Causes and Treatment of Leg Pain After Prolonged Standing or Sitting

Any new or persistent leg pain summons a visit to your Cartersville, GA, doctor for an examination. Leg pain may have many causes, but leg pain after prolonged sitting or standing commonly results from a condition called venous insufficiency. If fluid buildups in the leg veins, blood pools in your feet and legs, causing swelling and pain. The pain can feel like burning or cramping, particularly in your calf.

Venous insufficiency, or venous congestion, presents itself when your leg vein valves don’t work correctly to keep your blood moving effectively from your legs to your heart. In healthy veins, there is a constant flow of blood from your legs to your heart, but in unhealthy veins the blood flow is impaired. Varicose veins, which are distended veins viewable just under the skin, can be a source of venous congestion. In other cases, past inflammation of a vein such as what happens with phlebitis, can damage the valve, leading to venous insufficiency. Lack of activity and obesity also contribute to this condition.

Upon a physical examination and review of your medical history, your doctor may diagnose you with venous congestion. Typically, the first course of treatment in reducing leg pain due to venous insufficiency is to increase physical activity, wear compression stockings, and elevate achy legs above heart level for a period of 15 to 30 minutes. If these treatment methods do not reduce your leg pain satisfactorily, your Carterville, GA doctor may recommend alternative treatments.

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