Do your legs ache after 10k steps?

[TootsAtOwls]

I've always considered myself fairly active, walking to work, swimming etc. I now work from home and have a dog, so my walks tend to be slower shuffles around fields while the dog sniffs to his heart's content.... but I've noticed my legs really ache at the end of each day. Is this normal? Just age? (I'm 42) I do 10k steps a day on average.

Well you shouldn't be having aches in your legs at your age just doing 10k steps. Is there something else wrong with you?

My legs ache every night and I only walk about 7k steps per day. Yesterday they ached so much I was almost in tears. I'm 53, hate this getting old malarkey.

I regularly track my steps and do around 10000 steps a day and no my legs don't ache at all. Any other symptoms? Peri menopausal?

Yes mine do. I'm the same, I work from home and have a dog. If I can properly stride out it's fine, if I'm shuffling with a sniffy dog or shopping with a teenager my legs and knees kill me at the end of the day.

10k is a lot of steps and I don’t often manage that in an average day so for me it would be normal for my legs to ache after that many steps.

No they don’t. I’m 44. I do a lot of weight bearing exercise besides my 10k steps a day so although a heavy squats session might cause muscles aches, walking doesn’t.

No, unless the majority of those steps were up/down literal steps.

Is it joint pain or muscle ache? Are you overweight?

I don’t think it’s normal to ache after the relatively little exercise (that presumably doesn’t leave you out of breath) that you describe

My legs don't ache but my back does. I'm 52. This is fairly new thing unfortunately.

If you're sitting down more, it could be poor circulation/it could be a bit of water retention.

How are the shoes you're wearing? Are they a different style to previously or, the opposite, are they very comfortable but old and no longer supportive?

I am 66 and usually average around 12,000 steps per day and my legs don't ache.

Do you have any other symptoms? Are you still swimming?

No. 10k is the minimum a healthy person should be aiming for really and shouldn't cause fatigue. Can you try doing some gentle stretches on an evening ? Also check out the shoes you are wearing - supportive trainers are much better than ballet flats for example.

Shoes make a massive difference, so worth checking if you need more support or a shoe which lets your toes splay better. If I end up walking several thousand steps in my work shoes or cheap mooching about trainers U’ll feel a lot more tired than doing the same distance or more in my good runners.

I'm a couple of years older than you and I walk my dogs for hours each day, averaging 20K steps a day roughly, and I don't ache. I exercise quite a lot though as I have got arthiritis and need to protect my joints, so I do daily pilates for 45 minutes and three times a week I go to spinning or other cardio type training.

It would be good to know what type of pain you are in?

No, and I’m over 60 and regularly walk much further. Uncomfortable shoes or very heavy shoes might cause problems, so I don’t wear them to walk that far. Carrying heavy shopping would also affect my legs.

If I walk up to my maximum 8-10 miles my legs will feel tired - as will the rest of me - but they don’t ache.

if barefoot or wearing unsuitable shoes, yes.

No. I'm 43 and average around 19,000 steps a day, and do running and swimming. Legs only ache after I've been for a longer run. Issue could be with ill fitting shoes but I'd maybe look into getting it checked out if there's no other causes?

I am 43, very overweight and unfit and have just come back from a 14 day holiday where we were regularly doing over 20,000 steps per day, every other day, with a day of around 10,000 steps in between.

My feet went through the mill a bit, due to me having awkwardly shaped feet and ill-fitting shoes, but I can't say that my legs ached at the end of the day. I was knackered, but my muscles didn't ache.

Now I'm not walking 20,000 steps a day I'm finding I ache a bit more and need a good stretch every so often.

Definitely try different, more supportive shoes as PP's have mentioned. If, for example, you're wearing crocs or something that doesn't completely hold your feet, you may be tensing muscles to avoid your shoes flinging off, which does hurt in the end.

I've got a few different pairs of Skechers shoes and trainers which are excellent for walking in (once they've worn in around my awkwardly shaped feet!).

No other symptoms and not peri-menopausal (judging by my mum's age of menopause probably not for a while!)

It's muscle rather than joint pain - I say pain, I mean discomfort really. It's the kind of tired, achey feeling I'd normaly expect to get after a day of hiking in the hills, not walking around very untaxing terrain! Very interesting that @TooHotToTangoToo feels the same way, I wonder if it is simply the fact I'm having to walk slowly? I'm naturally a brisk walker and I don't remember feeling like this when I was marching for an hour a day on my commute!

I do have to wear very comfortable trainers though - when I had some with a hard flat sole my feet really hurt! But that was solved by wearing nikes...

I wonder if I need to up my fitness? I'm a healthy weight but I don't feel as supple as I did when swimming regularly. Maybe I should try pilates.

I do take a multivitamin so I'm hopinh there;s not some vital nutrient I'm missing...

10k steps is an average amount of walking (as in if I've done 10k in a day I wouldn't say I was particularly active that day). Like a pp said could it be your shoes?

I'd be having a chat with your GP and ruling out artery/nerve etc issues. I've been in various walking groups and dog walking groups which included pensioners and aching legs aren't necessarily a symptom of getting old.

I'd start to do some stretching or yoga type stuff and see if it helps. Tai chi is really good. When doing research the societies that do those type of movements, don't get the aches and pains reported across the UK.

I walk at least 10k steps most days and yes, my legs and feet ache loads it started around 46. 😞Do you have flat feet? I think that makes it worse.

Check your vit D levels. Typical symptom and many people are two low on it.

I’m 53. I walk about 7-8 miles a day. My legs don’t ache at the end of the day.

Nope, sometimes do more thank 10k and only sometimes do I get achy feet & ankles but not legs.