Sporadic Calf Muscle Soreness and Stiffness in both legs at once

[JNGW]

I am not sure if anyone has experienced this.. for the past 6 months I have been experiencing a sore tightness in both of my calf muscles sporadically. It does not seem to be related to exercise since I can go for a run and feel nothing... but then I can be sitting and all of a sudden my calves (always both at the same time) start to ache and feel tight. Sometimes they feel so sore that I can almost not walk. Water seems to help on occasions. I can't understand why all of a sudden I may be becoming dehydrated so that doesn't seem logical...

The aches come and go without warning and sometimes it's much worse than other times. There have also been times when I may not experience any aching for several days.

My doctor, general practitioner, has no explanation. I am thinking that I need to see someone else... any ideas? Endocrinologist?

Any ideas would be great.

[JNGW]

Also I forgot to say I am a 38 year old male with no past major medical problems. I did tear my achilles tendon 7 years ago.

[Vicki234]

Yes! Currently, my daughter is experiencing just the same thing. We've been to a Veinous specialist, orthopedic specialist and a musculaskeletal specialist and they are all shaking their heads in dismay as to what this could possibly be. And...as you say she is almost always in some sort of pain and sometimes it's so bad she can hardly walk. And...yes it is in both calves at the same time. We had an MRI of her back done because that's theoretically where leg pain stems from, but her back looks fine. We also had a MRI of her knees done as well and they look fine also. We just finished a round of veinous tests, i.e. ultrasound and blood pressure of the legs and again, they are fine.

For some reason, I keep coming back to something in the muscle. Maybe a lactic acid build up or something similar.

My daughter is 31 and has always been on the go. Constantly on her feet, working etc. This has brought her to a stop to where she can hardly function. Her problem started a little over a year ago while we were on vacation in Las Vegas.

If you have heard from anyone else, please, please contact me at ***@****. We are fast going broke with all the tests and Doctor bills and we still have no answers. Like you we are seaching for an answer.

[annmp]

I have been searching for 7mos for someone with similar symptoms, in hopes of pointing me in a direction they may have gone.  I too have soreness,achiness,crampy,tight calves in both legs but including my feet.  This hit me one night and has been constant for 7mos. I am sorry but don't have any answers other than to share some of the testing I have had to direct you.
Some thoughts are lyme testing and other infectuous diseases associated with ticks as well as west nile that effects muscles, emg testing to look at muscle response, rheumatic screening for illnesses such as lupus and thyroid testing.  Blood work to look for low magnesium or b12 are nicer possibilities.  I am also seeing an endocrinologist this week as it may provide me with more advanced testing than the base screening that initial blood work provides.  If you have any advice or direction it would be greatly appreciated.  I have some other symptoms that neither of you mentioned which include; a fine tremor in my upper body including my arms which are also weak.   I often have difficulty with performing tasks such as writing or cutting with my right hand. My upper body weakness began 3mos after the onset of my leg weakness.  Thank you.

[kellyd]

I am having some of the EXACT same symptoms.  My calves are hurting soooo bad, I cry and cry.  I can not get any relief sometimes.  My calves feel so knotted up I can't take it.  Also the bottom of my feet and my bottom is hurting as well.  I have seen a rheumatologist and he is thinking fibromyalgia.  I've also been to other forums and people with fibro have similar knots in their legs.  My next stop is the neorologist.  I have not had any venous testing though.  I have had my thyroid checked along with lupus and rhuematoid arthritis (negative).  My bloodwork looks perfect.  It's really very frustrating.  In the meantime, I'm starting some physical therapy this week and getting massages.  Hot tubs, heating pads, and muscle relaxers take the edge off (sometimes).

[Army Joe]

You might want to look up Compartment Syndrome-  there is a test they can do for it.  I was diagnosed with excertional compartment syndrome and had a fasciatomy done.  My symptoms were similiar to yours, but got worse as time went on.  Just a thought.

[kellyd]

I have been doing a lot of stretching and that seems to be helping a little.  I watch tv and stretch my legs out.  I also started some physical therapy today, too.

[SoniaMM]

I have the same problem. I thought that maybe I was working out to hard postpartum, but the my legs are sore an the days I don't workout also.  I've been wondering if it has some connection with my hypothyroidism.

[vaca]

I initially experienced numbness in my foot. Eventually that alleiviated and then I started to feel stiffness in my calfs in both legs.I have been tested for lupus,MS, Thyroid, and arthritis. However the tests came back negative. Advise if you know anything else. I've been to a neurologist, rheumatologist, podiatrist, family doctor, and now an internal medicine doctor

[helprun]

We are going through the same situatuion for the past 9 months with our daughter.  She is an athlete and her tightness, heaviness, soreness is located in the back of both calves, but only during exercise.  The pressure and pain go away shortly after stopping exercise.  All of her tests including  x-rays, neurology,emg and ncv, mri, spine, blood work, venous testing have been negative.  The doctors are still checking for chronic compartment syndrome but we are having a hard time locating someone who has experience with testing for posterior compartment syndrome.  You should rule this out as well. If anyone knows of doctors in california that have experience with this we would be grateful for the information!

[chh]

i cannot believe so many others are experiencing the same symptons, i work out & its exactly the same stiffness & pain as if ive had a really hard session walking uphill & get the soreness etc the following day. only this time i havent worked out, this just started the other evening out of the blue! really weird & worrying, my GP told me to take paracetamol which was of no help, thing is so many things go through my head like thrombosis in both legs, some sort of circulation problem, i dont know Help!!!

[ashleyleslie]

I am also experiencing the same problems..I am currently in tears beacause it is so bad.It does not matter if I excercise or don't exercise i still hurt. The only thing that has helped is getting massages...which i cannot really afford. I have recently had tests run and everything came back fine but everyone keeps telling me that my pottassium is low or I have lupus or FM or my thyriod is not working right but the lupus and thyriod are fine. and my pottassium is actually too high.. i drink about 20 bottles of water at least a day and stay dehydrated..... im so clueless as to what could be the problem. If you have any ideas please let me know. thank you.

[tweetytoad]

Hi,  I just recently had a reoccuring episode of this, and a biochemist I know suggested I might be having a magnesium deficiency.  I took a calcium table and a magnesium tablet and within 3 hours my aching and soreness were reduced a great deal.  My doctor is also clueless and could only come up with possible deep vein thrombosis but the physical exam didn't sync up.  Read up on magnesium and calcium deficiencies - it all made perfect sense when I read about it because magnesium is vital for muscular health and can't be absorbed without calcium so they're both linked.  If nothing else give it a try and see if it works for you all as it did for me.  Good luck!  ~ Jody

[lily-monet]

I am experiencing the same problems and it I haven't been exercising any differently.  I am in a good bit of discomfort because both of my legs (from the knees down) are tight and feel like they are half-way into a Charlie-horse type of muscle cramp consantly for the last two days now.  I have a B-12 deficiency and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (hypothyroid) and am currently taking Celebrex for heel spurs in my feet.  I am only 27 and am currently thinking it is a vitamin deficiency as well.  My advice would be to take a multi-vitamin, eat a banana and see what happens.  Then see your doctor.

[philbowman]

Some few years ago I suffered a few times from a stiffness and a feeling of swelling with a moderate pain on walking in the middle of my left calf only. The stiffness and pain appeared a few seconds after I got out of bed. I could perform any kind of leg movement, even hopping on the left leg,  without changing the degree or location of the pain. I noticed the apparent location of the pain could change slightly.  My ability to walk was not affected, and in fact seemed to be beneficial, so I walked as much as possible. After some time, from a few hours to a few days, the pain would suddenly go away. My doctor was unable to offer any explanation.
   The last time I had this problem was a few years ago.
   I was in my office at my desk until late last night, quite a normal thing for me. I did something which I have never done before. I ate 4 large bananas. I don't eat bananas in the office. Upon getting up, out of the blue, in the left calf only, I noticed the feeling of swelling and a feeling similar to that which comes when a muscle has been used intensively, something that is explained as a buildup of lactic acid, but there was no pain.
I did not realise that there was any connection between calf problemswith bananas until I consulted the web tonight.
Here we have two rare events - the eating of bananas and the appearance of this discomfort. Is this just a coincidence?
This phenomenon seems to be the inverse of what I am reading here !

[raydn]

The muscle symptoms described here can be caused by various things. One thing you may want to consider is the possibility of an auto-immune reaction to an underlying infection. I'm a 42-year-old male who's otherwise healthy. Several years ago, I had an intestinal infection that went on for a number of months until I finally saw a doctor and was treated. Bowel symptoms included alternating diarrhea and constipation. At the same time, as soon as the bowel symptoms began, I started getting leg cramps in the calf muscles, which I had never experienced before, along with a sensation of continuous muscle soreness in the calves like what others have described in this forum. My muscles did not decline in strength, but in endurance. For example, I walk on the beach regularly, but the soreness and reduced muscle function cut my walks in half. The infection was thought to be (but not confirmed as ) Endolimax nana, a parasitic infection treated with Metronidazole. Within several days of treatment, my gastric symptoms went away and my legs felt much better. However, it has been at least a couple years since then, and I still feel some leg discomfort or soreness (though greatly reduced), and my muscle endurance throughout my body has continued to suffer (for example, I can't swim nearly as many laps as I used to be able to, because the muscles just give out prematurely). After being tested for many of the things discussed in this forum, the most reasonable conclusion (though still unproven) is that it's some sort of auto-immune disorder triggered by the infection. There doesn't seem to be a solution, but at least the symptoms aren't getting worse. I hope this information may be helpful.

[fevansce]

I have been experiencing pain in both legs (calf and thigh) muscles for about 5 years.  I've been to the reumotologist had an mri.  I recently had orthoscopic surgery on my right knee.  I feel a pain in both knees, and feel like the pain radiates up and down the back of the legs.  Lately, probably 6months, when I am idle for brief periods of time, upon standing and trying to walk again, the muscles in both legs are STIFF.  After walking for a little bit, they get a little better.  If someone were to ask me how my legs feel, I'd say they are tired pretty much all the time.  A lot of these posts sound very similar, although everyone mentions the calves.....does anyone experience this in their thighs as well?

[bettyboop432]

This is so weird, because I've been having the same symptoms.  I talked the nurse at the Dr's office and she told me to quit taking my cholesterol medicine for a while.  Muscle weakness and soreness is one of the side effects.  You may want to check the side effects of any medicine you are taking.

[Joedabo]

Hi,

I deeply sympathize with all of you on here, as it really is dificult to explain to anybody including family friends and doctors what sort of distress chronic calf pain and stiffness can cause. I'm afraid i dont have any really just experience of what i have gone through and things that i have tried.

I am 21 years old and have had severe problmes with my calf muscles and feet since i fell from a roof (about 10ft) 3 years ago.

I broke nothing, no fractures was just told in A&E that i had brusing of the heel. As far as doctors can tell i have done no other damage to my legs.

At first it was just pain in my heels, which turned to tingling and numbness  but  has now slowly progressed up my legs and into my calves. Now i can't sleep at night, i can't walk for more than 20 mins without having to stop because my feet and calves literally feel like they are on fire. It's always worse in the morning and late and night and walking is less painfull that standing (In a queue for instance)

It feels like constant burning, my calves and muscles in my feet are incredibly tight and knotted and despite stretching them daily nothing seems to be able to get them out of this state...it's driving me insane!

Iike many of you i have become disillusioned with the whole medical process, i have had mri scans on my back and legs that showed and nothing (and cost me a bomb, i'm only a student) i have had emi or nerve conduction studies to rule out tarsal tunnel syndrome that again were negative. I have tried orthotics for supposed planta facitis(sp?) that didnt do anything. I have seen a neurologist that said my nerves were fine but put me onto a specialist in pain medicine who at first diagnosed me with referred/localised pain syndrome ( i forgot the medical name now) but after he did a bone scan he then put me onto a rheumatologist saying i had early signs of arthrtis. I saw her a couple of weeks ago and she told me that the scans infact show no sign of a sytematic deterioration in the feet that would indicate arthritis and instead said i should go back to the pain specialist and start physio ( which i have already done for almost a year when i first got the injury)

hence, i feel like i have spent 3 years in a pain a lot of money, and time, and am now back where i started with still no sign of a diagnosis. I'm 21 used to be very sporty and be able to do everything i wanted and now i worry about just having to go shopping for food incase there is a big queue, please somebody help me as i don't know where to go to next and i seriously can't continue in this much pain!

If you have any suggestions as to what i could do next or want to talk about it post a response here or email me. thanks

Joe ( ***@****)

[SpearedApple]

Me too! I've been freaking out about it because I have a chronic phobia of losing limbs

[SpearedApple]

I meant everybody, I was just thinking about this guy sam when i type this

[bettyzert]

Yes, I have pain along the outsides of my thighs too. They feel like they are bruised when I touch them. The outside of my calfs feel like that too. Anyone know what could be causing this???

[bettyzert]

Most of you are experiencing muscle pains. My pains are deep in my legs and calfs. They are like sharp probing pain. They come on, last a few seconds and subside. But they do this every few minutes. Like a stabbing pain. Sometimes it'll last for a few minutes, subside, then start up again. They will often do this in the middle of the night to waken me. I'm always afraid it's deep vien thrombosis. How would I know?
This all started after othroscopic knee surgery in Sept. My meniscus and cartillage were torn.  Since the surgery my hip, buttocks and legs have been very painful. My knee still bothers me and I can't climb stairs as well as before. I now think I should have never gotten the surgery! Before all this I was a avid hiker and walked 3-4 miles a day. Now it hurts to even walk a mile! I've also gained 4 pounds!
Also, the sides of my thighs are sore to the touch...like they are severely bruised...
Any ideas??? Thanks   Oh, I'm 55...if that helps anyone.

[gismatrix]

I was recently diagnosed with Thiamine B1 deficiency.  I do not know the root cause (could be pancreas, liver, malnutrition etc...).  I also have higher than normal fasting glucose levels, also perhaps related to the low B1.  I have been supplementing B1 and alpha lipoic acid at the recommendation of my neurologist, but so far (day 3) not really any noticable improvement.  I also have some abdominal pain (upper left quad.) and numbness of my feet and hands.  However, the calf pain in both legs was started before these other things.  I also have a hiatal hernia.   Hopefully the root cause will be determined.  I just wanted to through this out there as low thiamine can cause these symptoms.  

[jrm292]

This has been an interesting read. I have been struggling with leg pain since last July. The doctors just told me it was from over doing (my husband and I remodeled 2 houses last summer, and moved twice), but I have been taking it easy since Sept, and it's not going away. My muscles (deep tissue) in my calves hurt, and i get knots of a type around and above my knees. My husband can help the pain somewhat be massaging out the knots and massaging the deep tissue in my legs, but the pain comes right back. i have had some success with yoga. My doctor told me I have loose knee caps? and told me to take this Ibuprofen 2x a day. i haven't taken it that often, really just as needed. i just bought a bunch of vitamins, and I think i will go back and buy some magnesium and be diligent with taking calcium pills as an earlier writer recommends.

I would recommend the yoga to everyone, most good teachers will work a particular part of the body if you request it, (by the way, its "Hatha yoga", this involves deep breathing with movement).

The yoga helps for about 24-48 hours.

Thanks to all for your ideas!

-JPRM