Hiking may cause nerved damage in your lower legs. A fall on your leg or a twisting of your leg in the wrong direction during a hike is sometimes all it takes to tweak one of your nerves. The damage to your nerves caused by a hiking injury can vary from slight nuisance to a debilitating injury.
Causes And Risk Factors
Trauma directly to the nerve or pressure applied to the nerve is the main reason for nerve damage to your lower legs during a hike. But many factors can raise your risk for nerve damage during a hike. These factors include vitamin deficiencies, excess body weight, vitamin deficiency, alcoholism, thyroid disorders and diabetes.
Symptoms
If you suffer nerve damage to your lower leg during a hike, you may experience a variety of symptoms. Numbness, burning, lack of coordination, muscle weakness, sharp pain and extreme sensitivity to touch are some of the symptoms you may experience. In most cases the onset of these symptoms is gradual.
Diagnosis
If your doctor suspects nerve damage in your lower legs she will use a variety of tests to prove her theory. These tests include nerve biopsy, and electromyography. Computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are also used to diagnose nerve damage.
Treatment And Prevention
Anti-depressant medications, anti-seizure medication, pain killers and Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation are all treatments of nerve damage in the lower leg suffered during a hike.
Nerve damage during a hike may be prevented if you strengthen the muscle of your legs, this will help improve your balance, prevent falls and twists. Staying at a health weight will also reduce your risk of nerve damage.
References
- MayoClinic.com:Health:Peripheral Neuropathy
- National Insitute of Health; Mononeuropathy; August 2010
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine (16th edition)"; Lawrence Madoff et al.; 2005
- "Preventive and Social Medicine"; K. Park et al.; 1995
- "Exercise and Health;" Prof. T. A. Asmangulyan; 1997
