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HEALTH

Why do French women suffer from ‘heavy legs’?

As the summer arrives, you're likely to hear a few French women complaining of 'les jambes lourdes' while pharmacies will be advertising remedies for 'heavy legs' - so what's behind this strange ailment and why do only French women seem to suffer from it?

Why do French women suffer from 'heavy legs'?
Photo by VALERY HACHE / AFP

While it might sound more like a complaint that would be made by someone feeling insecure about their weight, ‘heavy legs’ (jambes lourdes) syndrome is actually health-related.  

And in France, it’s as common to hear someone complaining about their ‘heavy legs’ as it is to hear people saying that they’re trop fatigué or that it’s trop chaud.

But is it just a French thing? Are French women’s limbs just heavier because of all that cheese and those pastries?

The fact that we don’t have an equivalent expression in English has unsurprisingly led to some doubt in the English-speaking community about whether the syndrome actually exists. 

Even Wikipedia, on its English-language page for ‘heavy legs’ calls it an “alleged medical condition” of “French origin”. 

In her blog Turning Parisian Australian Diana Bowman describes her surprise upon hearing about this mysterious complaint.

“Another ailment which I never knew I had until the French told me about it was les jambes lourdes. In Australia, this is not really a thing (or if it is, I had certainly never heard of it).

“But as soon as I caught wind of this jambes lourdes thing, I knew they were onto something. And sure enough, a trip to the médecin confirmed that I should be wearing compression socks all year round and low, thick-heeled (man-style) shoes to counter my condition. Très sexy.”

It seems the French are just as confused about this difference between our cultures as we are. 

“We French have specific ailments, such as heavy legs or a heavy shoulder, that don’t seem to exist on this side of the Channel but are regarded as significant in France,” London based French blogger Muriel Demarcus previously told The Local. 

“I am not suggesting that we French are a nation of hypochondriacs but we do take our health very seriously. Come to think of it, have you ever heard a British person complain that they are suffering from “heavy legs”? I haven’t.”

What exactly is it?

When people complain of having ‘heavy legs’ they could mean one of several things: that their legs and feet feel swollen, that their legs actually feel heavy or that they feel itchy, prickly, tingly or numb. Or they could be referring to pain or muscle cramps in their legs. 

These sensations often get worse as the day goes on and during summer as a result of the hot weather and are considered a sign of circulation issues. 

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“‘Heavy legs’ is very much a sensation rather than a symptom of any particular illness,” doctor Isabelle Koskas, who is based in Paris and specialises in vascular medicine told The Local. 

“It can be a result of serious circulation problems but usually it’s nothing serious,” she said. 

Koskas went on to say that it is usually women that say they have ‘heavy legs’ — particularly those who spend a lot of time standing up (which is a known cause of varicose veins) — although some men also complain of their ‘jambes lourdes‘. 

So it’s not an example of the oft-referenced French health obsession or hypochondria as some might say? 

It seems Doctor Koskas has the answer. 

“This is an issue of terminology,” she said. “There’s no reason why American women and British women should not suffer from the same kind of sensations even if they don’t have a universal term that incorporates all the different things meant by ‘heavy legs’.” 

That means that while we might talk about having swollen ankles at the end of the day, for example, French women would refer to their ‘heavy legs’.

So what do French doctors recommend sufferers of ‘heavy legs’ syndrome do?

Well, there are a few things you can do including avoiding staying in the same position for too long, resting as often as possible, raising your legs when possible and of course wearing those popular compression socks. 

And now you know all about ‘heavy legs’ it’s likely yours will start to feel a touch more cumbersome when you’re out and about. But if you need to go to a doctor, at least you can be sure that a French one will take you seriously.

You’ll also see numerous over-the-counter remedies for ‘heavy legs’ in pharmacies at this time of year, while herbal supplements and even certain types of salt are sold as a cure for weighty limbs. We can’t vouch for the effectiveness of any of them, however. 

Member comments

  1. There are several syndromes or conditions specific to different cultures.
    “Heavy legs” usually refers to swollen legs (edema) and is most experienced in the summer when the heat is above 30*C. As noted it’s a sign of poor circulation, and associated with aging. It’s annoying and somewhat painful. I can testify to that.
    One can buy an OTC cream in a pharmacy. It refreshes and helps some.
    However, the best solution is to elevate your legs in a cooler environment.
    If your appartement or vacation home is not cool, then I recommend to stay in the bathtub or in cool water for about 30 minutes. Repeat if necessary.
    Air conditioning is a luxury and rare in France
    So, if you plan a vacation in France and get caught in a period of “canicule”, be prepared.

  2. Speaking of pharmacies, they are identified by a green cross. That’s where you need to go for any medication, over the counter or prescribed.
    French supermarkets do not carry any medications whatsoever. Surprisingly, I found out that baking soda must also be bought in pharmacies. Finally, pharmacies are closed on Sunday although you can find a « pharmacie de garde » in your arrondissement. It’s open 24 hour for emergencies. My advice is to bring your medications from the US. Some products are not available. For instance « Pepto Bismol » is not available because of its content of bismuth, a heavy metal.
    Happy Travel ! Bonnes vacances.

  3. How interesting! As a British person, I often suffer heaviness in my legs when I have been walking a mile or so, or going up hill. Yes, my legs definitely feel heavier. I have never heard of this as a condition before!

  4. A popular procedure in Los Angeles is endovenous ablation. Gets rid of varicose veins and is a game changer for “heavy legs”.

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ELECTIONS

Will Macron resign in case of a French election disaster?

The polling is not looking good for president Emmanuel Macron's party in the snap elections that he called just two weeks ago. So will he resign if it all goes wrong?

Will Macron resign in case of a French election disaster?

On Sunday, June 9th, the French president stunned Europe when he called snap parliamentary elections in France, in the wake of humiliating results for his centrist group in the European elections.

The French president has the power to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections – but this power is rarely used and in recent decades French parliaments have run on fixed terms. Very few people predicted Macron’s move.

But polling for the fresh elections (held over two rounds on June 30th and July 7th) is looking very bad for the president’s centrist Renaissance party – currently trailing third behind Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National and the combined leftist group Nouveau Front Populaire.

Listen to the team from The Local discussing all the election latest in the new episode of the Talking France podcast. Download here or listen on the link below

The election was a gamble for Macron – but if his gamble fails will he resign?

What does the law and the constitution say?

Legally, Macron does not need to resign. In France the presidential and the parliamentary elections are separate – Macron himself was re-elected in 2022 with a five-year mandate (until May 2027).

His party failing to gain a parliamentary majority does not change that – in fact the centrists failed to gain a overall majority in the 2022 parliamentary elections too (although they remained the largest party). Since then, the government has limped on, managing to pass some legislation by using constitutional powers.

The constitution also offers no compulsion or even a suggestion that the president should resign if he fails to form a government.

In fact the current constitution (France has had five) gives a significant amount of power to the president at the expense of parliament – the president has the power to dissolve parliament (as Macron has demonstrated), to set policy on areas including defence and diplomacy and to bypass parliament entirely and force through legislation (through the tool known as Article 49.3). 

In fact there are only three reasons in the constitution that a president would finish their term of office early; resigning, dying in office or being the subject of impeachment proceedings.

Since 1958, only one president has resigned – Charles de Gaulle quit in 1969 after the failure of a referendum that he had backed. He died 18 months later, at the age of 79.  

OK, but is he likely to resign?

He says not. In an open letter to the French people published over the weekend, Macron wrote: “You can trust me to act until May 2027 as your president, protector at every moment of our republic, our values, respectful of pluralism and your choices, at your service and that of the nation.”

He insisted that the coming vote was “neither a presidential election, nor a vote of confidence in the president of the republic” but a response to “a single question: who should govern France?”

So it looks likely that Macron will stay put.

And he wouldn’t be the first French president to continue in office despite his party having failed to win a parliamentary majority – presidents François Mitterand and Jacques Chirac both served part of their term in office in a ‘cohabitation‘ – the term for when the president is forced to appoint an opposition politician as prime minister.

But should he resign?

The choice to call the snap elections was Macron’s decision, it seems he took the decision after discussing it just a few close advisers and it surprised and/or infuriated even senior people in his own party.

If the poll leads to political chaos then, many will blame Macron personally and there will be many people calling for his resignation (although that’s hardly new – Macron démission has been a regular cry from political opponents over the last seven years as he enacted policies that they didn’t like).

Regardless of the morality of dealing with the fallout of your own errors, there is also the practicality – if current polling is to be believed, none of the parties are set to achieve an overall majority and the likely result with be an extremely protracted and messy stalemate with unstable governments, fragile coalitions and caretaker prime ministers. It might make sense to have some stability at the top, even if that figure is extremely personally unpopular.

He may leave the country immediately after the result of the second round, however. Washington is hosting a NATO summit on July 9th-11th and a French president would normally attend that as a representative of a key NATO member. 

You can follow all the latest election news HERE or sign up to receive by email our bi-weekly election breakdown

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