Aching legs, burning, feet and pins and needles..

I've recently experienced this. My lower legs feel like they've been in a bed of stinging nettles, all pins and needles with the occasional shooting pain. The thought is it might be associated with a back problem and I have physio booked for next week.
I hope you get some answers. It's horrible at night when you can't sleep. Good luck.

I had this for the best part of two years. Couldn't sleep because of it and was generally feeling awful.

Blood tests for an entirely different problem showed that I had very low levels of vitamin B12. Started taking supplement and within 2 weeks I started to feel much better. Slept through the night for the first time on what felt like forever, tingling gone and much more energy altogether.

Might be worth getting that tested? Hope you get sorted soon.

Shinamae I know you are following the slim fast diet. Have your syptoms gotten worse since you have been on it? If so it may be you are not getting a balanced diet the amount of nutrients your body needs. Plus there may be some artificial ingredients which are making your symptoms worse. Also from your photos of your dinners they are heavy on cheese. I know my friend who had severe osteoarthritis cheese made her pain and joints swell and hurt more. Plus she had pins and needles that made it difficult to walk at times.

My you need to cut out cheese and try dieting a different way . As you don't know if your body is reacting to the ingredients in the slim fast.

It's worth a try but your body at the moment is used to the diet you are following so you might not see any difference for a couple of weeks. But it's worth a go.

When you see your GP ask for a complete blood test and include a fasting cholesterol test .

Anything is worth trying as your syptoms are getting worse.

I'm curious about which tests you've had for peripheral neuropathy. You certainly seem to have the classic symptoms of it.

It's possibly a side effect of medication (the statins or something else). I had burning feet from blood pressure pills - and again after the first Covid jab.

I would have thought your doctor would have sent you for tests for neuropathy.

It would be better to ask them rather than us. As growstuff says your says, you symptoms would suggest it.

Your symptoms sound exactly like what I have , neuropathic pain ( peripheral neuropathy ) , pins & needles in feet & legs along with aching legs caused by muscle in legs aching .
I would ask your doctor for another opinion
Look up on Google symptoms of the condition then it says just as you describe . I’ve had this awful condition for past 15 years or more . I take Pregabalin twice day , it just takes the ‘ edge ‘ off it . I also take vitamin b12 which I find good . Also peripheral neuropathy can be cause by diabetes .
I also find a “ wedge pillow “ tucked under my knees in bed helps a lot .

15 years Cheeseplantmad, no way! Poor you.

When you said muscle I suddenly thought that mine all started after a cramp in my left calf muscle at night, after a day of 3 hours walking in 30 degrees heat. Since then it is both lower legs that are tingling front, back, outside and inside. And wearing jeans is painful.
Please let us know what your second opinion says.

Whiff

Shinamae I know you are following the slim fast diet. Have your syptoms gotten worse since you have been on it? If so it may be you are not getting a balanced diet the amount of nutrients your body needs. Plus there may be some artificial ingredients which are making your symptoms worse. Also from your photos of your dinners they are heavy on cheese. I know my friend who had severe osteoarthritis cheese made her pain and joints swell and hurt more. Plus she had pins and needles that made it difficult to walk at times.

My you need to cut out cheese and try dieting a different way . As you don't know if your body is reacting to the ingredients in the slim fast.

It's worth a try but your body at the moment is used to the diet you are following so you might not see any difference for a couple of weeks. But it's worth a go.

When you see your GP ask for a complete blood test and include a fasting cholesterol test .

Anything is worth trying as your syptoms are getting worse.

I have had this much longer than before. I started the slim fast diet, but it might be worth cutting down on cheese because I do eat and awful lot of it so thank you Whiff…

growstuff

I'm curious about which tests you've had for peripheral neuropathy. You certainly seem to have the classic symptoms of it.

My doctor sent me to the hospital, and I had electrodes fitted to me, and also some sort of reflex tests…🤷‍♀️

Cheeseplantmad

Your symptoms sound exactly like what I have , neuropathic pain ( peripheral neuropathy ) , pins & needles in feet & legs along with aching legs caused by muscle in legs aching .
I would ask your doctor for another opinion
Look up on Google symptoms of the condition then it says just as you describe . I’ve had this awful condition for past 15 years or more . I take Pregabalin twice day , it just takes the ‘ edge ‘ off it . I also take vitamin b12 which I find good . Also peripheral neuropathy can be cause by diabetes .
I also find a “ wedge pillow “ tucked under my knees in bed helps a lot .

Within the last three weeks, I had a course of seven vitamin B12 injections, complete waste of money made no difference at all..🤦‍♀️
In about a week, I have an appointment with a different Doctor, so hopefully he might suggest something

Shinamae cheese causes a built up of lactic acid in your joints and causes pain and pins and needles. My mother in law had gout and no she didn't drink port😂. But she had to stop eating cheese as it made her gout worse. Plus she had to stop eating butter ,cream and full fat milk.

Whiff

Shinamae cheese causes a built up of lactic acid in your joints and causes pain and pins and needles. My mother in law had gout and no she didn't drink port😂. But she had to stop eating cheese as it made her gout worse. Plus she had to stop eating butter ,cream and full fat milk.

Whiff,You’ve convinced me,from today no cheese at all, it’s gonna be difficult but if it stops the pain is it will be worth it..😬

Avoid yoghurt, sauerkraut and pickled vegetables too.

I have similar pain and symptoms (pain, tingling, numbness, weakness) in my right hand, particularly two fingers, but now the back of the hand and up the arm too, and now beginning in the other arm. I’ve been sent for carpet tunnel tests, negative, X-rays, negative, to see the hand surgeon, nothing wrong that he can diagnose, the trapeziectomy done early 2020 was successful. So no diagnosis. I’ve tried acupuncture, it made it worse. I’ve been told twice that there is emerging evidence that people who have had Covid are presenting with nerve damage. Mine started within a few months of having Covid and has become progressively worse. I’m taking painkillers four hourly and am on a tiny dose of Pregabalin, which helps a tiny bit I think. Even a slightly higher dose makes my teeth extremely sensitive. I asked for a referral to a neurologist because my reading and research suggests neuropathy, but I’ve had no diagnosis. My GP ignored my suggestion of a neurologist. I’m currently trying to see one privately but I need a referral from my GP and I’m not sure she’ll give it. I’ve got another telephone appointment with her next week. I’ve been wondering whether to begin a thread on peripheral neuropathy to gather other people’s experiences. Shall I?
OP it is extremely painful and difficult living with this condition. And I haven’t even got a diagnosis.

Shinamae

growstuff

I'm curious about which tests you've had for peripheral neuropathy. You certainly seem to have the classic symptoms of it.

My doctor sent me to the hospital, and I had electrodes fitted to me, and also some sort of reflex tests…🤷‍♀️

The results of your test should have gone back to your doctor and should be accessible on line if you have that set up Shinamae.

My tests by a neurologist didn't show any problems with my leg nerves transmitting improperly, but he said they only test the large nerve fibres, not the bundles of small ones, which could be damaged. And if they were fine then it would probably be spinal lesions, such as in MS! Ten years of crazy pain, highest daily dose of Pregabalin allowable (commonly called the Dementia Dose) and still no answers. I do know it's worse if my blood sugar rises. BTW, I don't have MS, just in case you were wondering!
I really hope you get a diagnosis soon.

I’ve been experiencing aching legs for several years. I only get blank looks from the medical professional. I do have lower back issues. Sitting makes it worse. Best thing I find is exercise (against advice) . I’m 70 and still do spin, body pump, yoga and walk the dog - god - sounds exhausting!!!! Time consuming but pays off.

I am 76 and have had burning, numbness and tingling with shooting nerve pains in my feet and occasionally lower legs since I was 71. I have got absolutely no where with the doctors really...after blood tests ( all normal) and blood sugar tests ...normal. I too went to hospital and had the nerve impulse in legs measured, result ' in the normal range' . GP wouldn't recommend a neurology appointment. In the first year of this problem I visited GP three times and was told to take Amytriptyline ( prescribed off label for nerve pain at low dose). I tried it for a week, read about it and decided that I was not going to take it long term as it does not effect any cure but works on the central nervous system and isn't a thing that is good long term. I paid for tests privately on thyroid and more blood sugar tests, all normal, but decided that both alcohol and sugar are not good things for neuropathy so took matters into my own hands and now eat no sugar or simple carbohydrates and very hardly any alcohol. Although I did not have high blood sugar I don't think the blood test measuring sugar over three months that is given now accurately measures peaks as it is an average, I would like a glucose tolerance test really as my symptoms very much like those of some diabetics. I also think a scan would be useful in case of a trapped nerve, but no chance I fear.
My symptoms have improved and they no longer keep my awake at night and my feet aren't painful in normal comfortable shoes any more. I still have some numbness and sensitivity in feet and recently asked to make an appointment at my surgery to discuss again, as I now get a lot of cramp in calfs. My doctor has left the practice and I was told there are no appointments other than phone up at 8.30 in the morning if you are in great pain and need to see a doctor urgently as they are very short staffed !
I have come to the conclusion after talking to others i know with similar problems, that if you are older and fit in other ways, which I am, the doctors just say that the neuropathy is ' idiopathic ' and are not prepared to devote any further time to finding a cause. I have been to physiotherapy, a chiropractor and a podiatrist and find that strictly avoiding sugar and alcohol are the only things that make a difference.

Shinamae, Bamm, and others, I’m actually amazed at how many of you/us are suffering similar symptoms which do appear to be peripheral neuropathy and are not getting much help from doctors. GPs seem disinterested once they’ve done the usual basic tests and come up with nothing. There must be a reason for this pain. I don’t believe you get pain for no reason.

Soles of my feet burn as if I’ve been walking on hot grainy sand! Worse at night.

I have the same problem but mine started suddenly about 5 or 6 years ago when I bent down to turn on a socket. First it was one leg, shooting pains and numbness on lower leg and foot and I actually had foot drop for an hour. A few years later I realised my other leg was doing the same but not as bad. I’ve had MRI scans and neurological tests but nothing was evident. It gets worse if I do a lot of walking on uneven ground. So I am convinced that something is irritating the nerves in my lower back, although I never get pain there, fortunately.

DaisyAnneReturns

Shinamae

growstuff

I'm curious about which tests you've had for peripheral neuropathy. You certainly seem to have the classic symptoms of it.

My doctor sent me to the hospital, and I had electrodes fitted to me, and also some sort of reflex tests…🤷‍♀️

The results of your test should have gone back to your doctor and should be accessible on line if you have that set up Shinamae.

I spoke to him on the phone about it, and he said everything was fine 🤷‍♀️

I am an alcoholic in recovery and have been for years, so no alcohol, passes my lips.😁
I don’t really get shooting pains,very occasionally in my left groin, but that is very occasionally, as I say, it’s mainly burning feet and pins and needles and the aching of the legs.
I occasionally take two paracetamol and two ibuprofen but seems to make a little difference 🤷‍♀️