Walking is one of the simplest and most effective ways to stay active, improve your cardiovascular health, and enjoy the outdoors. But what happens when walking, instead of being energizing, leaves you dealing with discomfort or intense leg pain?
While some soreness or fatigue after a long walk can be normal, persistent or severe leg pain shouldn’t be a regular part of your daily life. The good news? This pain doesn’t have to become your new normal. By understanding the causes and exploring remedies, you can address the issue without jumping to drastic measures like surgery.
Causes of leg pain and soreness after walking
Leg pain after walking can arise from a variety of reasons, including overuse, poor mechanics, or underlying health conditions. Here are a few of the most common causes to help you better understand what the issue might be.
Sore muscles
The most common cause of leg pain after walking is sore muscles, also known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This happens when you push your body beyond its usual level of activity during a long or intense walk.
Soreness arises when muscle fibers sustain small tears, which leads to discomfort, stiffness, and fatigue as the body heals this damage. This is especially common if you walk on hilly terrain or at an incline, which engages your leg muscles more intensely, even if it doesn’t feel like a hard walk in the moment.
Claudication
Claudication is a condition caused by poor blood flow to the legs, often as a side effect of peripheral artery disease (PAD). This type of pain usually feels like cramping or aching in the calves and tends to occur after walking a certain distance. The pain typically eases with rest but may come back with continued activity. Left untreated, claudication can progress and lead to chronic discomfort even when you’re not active.
Pinched nerves
Nerve pain in the legs, often stemming from conditions like sciatica, can be triggered by walking too much. A nerve in your back or leg may become compressed, causing sharp, radiating pain or numbness in one or both legs. This type of pain might worsen with repetitive motion, such as prolonged walking.
Joint pain
People with arthritis or other joint conditions may experience pain in their knees, hips, or ankles after walking. Walking puts a small but constant amount of stress on these joints, which can exacerbate inflammation and stiffness. Wearing unsupportive shoes or walking on hard surfaces like pavement may intensify this discomfort.
Foot and tendon pain
Walking a lot, especially on hard or uneven terrains, can put strain on the tendons in your feet and ankles. This can lead to overuse injuries or pain, particularly in the plantar fascia or Achilles tendon. If you’re noticing a sharp pain in your heels, arches, or ankles after a long walk, this might be the cause.
How to get rid of leg pain
Paying attention to your symptoms and avoiding obvious triggers like steep climbs or long-distance walking can help provide some relief for your leg pain. But when that’s not possible, or your symptoms don’t go away, you still have several options for how to find a solution that works for your lifestyle.
Although there are many things you can try at home to relieve your post-walking leg pain, sometimes the best approach involves seeking professional guidance.
Rest and recovery
Sometimes, all your legs need is a chance to recover. Resting for a few hours immediately after a long or strenuous walk, in addition to reducing your activity level the following day or two can give your muscles time to heal and adapt to your activity level. Elevating your legs and applying a cold compress can also help reduce inflammation and soreness. (These are parts of the RICE method of recovery.)
Warm up properly
One of the easiest ways to prevent leg pain after walking is to start your activity with a proper warm-up. Light stretching or gentle movement for 5–10 minutes prepares your muscles for use, increasing blood flow and flexibility.
Focus on the calves, hamstrings, and quadriceps to loosen up the areas most engaged in a walk.
Build strength and flexibility
Weak muscles or tight tendons can experience the most strain and stress during physical activity, leading to pain. Incorporating exercises that strengthen your leg muscles and improve your range of motion can help. Activities like yoga, resistance training, or targeted exercises like calf raises are great for building muscle and flexibility over time.
Invest in supportive footwear
Your shoes play a critical role in your walking experience. Properly fitted, supportive, and cushioned footwear can help reduce the strain on your joints, muscles, and tendons. Test shoes with arch support and shock absorption, and avoid wearing old or worn-out sneakers.
Custom orthotics are another option if specific foot mechanics or conditions, like flat feet or high arches, are contributing to your pain.
Seek professional guidance
Working with a physical therapist can offer valuable insights into chronic leg pain after walking. If your own rest, stretching, and strengthening plan isn’t helping to ease your symptoms, a professional assessment could uncover underlying conditions such as tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, or arthritis. Early intervention and a customized treatment plan will help you get back to walking without pain.
Find pain relief for any lifestyle at SOL PT
Do you want to walk more but feel as if your legs are stubbornly against you? Our PTs can help.
At SOL Physical Therapy, we understand how frustrating it can be to deal with ongoing leg pain, especially when walking becomes more of a challenge than a joy. Our physical therapists specialize in assessing and treating pain of all types so you can regain confidence and comfort in your everyday activities.
Whether you’re dealing with sore muscles or complex joint issues, we’ll identify the root cause and create a personalized rehab plan just for you. Don’t settle for putting up with discomfort. Request an appointment online or call a nearby SOL clinic today to learn how we can help you get back to your routine and enjoy a pain-free, active lifestyle again.
