Many believe that diseases related to high cholesterol come unannounced
Often tagged as a silent killer, high cholesterol and the diseases associated with it are believed to come unannounced. However, the fact is far away from the truth and is oblivious to many of us.
There are certain symptoms associated with high cholesterol which if noticed at the initial stage can help a person in avoiding or at least delaying the onset of a disease.
High cholesterol symptoms are not so visible in their earlier stage, but they can be spotted if one is observant enough.
How high cholesterol affects the hip muscles or the gluteal muscles?
As is the nature of high cholesterol, it builds up inside the blood vessels forming plaques. These plaques restrict the flow of blood in the vessels.
Due to this obstruction in blood flow, many muscles do not get sufficient oxygen as a result of which pain triggers in these areas. The pain gets severe when the muscles are involved in a physical activity.
One such muscle which is most probably affected first as told by experts in several health reports is the hip muscles. Many people with high cholesterol say they have felt terrible pain in the hip region earlier.
Why is it a serious concern?
This is because we tend to ignore the link between cholesterol and hip pain.
Pain in the hip region is often assumed to be related to problems in the skeletal structure or the bone and is often seen due to bone related problems like arthritis.
However, the connection between hip muscles and cholesterol is poorly understood by general people.
Health reports suggest that peripheral artery disease or PAD, which happens when the blood flow is limited due to cholesterol deposition, affects the hips, legs and feet.
What are the signs?
Extreme pain in the hips even with minimal physical activity is the first indication that you need to see a doctor. This pain can be triggered even during a walk. The pain can spread to butt, thigh, and calf region.
The intensity and spread of the pain can vary from one person to another depending upon the level of cholesterol and the regions where blood flow is blocked due to plaque formation.
Usually this pain goes away with resting but again comes back during the physical exercise.
Other signs of PAD can be changes in the legs and feet like change in color of skin or change in color of nails.
What are the other signs one should be careful about?
The other signs associated with high cholesterol that is predominantly seen in lower limbs are: hair loss on legs, numbness in legs, brittle toenails, ulcers on feet that do not heal, pale discoloration of legs, shiny skin, erectile dysfunction in men and shrinking muscles in the legs.
Why is this underdiagnosed?
This is because hip pain is always seen as a result of aging or bone related diseases. Women experience hip pain from a very young age and in several cases. This is the reason why they overlook its association with high cholesterol.
Getting pain in the hips and/ or legs during a physical activity is something that hardly bothers people especially when it goes away during resting. This might be the reason why people walk for a while, sit down for sometime and then continue.
Unfortunately, many people think it as a normal biological process and realise the impact of high cholesterol only after it is too late.
What do you need to do?
The best friends of high cholesterol are processed food, fried foods and foods that are loaded with artificial elements.
Always remember, you are what you eat. Avoid consuming stuff that elevates high cholesterol. Foods like cakes and biscuits, meat pies, sausages, fatty meat, foods containing palm oil, cream, hard cheese, and butter should be avoided.
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Include seasonal fruits and vegetables in your diet along with whole grains and make sure that you are getting all the essential macro and micronutrients in your daily diet.
What you should avoid doing
In order to keep the hips function smoothly, you need to ensure not to compromise on your nutrition and physical activity routine.
Regular medical check up can help you detect complications at an early stage and prompt you to seek medical help at a stage where the complication can be reversed.
High cholesterol damages the body in a silent manner. So, you have to remain alert in order to spot the elevated levels of cholesterol and take remedies on time.