How to Get Relief From Leg Pain at Home
No one wants to live their lives in pain! Leg pain can range from mild discomfort to being fully debilitating. Whether acute leg pain as a result of an injury or chronic leg pain from adverse medical conditions, learning potentially effective options for leg pain treatment at home may help manage the pain or be rid of it altogether.
To help you achieve this, we’re looking at possible ways for how to get relief from leg pain at home with simple lifestyle adjustments and treatment methods. Before beginning any form of leg treatment at home, however, be sure to consult a medical professional to ensure it’s safe for you to do so.
Common Causes of Leg Pain
Before you can learn how to get relief from leg pain at home it’s important to identify common causes of leg pain first. In order to implement a potentially effective leg treatment at home you’ve got to know the source of the problem. Some common causes of leg pain include:
- Poor blood circulation
- Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
- Sports injuries or stress fractures from physical activity
- Muscle damage resulting from an accident
- Varicose veins in the legs (rare, but these could potentially cause pain)
- Degenerative age related diseases like osteoporosis
- Nerve pain such as sciatica
Once you’ve identified the source of your pain, it’s time to hop into learning how to get relief from leg pain at home and get you on your feet!
Learning How to Get Relief From Leg Pain At Home
There are lots of ways to consider when learning how to get relief from leg pain at home. While many of these methods have been tried and tested over the years, it’s still imperative that you seek medical guidance from your doctor before beginning any leg pain treatment at home. You don’t want to misdiagnose the source of your pain and accidentally exacerbate the problem as it could result in lasting damage.
A few of our favorite methods for how to get relief from leg pain at home are:
- Using a cold compress followed by heat therapy
- Drinking more water to hydrate your body
- Using a zero gravity chair for better blood flow and pressure relief
- Stretching and exercising to preserve mobility and flexibility in your leg muscles
Cold Compresses and Heat Therapy for Leg Pain Relief
One of the most common, and potentially effective, methods for how to get relief from leg pain at home is to use cold compresses then switch to heat therapy. Cold therapy, sometimes referred to as cryotherapy, may help lower inflammation and reduce blood flow to the injured areas. This can make them particularly useful as part of a post workout recovery routine (you might’ve heard of athletes taking ice baths before).
When you’re applying an ice pack as part of your leg pain treatment at home, however, be sure to wrap the pack in a thin towel before placing it against your skin. Direct contact with ice for any amount of time may actually damage the skin cells and tissue beneath the surface, causing you harm instead of enhancing how the body heals itself.
After you’ve spent 24-48 hours of intermittent cold compress applications, move on to heat therapy. Heat therapy can help to get the blood flowing, alleviating inflammation that has occurred as part of the healing process and aiding in better flexibility for the muscles in your legs.
Heat therapy is commonly labeled in one of two ways: dry or moist. Dry heat therapy includes using tools like a heating pad or a zero gravity chair with heat therapy features. Moist heat therapy would include options like a warm bath or steam towels. To help with how to get relief from leg pain at home, it’s best to use heat therapy applications for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, 4 to 8 times a day with at least two hours between sessions.
Staying Hydrated as Part of Leg Pain Treatment at Home
You read that correctly, staying hydrated is one of the simplest lifestyle adjustments you can make while learning how to get relief from leg pain at home. Dehydration is a common cause of leg pain and muscle cramps, especially in athletes who are burning through their body’s hydration during periods of intense physical activity.
For the average lifestyle, you should aim to drink roughly half the number of pounds in your body weight as ounces of water each day. As a general guide to the minimum amount of water you should be drinking, experts have said at least 4 to 6 cups per day works for generally healthy people.
Using a Zero Gravity Chair for Leg Pain Relief
Part of learning how to get relief from leg pain at home is knowing which tools might benefit you most. The health benefits of zero gravity chairs make them ideal for leg pain treatment at home because their design alleviates excess pressure on the lower back and pelvic region while elevating and supporting the legs.
In traditional recliners, pressure is actually focused on the lower back area. This can result in excess pressure along the sciatic nerve, a common cause of leg pain you’re trying to avoid. Using a zero gravity chair for back pain and leg pain, however, rectifies this design flaw in regular recliners and enhances how the body heals itself while you relax!
In the zero gravity position, you may also experience increased blood circulation. This is the catalyst for many of the health benefits of zero gravity recliners as it delivers oxygen and nutrients to damaged tissue, helping them rehydrate and heal faster. Better blood flow may reduce swelling and inflammation that can cause pain in the legs, as well.
Some of the bonus features of zero gravity luxury recliners will allow you to combine methods for how to get relief from leg pain at home. For example, you may find that the best models have heat therapy features as well as massage features. These features can help relax your body, which may help reduce muscle tension that is a common subconscious result of pain. As your entire body relaxes, you might experience leg pain relief and be back on your feet in no time.
Stretching and Exercises for Leg Pain Treatment at Home
When you’re in pain, the last thing that may come to mind is getting up and moving, but that can actually be very helpful! Doing simple calf and hamstring stretches can help preserve range of motion in your legs. This can be especially important for athletes who are recovering from a sports injury and need to get back into performance shape as quickly as possible.
Active stretches to increase mobility and flexibility can make a huge difference. When stretching as part of your leg pain treatment at home, however, be sure not to push yourself beyond your limits. Overdoing it could result in a setback and that’s not what you want!
Other activities you may want to engage in are low impact exercises like tai chi and yoga. These are gentle, movement-based exercise routines that may help alleviate leg pain while simultaneously providing other benefits like stress management. If you’re looking for an excuse to get up and get moving again, then once it’s safe for you to do so, you might consider taking a walk around the neighborhood to stretch your legs and engage your calf muscles.
Whether it’s active stretching or more physical activities, be sure to start slow and work your way up. You want to build on your progress, but as the old saying goes, you’ve got to learn to walk before you can run!
We hope our guide for how to get relief from leg pain at home has given you some things to consider. Before starting any leg pain treatment at home, make sure you consult your doctor for approval and guidance. Whether you’re using cold compresses and heat therapy, choosing a zero gravity chair for relaxation and recovery, or keeping active to protect range of motion, finding relief is crucial on the road back to good health. See which of these methods works best for you and your lifestyle and you’ll be back on your feet in no time!
For more information on the potentially health benefits of zero gravity chairs, check out these resources:
