Muscle Aches (Thighs And Calves)

[birdie22]

Seeking advice on causes and remedies for aches in my legs. I've bee gluten-free for 3 mos. I'm not diagnosed celiac. I take 500 mg of magnesium with calcium and 1000mg D3 daily. I've always suffered from deep aches in my thighs that I used to be able to correlate to a time in my monthly cycle. Now it seems to happen several times a week. Sometimes it extends to my calves but more often just my thighs. It feels deep like what a growing pain would probably be like. It not a cramp or Charlie horse. It's not the muscles themselves because the ache doesn't change with movement (like a sore muscle from exercise would). It seems to stem from the top of the leg where it bends at the hip. Sometimes I can ignore it and sometimes I take Motrin because it nags at me. It's not painful but annoying. It almost always starts at night. Either at dinner time or before bed. I don't wake up with it and it never wakes me up. I don't drink enough fluids but that hasn't changed from before. I had basic electrolyte and metobolic panel done in oct and everything was in normal range.

[GFreeMO]

I usually find that for me it's from a lack of potassium. If you are ok with orange juice, potatoes and bananas those should help. They always make my muscles feel better especially after being glutened.

[saintmaybe]

Seeking advice on causes and remedies for aches in my legs. I've bee gluten-free for 3 mos. I'm not diagnosed celiac. I take 500 mg of magnesium with calcium and 1000mg D3 daily. I've always suffered from deep aches in my thighs that I used to be able to correlate to a time in my monthly cycle. Now it seems to happen several times a week. Sometimes it extends to my calves but more often just my thighs. It feels deep like what a growing pain would probably be like. It not a cramp or Charlie horse. It's not the muscles themselves because the ache doesn't change with movement (like a sore muscle from exercise would). It seems to stem from the top of the leg where it bends at the hip. Sometimes I can ignore it and sometimes I take Motrin because it nags at me. It's not painful but annoying. It almost always starts at night. Either at dinner time or before bed. I don't wake up with it and it never wakes me up. I don't drink enough fluids but that hasn't changed from before. I had basic electrolyte and metobolic panel done in oct and everything was in normal range.

Some ideas:

1. Very early rheumatoid arthritis.

2. A groin pull.

3. Trochanteric bursitis- bursitis of the hip.

4. Early osteoarthritis of the hip.

5. Very remote possibility of lyme.

A rheumy would be able to pin it down a little better. It depends on exactly where you feel the pain.

[birdie22]

I do eat a lot of potatoes. At least once a week but not bananas. Could easily add those.

As for arthritis would I feel that other than in the joints? The ache is not at the joint specifically. Like when it aches in my calves.

Wanted to add that sometimes it is just one leg that aches (more often just the right). I never ache anywhere else.

[AVR1962]

If the muscle feels crapped add a potassium supplement, eating abanabs might not be enough. If the muscle feels hard kind of like you have been running, then try adding an Omega 3,6,9 supplement.

[love2travel]

I used to get leg cramps, mainly at night, and was told by my chronic pain doc to increase my magnesium to 900-1800 mg. He also recommended using magnesium glycinate as it is said a far higher percentage is absorbed than plain old magnesium. It took about a month at 900 mg before I felt a difference. But if you try this, be sure to increase magnesium gradually to avoid diarrhea.

[zimmer]

Sometimes it extends to my calves but more often just my thighs. It feels deep like what a growing pain would probably be like. It not a cramp or Charlie horse. It's not the muscles themselves because the ache doesn't change with movement (like a sore muscle from exercise would). It seems to stem from the top of the leg where it bends at the hip. Sometimes I can ignore it and sometimes I take Motrin because it nags at me. It's not painful but annoying. It almost always starts at night. Either at dinner time or before bed. I don't wake up with it and it never wakes me up.

I have similar pain that starts at the hip joint and runs down my leg. Achy. Sometimes tingling. Sometimes extending all the way to my toes. Acetaminophen / ibuprofen helps. It makes sleeping on my side difficult, and one side is worse than the other. It comes and goes, and has improved since going gluten-free. I find taking D3 has helped. Recently I added other vitamins/supplements - fish oil, cod liver oil, potassium, calcium, multivitamin. When I take all of those the pain goes away. Maybe like other posters said it's the potassium that helps? When I skip a day or two of taking the vits/supps then the pain creeps back in.

I'm thinking of seeing a rheumotologist (sp?) but am afraid of not finding one that is educated re celiac. I'm reluctant because I can help the symptoms and it doesn't really interfere with my life. It's mainly a nuisance and a frustration at this point, and I usually grin and bear it. I'm not sure what to do unless/until it gets worse.

I'm sorry you have this problem, but it's nice to know I'm not alone...!

[smsm]

I have a twin sister - both of us have suffered from back pain for years and just figured it was they way we were. She started getting the hip pain/thigh pain that you are describing and went to an arthritis specialist out of desperation about a year ago. He tested her for arthritis and came up neg. and he just started testing her for everything under the sun to figure out the source of her pain (no one had ever done anything but dismiss our pain before this). Sure enough, celiac was the answer - this is how we found out. After going gluten-free, the pain gradually has disappeared but when I do get glutened, now I also get the thigh pain (it is one of my first symptoms!). While it may be something else, I wanted you to know that thigh/leg/knee/back/neck/muscular pain is my glutened reaction and I have been for many other things. Ibprofen (I don't think I spelled that right) helps a little, but I just have to wait - sometimes up to 4 weeks - for the inflammation to subside.

[birdie22]

Thank you all for your continued suggestions. It is helpful. It is so hard to describe the ache. It isn't a cramp or knot or tightness or burning or even pain. Just a dull, persistent ache deep in the thigh. If you asked me to, I couldn't even pinpoint for you exactly where it aches, just that it does, and that more often than not it seems to start at the crease where my leg meets my pelvis. It doesn't hurt up at the hip bone, nor the groin.

I've wondered about restless leg, though it doesn't wake me up at night or keep me from falling asleep.

I've upped my potassium intake this week and will consider if I need to add any other supplements to the mix.

[Metoo]

Do you think it could be ITB band?

I have ITB band tightness, more so on my right side. If I were to describe the pain it would be a dull achiness that gets worse as the day goes on, or if I am walking or standing a lot all day, but not always. It can ache anywhere from the middle of my thigh, to dull achy knee pain. I have had it extend slightly down below my knee. I can't pin point the pain though, thats why I struggled for a year to figure out what it was until an expert runner suggested it.

If it is ITB if you do the foam roller stretch it will hurt intensly (you lie on your side, parrallel to the ground with the foam roller below your hip joint) while you are on the foam roller.

[love2travel]

Do you think it could be ITB band?

I have ITB band tightness, more so on my right side. If I were to describe the pain it would be a dull achiness that gets worse as the day goes on, or if I am walking or standing a lot all day, but not always. It can ache anywhere from the middle of my thigh, to dull achy knee pain. I have had it extend slightly down below my knee. I can't pin point the pain though, thats why I struggled for a year to figure out what it was until an expert runner suggested it.

If it is ITB if you do the foam roller stretch it will hurt intensly (you lie on your side, parrallel to the ground with the foam roller below your hip joint) while you are on the foam roller.

I have IT band syndrome as well and it causes all sorts of problems with my hips and legs regularly. OUCH!