Have you ever experienced a random occurrence of not being able to feel your leg? Say you are rolling out of bed, and the instant you try to stand, you fall to the ground. It is as if your leg’s ability just disappeared. This is called dead legs; we’re here to walk you through everything.
What is the Dead Leg Condition?
A blow causes this condition to the quadriceps area or a direct hit to the nerve. The impact then deadens the leg for a short period. It usually leads to an inability to put any weight on that leg, intense pain in the area that was hit, bruising, and hampered leg movement.
This is a prevalent injury in certain sports, especially those with contact.
What Causes Dead Legs?
Apart from the blow to the quad area, several causes bring this about.
Quad contusion
A direct blow to the quadriceps can cause it to bleed and swell. It then puts pressure on the surrounding nerves, leading to that dead feeling in the leg.
Nerve damage
The femoral nerve innervates the quadriceps. This nerve goes from the lower back to the thigh. If this nerve is damaged, it can cause deadness or numbness in the leg.
Hip pointer
A hip pointer is a fracture of the iliac crest, the bone that protrudes from the front of the hip. This can also lead to numb legs because it affects the surrounding nerves and muscles.
Why is it Called That?
As the name suggests, the intense trauma to the leg area makes it feel dead. Once hit in the right way, the area is deadened, making it unable to have any feeling or function.
What Do Constant Dead Legs Signify?
If you are constantly experiencing deadened legs, it is important to consult a doctor immediately. It could be a sign of something more serious which doesn’t have anything to do with trauma to the leg. Many things can contribute to this.
Diabetes
First on our list is diabetes. While people commonly think about having too much or too little sugar, there is more under the hood.
If sugar levels are constantly high, it can bring about several complications, including diabetic neuropathy. This is essentially nerve damage brought about by the high sugar in the body. Two places where this can happen are the hands and the legs.
When a person is experiencing this neuropathy, they can feel pain in certain areas. This goes for blunt trauma, heat, and stabbing by piercing objects, to name a few.
How We Stand and Sit
Another cause is people’s posture when sitting or standing. Posture is a learned stance that people do subconsciously. If postural habits are poor, it can affect a person’s nerves and even decrease some much-needed blood flow to the lower extremities, like the legs.
Some postural habits to be wary of include sitting for extended periods, crossing your legs for a long time, and wearing too-tight clothes.
Drinking Alcohol
A known fact is that drinking alcohol can dull the senses. This is because alcohol slows down the communication between the brain and the rest of the body.
The science behind drinking alcohol also reveals that this beverage decreases essential vitamins in one’s body. They include vitamins B, B-1, B-9, and B-12. The reduced levels of these vitamins are directly linked to constant feelings of numbness.
Stroke
After a stroke, the brain is significantly affected. The brain’s capacity to comprehend and process nerve signals is decreased. This leads to parts of the body feeling like they are dead. Even a mini-stroke can introduce temporary feelings of numbness.
If your legs or other body parts are numb, visit a doctor immediately. It may signify that you have had a stroke or a mini-stroke and do not know it.
Resurrecting the Dead Leg
It is good to know that this situation will not last forever. Many things can be done to help dead legs recover faster. Here are a few:
- RICE Method: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation
- Heat therapy
- Massaging the area
- Stretching before activity or during dead legs
- Not staying seated for a long time
Bring it to Life
If you or a loved one experiences dead legs, we hope the information we have presented will help you handle this condition and bring the dead leg to Life again.
Take note that if the numbness on your leg is not associated with posture, lasts a long time, is accompanied by other symptoms, and has visible changes to the leg, it is crucial to visit a doctor immediately.
Be better prepared to deal with emergencies by learning first aid.
Learn more about first aid by taking CPR First Aid’s Liverpool course today.
