Walking and itching

tjsims8
tjsims8 Posts: 46 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I’ve started walking at the park to increase my activity since my day is usually sedentary. After about 15 minutes there’s this intense itchy/burning feeling in my legs. What’s going on?!?

Replies

  • lx1x
    lx1x Posts: 38,310 Member
    Have you walked 15 min before? Any issues then?

    Might be the environment? Does it stop when you rest/not walk?

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,210 Member
    This lists a few reasons for it:
    https://share.upmc.com/2015/03/prevent-runners-itch-save-workout/
  • sparklesmummy
    sparklesmummy Posts: 8 Member
    Try taking antihistamine tablet before going on a walk whilst your body gets used to exercise.

    In the past when I used to go for run I used to get itchy feeling, and literally could rip off my clothes it was so itchy.

    I then looked into it and apparently;

    “Some research suggests that histamine is released during exercise to protect against fatigue, rather than as an allergic response. Histamine works to expand blood vessels in your body but, unfortunately, sends the itchy message to your brain.” From google

    So, from then on if I go running I take antihistamine tablet before and I am fine.

    Once your body is used to exercise, then you’ll be able to reduce and not needing taking tablets. That’s what happened to me.
  • AliNouveau
    AliNouveau Posts: 36,287 Member
    I'd say it's seasonal allergies. If I go running at this time of year and forget to take allergy meds I spend half the run scratching. I love being outside but the outside doesn't love me
  • melodyvegan
    melodyvegan Posts: 59 Member
    It's most likely a histamine response. I have experienced this all my life whenever I start exercising again after having spent a good while being mostly sedentary. When I started exercise a few months ago, I would take 1/2 - 1 tablet of Benadryl 10 minutes before warming up. Some days 1/2 was enough, but sometimes, especially if I was walking longer distances/longer time, I needed the full tablet. I couldn't stand the itching, especially after I was done exercising; I felt like I was going to rip my skin off.

    After a while your body gets used to it and you don't have the response anymore (whether or not you take an anti-histamine, but in my case, I needed it to be able to srart exercising again without the added misery). After a couple weeks taking Benadryl before walks, I stopped taking it and have been perfectly un-itchy since.

    Good luck! 🙂

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