periodic warm sensation in lower left leg

[snowpoet]

I just starting getting a warm sensation in my lower right shin/calf area last week, and because I have really crappy health insurance, I can't see a doctor about it. I Googled "warm legs" and this place was the first link that appeared. I am so glad that I'm not going crazy!

I am a 48-year old female, overweight but not obese, very active (walking, hiking). I thought maybe the warm, which feels like hot water, might be from menopause as I am getting hot flashes and night sweats, but I've also been losing my hair a lot lately. Strands of it come out on my hairbrush. I also have bad bouts of insomnia. These symptoms have been occuring for the past few months, but the warm leg thing is really freaking me out! A blood clot is the first thing that came to mind, and to be honest, it's still in the back of my mind. I sit all day at work and try to get up to stretch often because, at my age and weight, blood clots are something to be concerned about!

Since I can't afford to see a doctor, I will try drinking more water and I will definitely invest in some good vitamins. I will also continue to walk around town like I usually do until the winter weather gets bad. (I'm too poor to own a car.)

Thanks so much, everyone, for sharing your symptoms, ideas, and treatments. Good luck to you all!

[Dalubaba]

I am 79. I used to get warm sensations in feet and cold/hot sensation on  spinal column  . Symptoms were mild and just for few minutes. No diiagnosis  could be arrived at.I had these symptoms for many years. Now since last 4 years i am feeling my feet  sensations are liki I am walkiong on cotton mattress or I have put on  tight socks. Pathology of the symptoms are not known.Massage exercise, yoga, are the ony routine I do.As such there is no relief. search Chair Tai Chi. this  is soft routine-massge.One can do it at home in 10 to 15 minutes. It is also combined with acupressure points.Just try for few days. It may help Insomnia as well.

[loray]

I noticed a warm flush down my right outer calf while driving in July. The feeling moved down my leg to my ankle over time and sometimes across the top of my foot to my inner ankle. I saw my internist after feeling this for about a month, because my dad has MS and I was worried this may be a symptom.

My doctor didn't know what it was and told me to call back in a month if I still had the feeling. He referred me to a neurologist. The feeling did change and lessened a bit, but it was still bothersome.

The neurologist said I may have a herniated disc from sitting at work all day, or a pinched nerve. She said we would let nature take its course if that were the case. She prescribed an MRI to rule out MS and to see what could be wrong. The images gave me a clean bill of health and the neurologist said it was likely a pinched nerve that would work itself out.

I still have sensation in my leg, but it is not nearly as pronounced as it had been this summer. I hope this post is helpful. Good luck to everyone. I hope this sensation is just a simple irritation for us all.

[leshyne]

Well this comes as a relief bcos for years i have had these sensation/vibration/itching all over my body, especially my left leg, laps.,  i thought it was an STD, went for a test and was diagnosed Staphyloccocus aureus, the sensation stopped but continued later, multivitamins helped but these are just temporal solution. IMy doctor said i had phychosomatic disorder. hope someday we get a soltion to this problem

[duke56468]

I have the identical symptoms, a warm sensation in my lower right leg between the knee and ankle about the size of my hand.  It comes and goes several times an hour and feels like warm water.  It started about 2 weeks ago. I'm 70 years old and in good health.   I hope we can keep this post going until someone finds an answer.

[trixiekd]

I too have just begun to feel warmth in my lower right leg.  I am a 41 year old female in excellent health.  I started back to work part-time 1 year ago and sit at a desk most of the time.  I wonder if the chair/seating position is causing this?  I am concerned about a blood clot as well.  I have even been taking an aspirin just in case.  I hope it's just a pinched nerve.  That would be a relief!!  I will consult my doctor if I feel it gets worse.  I hope this isn't serious.

[chuckill]

How interesting!  I've been having the same exact sensation in my lower left leg for about a month now.  It feels like warm water running down my shin, but the warmness seems to be moving up to my thigh lately.  I am 32, and spend about 65% of my workday at a desk.  I did recently (a few months ago) start taking a multi-vitamin, and I did wonder if that had something to do with it?  I'll be checking back here regularly to see if anyone has any breakthroughs!

[duke56468]

I spend hours in front of the computer also.  Maybe that is a clue.

[michaelrad]

wild, this is the exact feeling i am feeling in my left calf.. hard to describe but "warm water being poured on it' is very accurate.  i am a 27 year old.. quite active.. bike everywhere and workout 4 days a week. curious to learn as to what that might be?

[duke56468]

On others suggestion I started taking a one a day B complex (B1,2,6,&12). This also contained C.  These are cheap at Sams.  Within a few days the sensation was gone and I have been free of them for a week now.  I will let you know if it lasts or was just a temporary cure.

[jenna03]

I have this same problem and am looking for a cause. I am almost 29 years old and gave birth to my second child 4 weeks ago. When I was 7 months pregnant, I began feeling a warm sensation in my lower left leg. It feels like warm water is running between my calf and shin beneath my knee and above my foot. I called my OB and he sort of acted like I was crazy and told me if there was no pain, it was likely not a blood clot (which is what I was most worried about). He chalked it up to the baby's position and encouraged me to do some yoga positions to try to move the baby. Well, at 4 weeks postpartum, it's still here. I will mention it again to my OB at my 6 week check up, but I am not expecting a helpful response considering that he didn't really take me seriously even when I was pregnant. Some days are more symptom free than others, but some days, I feel it many times every hour. There has got to be a cause...

[duke56468]

give the vit B complex a try can't hurt, mine  is still gone.  If your doctor doesn't believe you, give him the url to this webpage and let him know that there are several hundred of us out here that are also "crazy" with the identical problem.  There sometimes is an arrogance "if I don't know what it is or haven't heard of it, it must not exist".

[kelsey022]

I have the same problem! I am a 25 year old, healthy, active PhD student- so I am stuck at a desk at least 8-10 hours a day. Mine is on the top, back of my leg, about the size of my hand. It started about a week ago, and is getting more frequent by the day. I have been feeling it almost constantly for the past three hours or so. It is starting to freak me out :(

I don't have health insurance so I don't want to go anywhere if I don't have to. Everywhere I go says the same thing- that it could be associated with back problems.  I have been experiencing back tightness and occasional pain for the past few months. I am guessing it may be related?

No fun.

[MeBeCr]

I find it interesting that most people have stated that the sensation is in the left leg. I'm having the same issue, since before Labor Day. Comes and goes in the same spot all throughout the day ...down the inner side of left lower thigh/ knee area.  I also sit at a desk for much of the day. The symptoms are there no matter what kind of activity I do or do not do.

[samrae85]

Im 24 and and work standing up all day on a cosmetic counter the past week or so i have to been feeling a warm sensation down my right leg, i think people have described it to a tea saying it feels like warm water being thrown down your leg. Im a size 12 and reasonably healthy so i dont think its exercise related, how strange if anybody finds out what it is please post.

[mamadee67]

Interestingly enough.. I have had the same senastion in my leg but also get it in my arm.. I was on meds for an irregular heartbeat for years which I am no longer on and while hospitalized during one episode of palpiltations, I too mentioned it to the docs (including the cardiologist) and was provided no explanation..years later I still have the sensation on occasion....with no reason why.. I'm starting to think maybe it is nerve related...

[Rickle]

Hi everyone, I'm 33 and have the same warm feeling between my calf and shin bone on my right leg. Mine has only started about two weeks ago. It feels like a slow burning from the inside out. When i feel my leg i almost expect it to be hot to the touch. I'm in pretty good shape in general. I'm not sure about the nerve idea, all the experiences I've had with nerve problems (I'm an ex professional acrobat) have been sharp, breath taking-type pain. I might give the vitamin B complex a go. I'll keep you posted.

[Camamtin]

I've just started to experience a warm sensation in my right foot.  It does not hurt, it's actually pleasant, but weird.  I've been taking Citalopram for about 6 weeks now and wondering if it is a side affect.  If so, it's not listed so I'm wondering if someone else has experience this while taking a SSRI.

[Tom_McA]

For what's it's worth - I am relieved to see that there are others out there and no apparent pathology associated with this phenomenon. I am 54 - quit smoking 10 years ago - in very good health but with high colestrol and blood pressure. Also take anti-depressants and anti-HIV med. The sensation of warm water running down my inner right calf started about 6-8 months ago. I am a desk jockey - but walk a lot in my office and commuting. Changed some meds - went onto Naispan and Lovoxa and off Zetia and Crestor casue of some joint pain. Interstingly, I had bee a regular jogger 10-20 miles oper week, But about 2 years ago - gained 30 lbs and then quit. So I thought it was associated with the lack of exercise. 9 week ago, I got a trainer and began a 6-day / week exercise program - so far have lost about 12-15 lbs & resumed jogging upwards of 5 miles in an hour a couple of times per week, plus am doing other aerobic-cardio-strenght training. My legs are in excellent condition and almost all the way back to their peak - but darned if the sensation persists - exercise has had no effect. Only secondary sympton is aching in my leg if I stand still for longer than 10-15 minutes.   The one word that sums it up - and I use dit with my doc 4 months ago when I mentioned it - was WEIRD. He does not seem concerned, and it does not seem ot hold me back. But I do wonder if it is neurological or spinal - I'd had back problems 9-10 years ago but they had been resolved. All else being equal  - I am grateful this is my biggest medical complaint though.      

[hairymatt]

Same with me have been suffering with Back pain which comes and goes periodically.  Last week have been having the feeling of warm water running down my left shin every few hours.  As others have mentioned weird rather than anything else booked in with the doctor end of wek will see what comes of it.  NHS is a great thing.......