weak at the knees - weak legs

[sjr1969]

Ive had alot of symptoms lately and been really anxious about them all. This is one i have had but seems to be really at the forefront of them all at the moment. I feel so weak in the legs and on saturday i got so scared because it sort of felt that my left knee gave way, twice. Not sure the sensation i got, but it felt that it gave way for a second or so. I didnt fall or anything as at the time i was walking and the other time i was moving from leg to the other or something. it happened so quickly that i wasnt sure what it was.

Now back to the MS worry again, along with all of my other symptoms.

Anyone get this or the weakness? Im sure its worse now im focusing on it. Im scared it will happen again x

sarah x

[cinny]

I get that too, on occasion. I have for years. Sometime, a couple of time close together, other times, months apart. Mine feels like my knee just kind of gives out for a short second. Almost like it goes backwards a bit or something. I call them chicken steps.. :) Seems to me, that I was usually sitting for a long time before they happen. I have also had them happen if I step on just a slight hole or rise in the street or step. It happens so fast, you know that it happens, but you don't have time to study it. Mine is mostly on the left side.

[Gareth]

I get this a lot. Feel like my legs are dragging and I have to put in a huge amount of mental effort to keep them going.

Try this; when you feel they are going weak, stamp your feet loads, jump up and down. This will restore your nervous system's awareness of your legs and feet, and they won't feel so weak and disconnected from you.

[sjr1969]

thanks so so much for the replies.

Cinny you have described EXACTLY what happened and the first time it happened was on uneven ground and the second time was about a minute or so later when i was walking around a table. Yes it did feel like my knee went backwards a bit thats just how it felt. Mine is left side too and yes it happens so quick you cant analyse it enough.

Gareth I will try the stamping around. Not sure i have the energy to jump at the moment though!

I think with the combination of other symptoms i have at the moment thats why i have worried about bad things so much.

sarah x

[sjr1969]

anyone else suffer with weak legs, sometimes it feels as if its coming from the hips sometimes all over, sometimes at the knees.

sarah x

[kerrie23]

Hi Sarah,
Im new just joined! I get the weak leg thing and i get alot of numbness in my face sometimes it can be really scary i feel as though my legs will give way at any moment! The last time it happend was yesterday i was in the bank with my mum and i couldnt feel my legs but i stayed there and after i noticed once i was talking to someone else i forgot about my symptoms even though it was just for a few seconds. I often try to just keep doing what i am doing, it makes me feel better after although i di still get knockbacks where it frightens me too much!

[sjr1969]

hi kerrie thanks for the reply. Its a scary one, because you have to use your legs!!

SARAH X

[ann01]

Hi, I have this constantly at the moment even at home, I'm walking like I'm drunk and swaying too, it makes walking difficult like my legs are going to stop working it's hard to put one foot in front of the other. My legs kind of feel weak yet stiff very scary. J wish I could convince myself it is anxiety.

[sjr1969]

hi ann, yes its hard to keeping saying to yourself it anxiety. I think its the not knowing that keeps us worrying. Its every day with me at the moment and with a baby to look after i am using my legs most of the day so its hard to ignore. Do yours feel achey too?

sarah x

[ann01]

Hi Sarah yeah my legs ache all the time. Do you have problems walking too. I have this everyday too at the moment.

[MidnightCalm]

I think you could be describing what I've been experiencing, weak legs sort of tired feeling, like you've walked all day even if you haven't moved, slight ache, I get the ache when I'm standing AND sat... do you ever get it in your arms too?

[ann01]

I do get aching arms yes, but my legs scare me so much cause I'm finding more and more hard to walk. I wish I really knew this can be caused by anxiety like all day every day. I know I'm making it worse keep focusing on it, but it's so scary.

[MidnightCalm]

It's very scary, I get it alongside my usual dizziness and nauseaand feel poo a lot, i've found that as much as they feel weak I can still run and walk around my local field for 30 mins daily

[sjr1969]

I do get aching arms yes, but my legs scare me so much cause I'm finding more and more hard to walk. I wish I really knew this can be caused by anxiety like all day every day. I know I'm making it worse keep focusing on it, but it's so scary.

Thats how i feel too, its the not knowing. And mine is all day every day too. They feel sort of shaky too, like a nervous feeling in them. you get that?

Do either of you two get soreness on your skin, sort of like the feeling you get on your skin when you have flu? I have patch of skin that feels this way near my knee at the moment. sensitive and hurts to touch too.

sarah x

[sjr1969]

Midnight, yes i know what you mean, you can still do the walking but its an awful feeling doing it. Mine is like pins and needles too at times. Yes i also get it in my arms too. More noticable in legs maybe as you have to walk on them.

sarah x

[ann01]

Hi Sarah yes my legs have like a nervous feeling in them too it's so strange it's kind of like they are shaky, wobbly, stiff and just not going to walk, or collapse from under me, I'm so worried about this symptom that I asked my doctor to send me to a neurologist, but my appointments not until September. It does really help knowing I'm not alone in this. But I can't understand why I have the sensations all day everyday. I do have constant muscle tension in my neck, shoulders and back also I have a bad posture due to my anxiety. Do you feel like your just just to fall over all the time when your stood up. I can walk but it's hard to put one foot infront of the other and I'm dizzy all the time.
Take care
Ann

[sjr1969]

hi ann, it feels that way sometimes yes. i am trying my hardest not to focus on it, sure that must help. I get dizzy spells too. i keep saying to myself "my legs wont let me down, my legs are strong". It helps a bit. keep your chin up. pm me if you ever want to x

[RLR]

Okay, peripheral weakness is not necessarily characterized by the incidence of a joint "giving way." True weakness, particularly of the lower extremities, produces symptoms differently than one might expect. In other words by example, patients who develop true motor weakness in the lower extremities will more commonly find that they cannot sit up from a lying position and this is because bilateral downward opposing force must be applied by the legs in order to rise to a seated position before standing. In other cases, rather than the patient experiencing a buckling effect at the knees, the legs more often tire very quickly with a good deal of burning type pain being experienced, which is due to the rapid build-up of lactic acid being produced by the muscles which are struggling to perform efficiently. There is often a recent history of falls and lack of coordination that are not positively influenced by focused effort.

The most common cause for the symptoms you are describing is psychogenic paresis and although very real in the sensations experienced by the patient, do not constitute actual muscle weakness. The legs demonstrate peculiar sensations, they feel heavy or awkward, or sometimes seem restless. Psychomotor agitation can often produce general feelings of weakness more noted in the legs because of the dexterity normally required for ambulation, or walking.

Your symptoms in the manner described would be inconsistent with Multiple Sclerosis.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

[sjr1969]

Thankyou for that explanation. Very helpful and interesting.
sarah x

[springblossom]

Yes I have this symptom right now. But how can I feel like this when my anxiety levels are lower than they have ever been before?

[oldtime]

I have this as well, I think it is fatigue due to the mental exhaustion of poor sleep and a continual high level of anxiety. At the peak of my anxiety I struggled to walk more than half a mile. Only 3 months before the anxiety started I ran a half marathon. The shock to me of suddenly losing all of my stamina in so short a space of time convinced me that I had a serious illness.