do this, stock up on dried seeds of cherry or plum (any fruit seeds), place them in a small sock or sew a bag for them. Before going to bed, warming the bag in the microwave, apply to painful places, you can lightly massage them. The bones retain heat for a long time, so it is easy to replace mustard plasters. Instead of seeds, you can use sunflower seeds.
Do not miss the opportunity to walk barefoot in the morning dew or sea sand. This procedure replaces special rugs. Any morning walks are useful for expectant mothers.
Lemongrass or peppermint seeds applied to the patch, which, in turn, is glued to the sore spot. If the foot hurts more often, then it should be glued to the foot. This method, although not everyone is credible by its effectiveness, but it is very effective. The patch is applied for 12 hours, the procedure can be repeated, replacing the patch with a new one.
Unexpectedly, there was a problem when during pregnancy it brings legs together, remember compliance principle. For those who do not yet know, the method is really effective:
The two middle fingers (middle and ring) are responsible for our feet. If the foot is brought together in the foot zone, then we massage the terminal phalanx of the fingers of the hand, if the shin, then we can massage it or use the handle to press the middle phalanx of the finger, and so on. If it is not possible to massage, then you can make a mark with a red marker in the corresponding zone. This experiment was carried out on many women, acts.
Dear future mothers! Do not self-medicate, consult a doctor in a timely manner with all your problems. Together, it’s much easier to solve them.
