Relieving period-related leg pain is possible!

Menstrual cramps, migraines, and even chest pain are among the most common symptoms just before and during your period. But among these many symptoms, leg pain is also common. Your legs swell, feel heavy, and are painful. Do you suffer from leg pain during your period? In this article, we'll look at what causes your painful legs and offer tips and treatments to relieve your leg pain.

10 tips to relieve leg pain during menstruation

While poor lifestyle habits can contribute to exacerbating leg pain, good habits can, on the contrary , contribute to alleviating them. In addition, several actions can help relieve pain.

1. Practice walking and physical activities

Walking and, more broadly, physical activity can help alleviate leg pain. This is primarily because it increases your circulation, but also by producing endorphins, the pleasure and satisfaction hormones that help alleviate pain.

2. Massage yourself / Get a massage

Massage is one of the tricks that can help you relieve your aching legs. You can get a massage or opt for self-massage.

🌈 On our e-shop, we have selected for you the Happy Cycles body serum from the Miyé brand. Applied by massaging into the painful areas of your body, it helps relieve your heavy legs.

3. Stay well hydrated

Proper hydration is essential to avoid the risk of cramps caused by magnesium deficiency. To help you drink enough water, we recommend switching to hot drinks without caffeine or theine (the latter can sometimes exacerbate dehydration).

🌈 On our e-shop, we have selected several herbal teas and infusions whose effects and claims we like. The herbal tea for painful periods from French Herborist is a valuable ally. Its 100% organic formula, with a pleasant fruity taste, effectively supports the management of premenstrual symptoms and relieves discomfort during your cycle. Suitable even for people suffering from endometriosis or PCOS, it allows you to hydrate healthily while taking care of your body. You can enjoy 2 to 3 cups per day from the onset of the first symptoms and throughout the duration of your period.

4. Have a balanced diet

Our health depends largely on our diet. This is partly why the more you eat a varied and balanced diet, with a minimum of processed foods, the better your body feels!

5. Supplement with flavonoids

Flavonoids are compounds from plants that have a maximum of interesting properties in the context of health (4): they have antibacterial, antiviral, antiplatelet, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor properties and also have antioxidant activity (5)! In other words, they are great allies!

Flavonoids can be found in a variety of plants, which is why eating a balanced, unprocessed diet has a significant impact on your health. But you can also take flavonoid supplements!

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6. Wear support stockings

By applying a compression effect, support stockings promote blood circulation, limit water retention and thus relieve the “heavy legs” effect. Wearing them during your PMS and for the duration of your period can help relieve leg pain.

🚩Constraint is always subject to a medical prescription, as it must be adapted to each case (3). The doctor ensures in particular that there are no contraindications to this treatment.

7. Treat with heat

Leg pain can be linked to uterine cramps and pressure on blood vessels. The vasodilatory effect of heat can help reduce this pain. In addition to applying a hot water bottle to your lower abdomen to relieve menstrual cramps, we recommend taking a nice warm bath.

🚩If you suffer from heavy legs due to water retention or venous problems, heat on the legs is harmful (3). We recommend that you contact a healthcare professional before using this technique.

🌈 On our e-shop, we recommend the Jolly Mama hot and cold pack to relieve all everyday discomforts .

8. Discover pressotherapy

Pressotherapy is a treatment method that involves applying external pressure to the body to promote blood and lymphatic circulation. To relieve heavy legs, it comes in the form of thigh-high boots connected to air hoses that envelop the legs. The legs are compressed at regular intervals. You can try it in a salon or at home, using pressotherapy boots.

9. Wear loose clothing

If your leg pain is related to water retention, it's best to avoid wearing clothing that's too tight around your legs and abdomen—avoid skinny jeans, belts, or girdles. This will help you feel better.

10. Quit smoking

Smoking amplifies period pain and, more generally, symptoms related to PMS and periods. Furthermore, tobacco reduces vein tone and increases the risk of phlebitis (3): in the case of heavy legs linked to water retention, the risks are therefore greater.

If you want to quit smoking, we highly recommend that you consult your general practitioner. They will guide you through this process or recommend an addiction specialist who can better help you quit smoking.

Is it normal to have leg pain during menstruation and what are the causes?

Yes, it can be normal to have leg pain before and during your period. Depending on the person who menstruates and their menstrual cycles, period pain (such as catamenial migraines, chest pain, back pain during your period , etc.) can start up to two weeks before your period, throughout the luteal phase. Find out below the reasons why you may have leg pain due to your period.

🚩 This may seem obvious, but we'd like to clarify it up front. Heavy, painful legs are not a symptom specific to periods and can be caused by other conditions. We recommend consulting a healthcare professional about this: with the help of your testimony and additional tests, they will be able to determine if your period is the cause of your pain.

Fatigue

The few days leading up to and during the period itself are, for some menstruators, a period of intense fatigue. Fatigue during menstruation is linked to a variety of factors and can be the cause of some of the leg pain you experience, such as aches and pains or a feeling of heaviness.

Prostaglandins and compressions

During menstruation, the body produces prostaglandins, chemicals that help the uterus contract to expel the uterine lining. These contractions can affect surrounding blood vessels, nerves, and muscles, including those in the legs, causing pain or cramps. Pressure on the nerves can be very uncomfortable.

Blood circulation

Hormonal changes during menstruation can affect blood circulation, leading to a feeling of heaviness or pain in the legs.

Water retention

Menstruation and, more broadly, hormonal fluctuations can cause water retention (1, 2). This is an accumulation of water in a tissue that causes it to swell and generally affects the legs (3). If your legs hurt during your period, it may be because of this phenomenon!

Magnesium reduction

During menstruation, magnesium levels in the body can decrease, which can contribute to muscle cramps, including in the legs.

Lifestyle amplification

Several lifestyle factors can amplify this feeling of heavy legs and leg pain due to periods. These include a lack of exercise, poor diet, poor hydration, and stress.

Sources:

1. Characterization of symptoms and edema distribution in premenstrual syndrome , 2015
2. Fluid Retention over the Menstrual Cycle: 1-Year Data from the Prospective Ovulation Cohort , 2011
3. Heavy legs , Ameli
4. Flavonoids: an overview , 2016
5. Therapeutic Potential of Flavonoids in Pain and Inflammation: Mechanisms of Action, Pre-Clinical and Clinical Data, and Pharmaceutical Development , 2020

Also read: I have my first period: tips and advice >