The legs are important part of the body. They bear the weight and enables person to move. Legs are therefore made stronger than the hands by default. The body’s biggest and also perhaps the strongest muscles are also present in legs named as sartorius. They are none other than the thigh muscles. Anatomically there are three parts of the leg, namely foot, leg (middle portion) and thighs. Pain anywhere in the leg makes the person unable in walking or makes person limping.

Ayurveda believes that any pain is due to Vata Dosha presence. Legs are known as paada in Ayurveda. They are full of strong muscles and have plenty of nerves, blood vessels etc.

There are many causes for leg pain. Leg pain, being a symptom and not a disease, occurs due to certain bodily diseases and conditions. This may include injury, trauma, surgery and cramps. Different parts of the leg fall in different categories as far as causes and symptoms are concerned.

i) Foot and ankle

These are the lowest part of the leg and get easily affected. While running or playing games, if the foot or ankle get twisted then it causes pains. Certain diseases like corns or diabetic foot is the worst situation to bear. General foot pain is not also uncommon. This could be due to overweight or improper footwear. Walking style also affects foot and may cause pain. Walking with high-heeled sandals, it is quite obvious to injure your ankle and so also the foot.

ii) The leg – middle portion

This includes the most troubling calf muscle. Certain sportspersons like cricketers and tennis players are prone to have trouble while playing. While running sudden cramp is very usual and makes person to lie down immediately. In cold weather, elderly people might observe that their calf muscle is as stiff as stone. This could be an extremely painful situation. Looking at affected portions one can easily distinguish the round shaped accumulated portion within the area.

The thigh

Ayurveda deals with the thigh pain separately and stiffness in the thigh is considered to be one of the most dangerous symptoms. This is named as urustambha (say – oo roo s taa m baa) where uru refers to thigh and stambha to stiffness. Here the thigh gets swollen and stiff. Ayurveda believes this to be a situation involving the Vata Dosha and the Kapha Dosha. It is highly contraindicated to apply any kind of oil as it may turn the case from bad to worse. For this, there is something called rooksha-swedana (say – roo k sh aa s v e da na; meaning dry massage or sudation). This is carried out by applying a hot poultice containing simple sand on the affected area.

How to Prevent it

Movement is our daily routine. One can’t imagine life without walking, running and standing. In this manner legs are to be taken care of. Ayurveda suggests daily massaging (except in thigh stiffness) to avoid painful condition. One has to protect legs from cold atmosphere such as winter and air-conditioned rooms. Especially for girls and women; they have to protect their legs from cold and so wearing skirts and shorts those exposes legs are not advisable in extreme winter.

Swimming is good to shape up your legs but avoid it when the swimming water is too cold. While taking bath pouring of lukewarm water on the legs would be really beneficial. Avoid high heels as there are chances to slip and so to twist your legs. Improve your walking style and avoid jumping hard. Daily massage surely helps overcoming leg pains.

Ayurveda suggests that one needs to massage his or her legs daily just before going to bed. It is not always necessary to massage with oil, but certain techniques like gripping up your calf muscle, stroking your thighs and churning your foot is indeed worth practicing. In Ayurveda it is believed that massaging toes daily at night would keep person healthy and would increase his or her eye sight.