Leg Pain During Pregnancy: Your Guide to Reasons and Remedies

If pregnancy is a cakewalk, then leg pain during pregnancy is the icing on the cake. But enough with the cake analogies (we don’t want to add to your food cravings), we know just how many challenges you’re battling every day as an expecting mother. When you begin your pregnancy journey, you expect morning sickness and a growing belly, but leg pain may catch you off guard.

Don’t worry, pregnant women across the world are sharing the same pain. To make this a little more bearable, we will guide you on the most common reasons and share the most effective remedies for leg pain in pregnancy.

Do legs pain in early pregnancy?

Although a more noticeable symptom during the second and third trimester of pregnancy, leg pain can occur even in early pregnancy. If you experience leg pain during early pregnancy, then the myriad of body changes happening inside you are to be blamed. With the surge of pregnancy hormones and blood circulation, it’s not uncommon to experience leg pain in early pregnancy.

What are the reasons for leg pain in pregnancy?

Let us now understand some of the most common culprits for all this pain, swelling and cramps in your legs during pregnancy:

1. Here come the raging hormones

The raging bulls of Spain don’t hold a candle to the pregnancy hormones racing in your body. Two in particular that are to be blamed for your leg pain are progesterone and relaxin. These pregnancy hormones cause your ligaments to loosen up, thereby affecting your posture and gait. This eventually leads to various kinds of pain, including leg pain.

2. Extra pounds, extra pressure

As your pregnancy progresses and you put on more pounds, your legs end up carrying more weight than they used to. And after a long day of pregnancy hustle, they are bound to get tired just like you.

You may also like: Leg Cramps During Pregnancy: Causes, Treatment And Home Remedies

3. Water revenge retention

Remember those days when you used to skimp on drinking water? Well, now your body is deviously storing all the water and fluids in your body. All this water retention or edema can cause your legs to swell and ache during pregnancy.

4. The curious case of circulation

During pregnancy, the amount of blood flow in your body continues to rise. At the same time, your growing uterus puts pressure on the blood vessels, which hampers blood circulation. This conflict of circulation ends up taking a toll on your legs, causing pain and cramps.

5. Shik shak sciatica

The growing uterus also puts pressure on your sciatic nerve, which leads to a sharp, shooting pain that arises from the lower back down to the back of one leg. You can feel sciatica pain in either of your legs.

6. Be wary of varicose veins

As if you didn’t have enough to be wary about! Varicose veins are raised, twisted veins that may bulge from under your skin, especially during pregnancy. They can cause pain, heaviness, swelling and even itchiness in your legs.

How to relieve leg pain during pregnancy?

Ladies, there’s absolutely no need to bear leg pain in pregnancy when you can try these effective home remedies:

1. Keep your hopes and legs up

Keeping your hopes up is a general guidance for all expecting mothers but keeping your legs up can especially be helpful for those troubled with leg pain. Elevating your legs while resting, sitting or even sleeping can help with blood circulation and reduce swelling and pain.

2. Time to buy new shoes

Now might be a good time to ditch your heels and invest in a pair of comfortable, cushiony and supportive shoes. They will help take some of that pressure off your legs and even improve your posture.

3. Hip hip hydration!

Is there any ailment that water can’t cure? Drinking sufficient water throughout pregnancy can help minimize water retention, improve blood circulation and relieve leg pain. Make sure to drink 12-15 glasses of water every day.

4. Excel at exercise

Make exercising a part of your routine and you’ll find relief in common body aches during pregnancy like leg pain, backache and hip pain. Gentle stretching, Yoga or swimming are all safe for pregnant women.

5. Massage your pain away

Massages work like magic and with the right oil they are no less than a miracle. Using an Ayurvedic pain relief oil like the one from Mylo can help reduce the pain in your legs owing to its potent blend of pain-relieving ingredients.

6. Hot and cold can be gold

Alternating between heat pads and ice packs can be a highly effective pain and swelling reduction technique. Just ensure that the temperature is appropriate for pregnancy.

7. Stock up on compression stockings

As you give your wardrobe a maternity upgrade, don’t forget to invest in a pair of compression stockings. They can be a game-changer when it comes to leg pain and help reduce swelling and discomfort in the legs.

8. Walk it off

Did we tell you that walking off your pain not only makes you look stronger but actually works? Going for a walk regularly can help improve your blood circulation, which can prevent the problems that give rise to leg pain.

9. Soak your swelling away

After a long day at work, dip your legs in warm water mixed with some Epsom salt. It will not only relieve your stress and fatigue but also relieve the swelling and pain in your legs.

10. Say no to sedentary

Avoid sitting for too long as it can reduce the blood circulation in your body and aggravate your leg pain. Similarly, don’t stand in the same place for too long to reduce the pressure on your legs.

Final Thoughts

Pregnancy is a nine-month-long journey, and your legs end up bearing the brunt of it. While leg pain during pregnancy is common, there’s a lot you can do to prevent and treat it. From home remedies to lifestyle changes to preventive measures, this article has explored some of the healthiest and easiest ways to relieve leg pain among expecting mothers. We hope the rest of your journey is a walk to remember.

References

1. Valbø A, Bøhmer T. (1999). Leggkramper i svangerskapet--hvor hyppig forekommer det? [Leg cramps in pregnancy--how common are they?]. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen.

2. Luo L, Zhou K, Zhang J, Xu L, Yin W. (2020). Interventions for leg cramps in pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev.