What Causes Calf Pain After Drinking Alcohol?
Disease description:
Today, I had some alcohol with my colleagues, but afterward, I experienced calf soreness. Why does calf soreness occur after drinking alcohol?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Lin Yunfei
Calf soreness after alcohol intoxication may result from vasodilation. Alcohol consumption induces vasodilation in the lower limbs—particularly in the calves—thereby accelerating local metabolism. This heightened metabolic rate promotes increasingly rapid anaerobic metabolism within the calf muscles, leading to accumulation of acidic metabolites and resulting in symptoms such as calf soreness and discomfort. Alternatively, the soreness may stem from elevated acetic acid levels: following alcohol ingestion, ethanol is extensively metabolized into acetic acid in the body; this acetic acid then enters the calf muscles via systemic circulation, irritating local nerves and causing calf soreness.
