Heavy legs
Encyclopedia
Heavy legs is an alleged medical condition, described as an "unpleasant sensation of pain and heaviness" in the lower limbs. It is recognised primarily in France
, and to a lesser extent elsewhere.
Due to the limited recognition it has received, and because of its proliferation in the media and by the alternative health community, many medical practitioners believe it is a sign of hypochondriasis.
The cause may be venous insufficiency
or peripheral arterial disease.
Remedies may include drinking plenty of tea
, essential oil
massages and walking in the sea; or alternatively sleeping with the legs elevated, wearing compression products like support stockings
and possibly taking diuretics. An underlying condition in a very small minority of cases may be Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, a rare disease.
It was described by BBC
reporter Emma Jane Kirby as "a curiously French complaint ... the illness you can only get in health-conscious France."
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and to a lesser extent elsewhere.
Due to the limited recognition it has received, and because of its proliferation in the media and by the alternative health community, many medical practitioners believe it is a sign of hypochondriasis.
The cause may be venous insufficiency
Chronic venous insufficiency
Chronic venous insufficiency or CVI is a medical condition where the veins cannot pump enough oxygen-poor blood back to the heart. It is sometimes referred to as an "impaired musculovenous pump", this is due to damaged or "incompetent" valves as may occur after deep vein thrombosis or phlebitis...
or peripheral arterial disease.
Remedies may include drinking plenty of tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
, essential oil
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
massages and walking in the sea; or alternatively sleeping with the legs elevated, wearing compression products like support stockings
Compression stockings
Compression stockings and socks are specialised hosiery items designed to increase blood circulation. Their main theraputic purpose is to provide graduated pressure on the lower leg and foot and, in some cases, the thigh, to alleviate circulatory problems such as edema, phlebitis and...
and possibly taking diuretics. An underlying condition in a very small minority of cases may be Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, a rare disease.
It was described by BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reporter Emma Jane Kirby as "a curiously French complaint ... the illness you can only get in health-conscious France."