Why does my husband get intense ache after strolling for 50 minutes? DR MARTIN SCURR

My in any other case wholesome husband will get an intense ache in his groin after strolling for 50 minutes or so. It radiates down his proper thigh and, though it subsides when he rests, it quickly returns. He’s had checks to see if it’s as a consequence of a hernia, a spinal disc downside or perhaps a tumour — however these discovered nothing. What might be the issue?

Barbara Croxen, Menston, West Yorkshire.

This sounds prefer it might be a situation referred to as intermittent claudication — ache in a muscle, or group of muscle tissue, introduced on by train and relieved by a couple of minutes of relaxation.

This can have an effect on the buttocks, hips or thighs however often it’s the calf muscle tissue.

In most circumstances, it is because of narrowing of the arteries which provide the muscle tissue within the affected space, triggering ache because the muscle turns into disadvantaged of blood and oxygen.

This sounds prefer it might be a situation referred to as intermittent claudication — ache in a muscle, or group of muscle tissue, introduced on by train and relieved by a couple of minutes of relaxation

This can have an effect on the buttocks, hips or thighs however often it’s the calf muscle tissue

The situation is sort of frequent — affecting an estimated 10 per cent of adults over the age of 55. Smoking, raised ldl cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension are all main threat elements.

Although you say in your longer letter that your husband has had checks, he may have a extra particular kind of verify involving scans of the arteries in his legs to search for indicators of narrowing.

This is one thing his GP can organize and if, as anticipated, this highlights a restriction to blood movement, it may be handled with drugs to skinny the blood (comparable to low-dose aspirin) and cut back the build-up of fatty deposits within the arteries (comparable to statins).

Some sufferers are additionally provided a sort of bypass surgical procedure the place a vascular surgeon re-routes the blood movement across the blocked space.

However, relaxation assured that is solely wanted in a minority of circumstances and, if began in time, treatment alone is usually all that’s wanted to treatment the issue.

I’ve had an intermittent twitch in my proper eyelid and surrounding space for the previous three months. Although this isn’t painful it’s fairly irritating. What can I do?

Name and deal with provided.

Twitching in a single eyelid (reasonably than each) is thought medically as myokymia.

It is a quite common, innocent affliction and it occurs to most of us at a while.

The twitch could range from a barely noticeable flicker to a visual motion that’s obvious to others. It might be associated to extreme fatigue, an excessive amount of caffeine and stress.

Twitching in a single eyelid (reasonably than each) is thought medically as myokymia

Some folks, far much less generally, develop persistent eyelid twitching — that’s, involuntary twitches a number of instances a day referred to as benign important blepharospasm, attributable to uncontrolled contractions of the eyelid muscle.

A neurological dysfunction, this begins on one facet and it then progresses to contain each eyes and should develop into extra extreme. However, it’s very uncommon.

It appears unlikely that that is what’s affecting you, but when your signs develop into extra frequent and your different eyelid does develop into concerned, then you need to be referred to a neurologist.

Provided your symptom stays on one facet and is intermittent I might anticipate that it’s going to settle.

I counsel making an attempt to get ample sleep and limiting your caffeine consumption — strive caffeine-free options or restrict your self to a few cups of tea a day.