Many patients with Kidney Failure are likely suffer from muscle pain when they start hemodialysis. And this condition can become more obvious after dialysis. How does muscle pain occur in this treatment?

Hemodialysis is commonly used to sustain or prolong lifespan for people with Kidney failure or end stage of renal disease. Although it can help patients remove the wastes products and toxins out of the body effectively, it still fail to clean away the micromolecule wastes. More serious, it is a tool to maintain patient’s life, not treat damaged kidneys. If patients depend too much on dialysis, it also induce some side effects, like vomiting, headache, fluid overload, blood leaks as well as muscle cramps.

The causes of muscle cramps in hemodialysis.

1. Low blood pressure

Muscle cramps are more commonly associated with hypotension (low blood pressure). During the dialysis, dialysis itself can remove the wastes from the body, meanwhile, some fresh blood also can be lost. And two much body weight during two dialysis sessions can increase ultrafiltration and reduce blood flow to kidneys and cause low blood pressure.

2. Low blood sodium

For dialysis patients, in order to well control of their high blood pressure, swelling, etc, they are allowed low sodium diet. What’s more, during the treatment of dialysis, doctor may also inject the low sodium solution into dialyzate. The clinical performance of low blood sodium includes muscle cramps.

3. Electrolyte disorders

Due to calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D metabolic disorders, dialysis patients are like suffer from leg pain, bone problems.

4. Renal osteopathy

Renal osteopathy is characterized by bone pain which has inseparable relationship with muscle cramps.

Actually, muscle cramping of the hands, feet, and legs is fairly common on hemodialysis. When you are experiencing the muscle cramps during or after dialysis, please contact your doctor in time and find out the solution. If your condition can not get improved after consulting the doctor, you can talk with our Online Doctor directly or you also attach your medical report to renal-disease@hotmail.com and we will try our best to help you.