From cankles to cellulite and aching calves to pins and needles – what your legs can tell you about your health

AS we cover them in trousers, skirts and tights for much of the year, it can be easy to not give our legs a second thought – unless they’re causing us pain.

But as we bear our pins for warmer weather, we might notice symptoms that we’d previously overlooked.

From swelling around the ankles, to visible veins, shooting cramps and patches of hair loss, our legs could be giving us vital clues about our health.

Here are six signs on your legs to take note of – and when you should see a doctor about them.

1. Cankles

Now, some people are just born with thicker ankles.

If your legs have always seemed to fuse into your feet without dipping inwards at the ankle, then you have nothing to worry about.

But if you develop swelling in your feet and legs – suddenly giving your ankles a thicker appearance – it could be caused by a build of fluid in these areas, called oedema.

According to the NHS, you can be more likely to get oedema if you’ve spent a lot of time standing or sitting in the same position or you’ve eaten too much salty food.

But being overweight, pregnant, or taking blood pressure medicines, contraceptive pills, hormone therapy or antidepressants can also be the cause of overnight cankles – as can injuries, insects bites and even warmer weather.

But it’s worth speaking to a GP about leg swelling that doesn’t improve, as it could be caused problems with your kidneys, liver or heart or a blood clot.

As Dr Howard LeWine, chief medical editor at Harvard Health Publishing explained: “A person can retain fluid for many reasons, including kidney or liver problems, heart conditions, malnutrition, thyroid disorders, and anaemia.

“One swollen ankle may be due to a blood clot or injury.

“But the most common reason for swelling in both ankles is incompetent valves in the leg veins.”

Dr LeWine added: “New ankle swelling should prompt a call to your doctor.”

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111 if:

• You have swelling in one ankle, foot or leg and there’s no obvious cause, such as an injury
• The swelling is severe, painful or starts very suddenly
• The swollen area is red or feels hot to the touch
• Your temperature is very high, or you feel hot and shivery
• You have diabetes and your feet, ankles or legs are swollen

2. Aching calves

We all get the odd leg cramp.

But if you get pain in your calves when walking or exercising – along with numbness or weakness in your legs, blue-ish skin, and sores on your legs or feet that don’t heal well – might be signs of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

This a blockage in blood flow to you legs muscles caused a hardening and narrowing of the arteries as a result of sticky cholesterol and fat deposits called plaques, Harvard Health says.

The NHS recommends you see a GP if you often get leg pain while exercising.

“Many people mistakenly think this is just part of growing older, but there’s no reason why an otherwise healthy person should experience leg pain,” it said.

3. Pins and needles

It’s extremely common to get pins and needles in your legs after sitting in a cramped position.

But numbness, tingling or burning in your feet and legs is something to pay attention to if you have diabetes, as it could be a sign of diabetic neuropathy.

This is when is when diabetes – type 1 or 2 – causes damage to your nerves.

According to Diabetes UK, high blood sugar levels can damage the small blood vessels that supply the nerves in your body over time, stopping essential nutrients reaching the nerves.

You can help avoid diabetic neuropathy by keeping your blood sugar levels low.

If you’re often struck with an itching, throbbing, creepy-crawly feeling at night, you might be suffering from restless leg syndrome.

Also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, it’s a condition affecting the nervous system that gives you the overwhelming urge to fidget your legs and can prevent many from sleeping.

The NHS describes the condition as “feeling like fizzy water is inside the blood vessels in the legs”.

4. Dimpled legs

Cellulite – when the skin on your thighs and bum looks dimpled or like orange peel – is extremely common and not something to be worried or embarrassed about.

According to Cleveland Clinic, cellulite is describes the collections of fat that push against the connective tissue beneath your skin.

Many people start to notice it during puberty, but ageing or gaining weight can make the appearance of cellulite more prominent.

In some cases however, dimpled skin can be an indication of a condition called lipoedema, an abnormal build-up of fat.

Lipoedema can make your bottom, thighs, lower legs and sometimes your arms look out of proportion with the rest of the body.

You may also have pain, tenderness or heaviness in the affected limbs, and you may bruise easily.

The condition tends to me more common in women.

You should see a GP if you have symptoms of lipoedema, the NHS says.

5. Visible veins

Do the veins in your legs look swollen, twisted and raised under the skin?

This could mean you have varicose veins.

They sometimes cause other symptoms in legs, such as:

• Pain, aching or a feeling of heaviness
• Skin changes, such as itching, colour changes or dry, scaly skin
• Swollen ankles or legs

Anyone can get varicose veins but they may be more common in women and people who are older, overweight or pregnant.

Standing or sitting for long periods of time can also exacerbate the condition.

Having varicose veins could make you more prone to sores and blood clots in your legs.

See a GP if you have pain, itching or swelling in your legs or you get a sore on your leg that has not healed after two weeks.

6. Hair loss

If you’re noticing some hair loss in your legs, this could be another sign of PAD.

Other symptoms to watch out for include:

• Numbness or weakness in the legs
• Brittle, slow-growing toenails
• Open sores on your feet and legs, which do not heal
• Changing skin colour on your legs, such as turning paler than usual or blue – this may be harder to see on brown and black skin
• Shiny skin
• In men, erectile dysfunction
• The muscles in your legs shrinking

Symptoms of PAD often develop slowly, over time.

Bu if your symptoms develop quickly, or get suddenly worse, it could be a sign of a serious problem requiring immediate treatment, the NHS warns.