Why Your Legs Itch When You Run, and What to Do About It

This morning, I went for my first run shortly. Only a few minutes in, my legs have been uncontrollably itchy. And that’s after I remembered: oh, yeah. This occurs. In the event you’ve skilled it too, don’t fear: It’s surprisingly frequent to have itchy legs, or to itch throughout, when working. Luckily the itching tends to go away over time.  

The itching we’re speaking about in the present day is a generalized general itch (not hives, and never a rash in a selected spot) and tends to be worse for those who’re new to working or coming again to it after a break. 

The place “runner’s itch” comes from

This isn’t going to sound very satisfying, however there’s no clear, scientific reply to why working may cause you to itch. The main theories embody: 

• Blood vessels widen to carry extra blood to your muscle mass to gas them, and to your pores and skin to assist regulate your temperature. This is perhaps what causes the itching or tingling sensation. Over time, both your blood vessels get higher at increasing when wanted, otherwise you simply get desensitized to the sensation of it. 

• Histamine is launched throughout train, particularly at increased intensities. Your physique might do that to assist dilate these blood vessels, or to assist maintain you alert. However histamine can be concerned in our response to allergy symptoms, and could also be inflicting the itching as a facet impact. 

• Vibration appears to set off itching, as seen in research finished with whole-body vibration plates. The influence of working may cause your pores and skin to jiggle with every step, and could also be triggering an identical impact.

• Pores and skin irritation on account of your clothes or to substances (like a brand new detergent), or on account of dry pores and skin or different pores and skin situations.

The vibration idea feels essentially the most appropriate to me, on a intestine stage: The itching subsides inside a couple of minutes of switching from a run to a stroll, even when I’m power-walking up a hill and my coronary heart fee stays the identical. However I’ll go away this query to the scientists. What issues to runners is determining what to do about it.

Extra critical causes you may itch

In case your itching happens within the type of raised bumps, or for those who get signs of anaphylaxis like a swollen tongue or bother respiration, that’s completely different from what I used to be describing above. When you’ve got bother respiration or assume you is perhaps having a critical allergic response, cease studying this text and go name 911. Life-threatening anaphylaxis has been identified to happen from train. 

Hives, also called urticaria, can happen throughout train as effectively. This is named exercise-induced urticaria. You may as well get a distinct situation referred to as cholinergic urticaria from warmth or stress, along with train. 

Methods which will assist forestall or scale back the itching

Loads of runners have skilled this itching, and have gone on to run fortunately regardless of it. They’ll let you know the itching doesn’t occur each time, and that when your physique will get used to your new working behavior, the itching tends to go away. 

That’s been my expertise as effectively. The primary week or two that I return after a break, my physique comes up with every kind of the way to really feel bizarre or dangerous or mistaken. My pores and skin might itch; my shins might ache. I remind myself that this isn’t the way it will really feel eternally, simply the way it feels in the present day. Listed here are some issues that may assist: 

• Take further time to heat up. This will imply strolling for the primary 5 minutes or so, earlier than you begin to run. In the event you love to do warmup workout routines, like air squats or high-knees working in place, you’ll be able to add these in as effectively. Some runners discover this helps to scale back the itching.

• Hydrate effectively. Possibly it helps with the blood vessel dilation, or possibly you’ll simply be well-hydrated whilst you itch. Both manner, it doesn’t damage to be sure you’re ingesting appropriately, particularly for those who’re heading out for a protracted and/or scorching run. 

• Sluggish to a stroll. Once you’re getting again into the behavior of working, your precedence shouldn’t be how briskly you go, or how a lot you run versus stroll. Your objective is constructing that behavior. Stroll till the itching subsides, then determine for those who really feel able to run a bit extra. 

• Reduce pores and skin irritation. Moisturize. Put on smooth, comfy garments. Don’t check out a brand new laundry detergent simply but. 

On in the present day’s run, I caught with the “sluggish to a stroll” technique. My lungs and legs felt high quality to proceed working, however the itching was driving me nuts. I reminded myself that crucial factor was to complete my run (okay, my stroll/run) feeling adequate that I look ahead to the following time. 

In whole, I ran lower than half my deliberate distance, and that was already a brief route. However I do know that subsequent time I’ll most likely itch rather less. And fairly quickly, I’ll overlook that this was ever an issue in any respect.