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Weak lead legs?

Jemima37

Senior Member
Messages
407
Location
UK
Does anyone get this with a crash/fatigue? When I've overdone things or I'm crashing from any emotional stuff my legs go so weak and thighs like lead. Heavy but weak feeling, and walking feels difficult and scary!

I have it tonight. I don't get pain just overwhelming weakness in my legs. Sometimes my arms but that's more arms feel warm and heavy.

I've over done things today, of course a better day after a tough 2 days in a crash and I've walked my dog, drove the kids to school, showered, washed my hair and dried it, done some yoga and cooked all the meals. Then tonight I started to feel woozy and dizzy in my head, tired feelings hen wham the heavy lead, weak highs started and then I feel faint standing or walking. Standing still is worse. This has been my main symptom and on crash days it's bad and I struggle to even walk to the bathroom due to how weak and lead heavy my thighs feel and with it I have a faint woozy head and have to lie down till the crash passes which can be a day or two.

My mum visit at Christmas and we had a big heart to heart, it was very emotional as she's not been a mum or been close to me since my brother attacked me 5 years ago. I shouldn't have done the talk because I crashed severe for 3 days. The talk caused severe panic attacks during it and afterwards I felt so ill. I had for 3 days this awful weak legs like lead and faint feelings unable to walk around. So they can happen after anything emotional or like recently just doing too much at home.

Is his normal for cfs the weak lead legs and feeling faint walking and standing? On the days it's bad like above I will be bed ridden and unable to even make a drink, I need my husband to take care of me and the children but luckily those severe crashes are rare but day to day I get the bad leg weakness a lot by evening.

I just wondered does anyone else suffer what I describe?

Thank you
Julie
 

mirshine

Senior Member
Messages
469
Location
Dublin, Ireland
Hi Julie. Sorry to hear about your crash. I.get those symptoms too, but with pain also.

The only thing that helps.me is rest. It's so frustrating.
And yes, it's not just physical activity that causes my crashes, emotional, mental or over sensory things cause it too

Hope your crash doesn't last too long
 

Jemima37

Senior Member
Messages
407
Location
UK
Hi Julie. Sorry to hear about your crash. I.get those symptoms too, but with pain also.

The only thing that helps.me is rest. It's so frustrating.
And yes, it's not just physical activity that causes my crashes, emotional, mental or over sensory things cause it too

Hope your crash doesn't last too long
Thank you

So sorry you suffer it too, it's horrible isn't it. I feel I can't hold my body up when legs feel that bad.

I just walked to the bathroom and my thighs were like lead but weak and felt my bp dropping just standing doing my teeth, moving my legs like matching on spot when I have to stand still seems to help that dropping feeling I get due to the lead weak legs. It's horrible and hen I add fear to it as I worry is it cfs or something worse.

I seem to be in a constant crash recently in the last 3 weeks, I come out of it slightly and have a better day like today and stupidly over do it and thrown back into it and the leg symptoms are the first sign. I need to learn how to pace. So hard with a young family to care for.

Thank you for replying to me.

Julie
 

Mohawk1995

Senior Member
Messages
287
From what I understand there are at least three ways in which your muscles and legs can feel weak and heavy.
  1. You can have muscle weakness from lack of use (Atrophy). Most people who have ME are not able to stay active or even more so exercise. This creates Atrophy as muscle adapts to the inputs placed on it. Significantly less input (activity) for a significant period of time will lead to muscle weakness from Atrophy. This can generally be recovered if the person is able to increase activity.
  2. You can have muscle weakness due to lack of energy/biochemical production. There is simply not enough "fuel in the engine" to make it run. This factor causing weakness is supported by the Metabolic and Biochemical Research on ME now taking place. This can be improved, but only if the mechanism causing the Metabolic/Biochemical issues is improved.
  3. You can have neuro-muscular weakness. Examples of this include weakness due to an acute injury (Muscle itself is strong, but the nerves are shutting it down), Autonomic Outflow shutting down or significantly reducing the nerve impulses to the muscle for global protective reasons and Neuropathy such as a spinal cord injury or peripheral neuropathy from Diabetes. This can be improved, but only if the health of the nervous system is improved.
In order for you to have the lead legs feeling you would definitely need to have #3 involved, but in the case of ME you would also most likely have #1 and #2 as a given as well.

So would make sense that #1 and #2 are more of a constant and #3 is an intermittent phenomenon depending on what causes the crashes for you. The crashes also then in turn make #1 and #2 worse as well. Vicious Cycle.

Hope that makes sense!
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
Does anyone get this with a crash/fatigue? When I've overdone things or I'm crashing from any emotional stuff my legs go so weak and thighs like lead. Heavy but weak feeling, and walking feels difficult and scary!

I have it tonight. I don't get pain just overwhelming weakness in my legs. Sometimes my arms but that's more arms feel warm and heavy.
Yes - weak legs are a central part of ME. You will only avoid it if you reduce activity. It's maybe a good idea to get a device to measure pulse, and stay below a certain level. (It looks from the post on this page http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/is-this-a-typical-crash-feeling.51252/#post-846788 like you may already have one.)
 

Jemima37

Senior Member
Messages
407
Location
UK
From what I understand there are at least three ways in which your muscles and legs can feel weak and heavy.
  1. You can have muscle weakness from lack of use (Atrophy). Most people who have ME are not able to stay active or even more so exercise. This creates Atrophy as muscle adapts to the inputs placed on it. Significantly less input (activity) for a significant period of time will lead to muscle weakness from Atrophy. This can generally be recovered if the person is able to increase activity.
  2. You can have muscle weakness due to lack of energy/biochemical production. There is simply not enough "fuel in the engine" to make it run. This factor causing weakness is supported by the Metabolic and Biochemical Research on ME now taking place. This can be improved, but only if the mechanism causing the Metabolic/Biochemical issues is improved.
  3. You can have neuro-muscular weakness. Examples of this include weakness due to an acute injury (Muscle itself is strong, but the nerves are shutting it down), Autonomic Outflow shutting down or significantly reducing the nerve impulses to the muscle for global protective reasons and Neuropathy such as a spinal cord injury or peripheral neuropathy from Diabetes. This can be improved, but only if the health of the nervous system is improved.
In order for you to have the lead legs feeling you would definitely need to have #3 involved, but in the case of ME you would also most likely have #1 and #2 as a given as well.

So would make sense that #1 and #2 are more of a constant and #3 is an intermittent phenomenon depending on what causes the crashes for you. The crashes also then in turn make #1 and #2 worse as well. Vicious Cycle.

Hope that makes sense!
Well for me it hits if I've over done things. I hit 6000 steps a day, I rest when the children are in school but I potter about so I wouldn't say they are from not using the muscles. I've also had blood tests to check my muscles are ok.
 

Mohawk1995

Senior Member
Messages
287
Well for me it hits if I've over done things. I hit 6000 steps a day, I rest when the children are in school but I potter about so I wouldn't say they are from not using the muscles. I've also had blood tests to check my muscles are ok.

Having young ones around can keep you busy for sure! Glad you are able to have a bit of a break when school is in. Life does go on and I know that my wife, although she does not have ME (she does have Polymyositis) she would always be there for our two sons if at all possible. That is what is so special about Moms who truly care about their children :hug:

From what you report, I would say that you fit the majority of people with ME. The Metabolic/Biochemistry issues are dominant and constant and the Neuromuscular issues probably create the variability amplifying what you are feeling like lead legs, wobbly/unsure footing and like you are moving in Molasses (could also account for the burning). That would be especially true if your Metabolic/Biochemistry is depleted such as the case with the crashes.

The Atrophy would be much less an issue unless you are significantly bed bound.
 

purrsian

Senior Member
Messages
344
I have that heavy weak feeling during crashes too. It can be so uncomfortable. When it happens, I can walk, but it feels horrible and difficult. It's often the symptom that makes me realise I need to go lie down, although it can happen quite suddenly (ie. I feel perfectly ok then suddenly my whole body crashes).

I do have POTS, which is markedly worse during a crash along with the muscle weakness. If you are having difficulties standing, it may be worth doing a poor man's tilt table test (I just did the heart rate measurement, not BP, although it's best if you can do both). Initially, I didn't realise I had many POTS symptoms except for during a crash. Now I realise I was just used to my heart rate reaching 110bpm upon standing and only noticed it when it went above 120bpm during a crash.
 

Oberon

Senior Member
Messages
214
I used to be an avid weightlifter and enjoyed a good leg day. One thing I can say with certainty is that when my CFS flairs the soreness and heaviness of my legs is 3x more sore and weak than a brutal leg day was at the gym.

I think it's inherent to the whole CFS thing where our bodies are just not recovering properly resulting in regular daily tasks depleting our energy levels more than strenuous workouts would for the healthy.
 

Jemima37

Senior Member
Messages
407
Location
UK
I have that heavy weak feeling during crashes too. It can be so uncomfortable. When it happens, I can walk, but it feels horrible and difficult. It's often the symptom that makes me realise I need to go lie down, although it can happen quite suddenly (ie. I feel perfectly ok then suddenly my whole body crashes).

I do have POTS, which is markedly worse during a crash along with the muscle weakness. If you are having difficulties standing, it may be worth doing a poor man's tilt table test (I just did the heart rate measurement, not BP, although it's best if you can do both). Initially, I didn't realise I had many POTS symptoms except for during a crash. Now I realise I was just used to my heart rate reaching 110bpm upon standing and only noticed it when it went above 120bpm during a crash.
That sounds extremely like me and I am wondering if I have POTs.

Can I ask who diagnosed pots for you?

Thank you for your reply.
Julie
 

Jemima37

Senior Member
Messages
407
Location
UK
I used to be an avid weightlifter and enjoyed a good leg day. One thing I can say with certainty is that when my CFS flairs the soreness and heaviness of my legs is 3x more sore and weak than a brutal leg day was at the gym.

I think it's inherent to the whole CFS thing where our bodies are just not recovering properly resulting in regular daily tasks depleting our energy levels more than strenuous workouts would for the healthy.
Thank you.

Yes I say it's very like how I used to feel after leg day as I used to also weigh lift.

It's that weak lead jelly feeling but minus the pain. I don't get the pain.
 

purrsian

Senior Member
Messages
344
That sounds extremely like me and I am wondering if I have POTs.

Can I ask who diagnosed pots for you?

Thank you for your reply.
Julie
A cardiologist in Brisbane (closest city). Just got a referral from my GP who referred me to the only cardiologist in Brisbane with a tilt table. When I went to see my GP, I said to her I suspected POTS because I'd measured my heart rate lying down (70bpm) then standing (110bpm at least) and told her those numbers. But note that not all cases of orthostatic intolerance (OI) involve a heart rate increase like that - many people have a BP drop instead, while others have both BP drop and HR increase. If you don't get the heart rate increase while measuring at home, mention to your doc the symptoms you get when standing so they measure your BP when sitting and then when standing (you may need to stand for several minutes before it drops, many doctors only note the BP immediately upon standing and thus get no change).

Thank you.

Yes I say it's very like how I used to feel after leg day as I used to also weigh lift.

It's that weak lead jelly feeling but minus the pain. I don't get the pain.
I don't get the pain either. But I agree that it feels like the wobbly feeling after you push yourself hard when exercising, only worse and it doesn't recover easily. For me, it's quite often a sign I need a nap and after an hour or two asleep, it has usually gone. However, if I don't nap, it seems to just hang around for hours with the intensity fluctuating with my overall symptoms.
 

Dechi

Senior Member
Messages
1,454
I do have this weak leg (and weak muscles all over my body). When I didn't know I was ill, I would keep going and ended up not being able to walk for more than a few feet. I still have this lactic acid feeling, it's permanent, but I don't get to the point of not being able to walk anymore.

I listen to my body and rest so I don't get to that point anymore. No pain for me either. Just awful weakness.