What causes your legs to give out?

Causes of nerve damage include direct injury, tumor growth on the spine, prolonged pressure on the spine, and diabetes. A spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries are among the most common reasons that legs give out. These injuries vary in severity but should always be evaluated immediately by a spine specialist.

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What causes legs to buckle under you?

A feeling of sudden leg weakness, causing your legs to give out or buckle can be alarming. 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.

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What causes weak legs and loss of balance?

Peripheral nerves

The nerves outside of your brain and spinal cord can become damaged, which is called peripheral neuropathy. Weakness, numbness, pain and balance issues can be caused by peripheral neuropathy because it makes it difficult to determine where your body is relative to other objects or the ground.

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What is the disease of weak legs?

Muscle weakness in the legs may indicate a neuromuscular disease is present. These diseases lead to a loss of functioning in nerves and muscles throughout the body. They include muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), myasthenia gravis and fibromyalgia.

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Is weakness in legs serious?

Weakness in the legs often occurs as a result of overactivity. However, it can sometimes be a sign of an underlying medical condition. A person who experiences sudden weakness in the legs or some other part of their body should seek emergency medical attention.

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Peripheral Vascular Disease: Leg Weakness, Symptoms and Treatment

30 related questions found

Can heart problems cause weakness in legs?

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.

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Why does my leg give way when I walk?

When your leg gives out it may a signal that you have problems brewing. Weakness in the leg can arise from three principal causes: nerve problems, muscle weakness, and SI joint dysfunction. Treatment is best directed at the underlying problem.

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What causes loss of balance walking?

Certain conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, or problems with your vision, thyroid, nerves, or blood vessels can cause dizziness and other balance problems.

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What does MS leg weakness feel like?

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.

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What medications can cause leg weakness?

Examples of medications that can cause muscle weakness include:
  • amiodarone (Cordarone)
  • antithyroid medications, such as methimazole (Tapazole) or propylthiouracil.
  • antiretroviral medicines, such as lamivudine (Epivir) or zidovudine (Retrovir)
  • chemotherapy medications.
  • cimetidine (Tagamet)
  • corticosteroids.

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How do I get rid of weakness in my legs?

Leg Weakness Treatment
  1. Medications. Different medications can be described to help with leg weakness based on the underlying cause. ...
  2. Surgery. Some conditions that cause leg weakness can be treated with surgery, such as hyperthyroidism or a herniated disc.
  3. Physical Therapy. ...
  4. Dietary Changes. ...
  5. Mobility Aids.

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What is severe leg weakness in the elderly?

Sarcopenia is the age-related progressive loss of muscle mass and strength. The main symptom of the condition is muscle weakness. Sarcopenia is a type of muscle atrophy primarily caused by the natural aging process. Scientists believe being physically inactive and eating an unhealthy diet can contribute to the disease.

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How do I stop my legs from buckling?

Common treatment options include:
  1. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE). This is a common home treatment for minor injuries. ...
  2. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). ...
  3. Support. ...
  4. Ultrasound. ...
  5. Physical therapy. ...
  6. Reduction. ...
  7. Prescription medications. ...
  8. Surgery.

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What does leg buckling mean?

A trick knee is a condition where your knee suddenly buckles beneath you. This means that your knee loses the ability to support your weight and gives out. In most cases, knee-buckling is associated with the existence of knee pain and can increase knee pain when it occurs.

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Can anxiety cause legs to buckle?

Yes, stress can cause a heavy legs feeling. In fact, stress and chronic stress often cause heavy, tired, jelly-like, rubbery, weak, and stiff legs feelings because of how stress affects the body's muscles, including those in the legs.

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Is loss of balance a symptom of stroke?

Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination.

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Why do I keep losing my balance and falling over?

Causes of balance problems include medications, ear infection, a head injury, or anything else that affects the inner ear or brain. Low blood pressure can lead to dizziness when you stand up too quickly.

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At what age does balance decline?

Researchers have found that balance begins to decline in midlife, starting at about age 50. In one recent study, adults in their 30s and 40s could stand on one foot for a minute or more. At age 50, the time decreased to 45 seconds. At 70, study participants managed 28 seconds.

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Why is my leg giving way suddenly at the knee?

Common Causes of Your Knee Giving Way

The conditions which are found to have a causative relationship with Knee Buckling include Ligament Tears, Meniscal Tear, Femoral Nerve Damage, Plica Syndrome, Knee arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, and Patella Dislocation.

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Why do my legs feel weak and shaky?

People will often experience shaky or weak legs when dealing with vascular issues in the leg, like deep vein thrombosis or blood clots. Clots are very serious if untreated because they could break off into the bloodstream and travel to an artery in the lungs, blocking blood flow.

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What are the 4 signs your heart is quietly failing?

Warning signs and symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, chronic coughing or wheezing, swelling, fatigue, loss of appetite, and others. Heart failure means the heart has failed to pump the way it should in order to circulate oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.

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What are the signs of heart failure in legs?

People with heart failure have a tendency to retain fluid. This appears as swollen ankles and legs because of excess fluid building up. You may notice that your shoes don't fit and socks appear tight or leave a prominent indent above the ankle.

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What are the warning signs of clogged arteries?

Symptoms
  • Chest pain (angina). You may feel pressure or tightness in your chest. ...
  • Shortness of breath. You may feel like you can't catch your breath.
  • Fatigue. If the heart can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs, you may feel unusually tired.
  • Heart attack.

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What causes jelly legs?

SUMMARY: The “jelly legs” feeling, which typically refers to feelings of weakness, dizziness, or loss of control in the legs, is often caused by a rush of adrenaline taking blood away from the legs, though there may be other causes.

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