Individuals with primary orthostatic tremor experience feelings of unsteadiness or imbalance. The tremor is sometimes described as causing “shaky legs” and can cause affected individuals to immediately attempt to sit or walk because of a fear of falling. In many patients, the tremors become more severe over time.
In many cases, the underlying condition is not serious. However, leg shaking can be a symptom of some very serious medical conditions if accompanied by other symptoms. These include Parkinson's disease, neuropathy, and anxiety. Delaying treatment allows the problem to get worse.
Many issues, ranging from restless legs syndrome (RLS) to serious conditions such as dementia, can cause someone's leg to shake. It is not possible to diagnose the cause of shaky legs based on symptoms alone. For this reason, people who experience leg shaking should speak to a doctor or healthcare provider.
Shaky-leg syndrome and vitamin B12 deficiency.
Primary orthostatic tremor (POT) may be a cause of postural instability in the elderly which impacts on quality of life. “Shaky legs” on standing, relieved by walking, leaning, or sitting, are the typical symptoms of POT. The paucity of clinical signs may sometimes prompt consideration of psychiatric diagnoses.
When your leg muscles don't contract as they should, you may feel as though the muscles in your legs are weak. Some people say their legs feel like rubber or jelly when their leg strength is diminished. Weak leg muscles can make it difficult to walk or stand.
Your body prepares to deal with the stressor, interpreting the anxiousness as a signal that you'll need to stand your ground or escape from danger. Your muscles become primed to act, leading to a trembling sensation, twitching, or shaking.
Leg weakness can result from sciatica, spine conditions, neuromuscular disease, and certain medications. Sudden leg weakness may be a sign of stroke. Call 911 for any sudden muscle weakness, particularly if it occurs with facial drooping, severe headache, or slurred speech.
As a result, people with heart failure often feel weak (especially in their arms and legs), tired and have difficulty performing ordinary activities such as walking, climbing stairs or carrying groceries.
Weakness in your leg(s) may occur from problems in the nerves and/or muscles in your lower body and is usually treatable. Rarely, the underlying cause may be a serious medical condition requiring immediate medical attention. A feeling of sudden weakness in the legs may be due to nerve and/or muscle dysfunction.
Different medications can be described to help with leg weakness based on the underlying cause. For example, if your leg weakness is caused by hyperthyroidism, you may be prescribed levothyroxine. Over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen can also be used to treat pain associated with leg weakness.
A number of factors during depressive illness may increase the likelihood of development of RLS. It is known that RLS symptoms are often aggravated during periods of stress and with the antidepressant therapy.
Can anxiety cause weakness in arms and legs? Yes! Having weakness in the arms and legs is a common symptom of anxiety disorder.
The weakness can make your legs feel heavy, as if they are being weighed down by something. They may also ache and hurt. Some people with MS describe it as like having bags of sand attached to their legs. This muscle weakness combined with MS fatigue can be upsetting.
Fatigue and Inactivity
Fatigue can indirectly result in jelly legs. Being fatigued may leave a person without enough energy to exercise or be generally active. Muscles that aren't used regularly can become weakened or deconditioned, which may cause them to atrophy (shrink).
During orgasm, you will experience myotonia, which is muscle contraction or tension through much of your body. When you relax those muscles at last, your legs might shake. As for the pelvic cramping, it may be caused by a release of oxytocin, also known as the cuddle or love hormone.
Movement & Exercise
Obviously, if you're generally sedentary, getting up and moving will go a long way to relieve achy, tired legs. Your muscles weaken after prolonged inactivity. And when your muscles are weak, you're more likely to suffer muscle soreness from simple, everyday activities.
Claudication is a symptom of a narrowing or blockage of an artery. Typical symptoms of claudication include: Pain, a burning feeling, or a tired feeling in the legs and buttocks when you walk. Shiny, hairless, blotchy foot skin that may get sores.