Any person at least once in his life has encountered such a problem as cramps in the calves, which cause a lot of unpleasant sensations. Essentially, these are involuntary muscle contractions. They are accompanied by painful sensations, sometimes even in such an acute form that you cannot move. For some, cramps in the calves occur very rarely, while for others it is a regular occurrence.
The main reasons why cramps occur in the calves are:
If one of these symptoms appears, it is recommended to consult a neurologist.
It is in vain that many people think that seizures are not dangerous. After all, if this phenomenon is not cured in time, it can recur regularly. It is very important to establish the cause in order to prescribe the correct treatment.
Perhaps the body does not have enough potassium, magnesium and calcium. Then reconsider your diet, eat more cottage cheese, milk, vegetables and fruits.
To avoid being bothered by cramps in your calves, follow a few simple rules:
If cramps continue to bother you, do not delay visiting your doctor. He will advise you to get tested and undergo an examination. Sometimes the reason is quite serious illnesses. Remember that preventing a disease is much easier than treating it.
Cramps are a squeezing and sharp pain that most often occurs in the calf muscles and toes. Physiologically, this is a strong muscle contraction. Among the elderly population of the planet, seizures occur.
Acute pain that occurs in the calf muscles or other muscles, which appears suddenly and compresses the muscles - these are cramps, i.e. muscle contraction or spasm, sometimes contraction does not occur immediately.
Leg cramps are sudden spasms in the muscles. There is an opinion that if leg cramps occur, you need to quickly stand on your heels. Anyone who has experienced convulsions more than once understands perfectly well that this is not the case.
Dear readers, today we will talk about leg cramps, a very unpleasant, but quite common phenomenon. “My legs are cramping” - this situation is probably familiar to many, or you have heard about it from your relatives and close people. Cramps can take us by surprise at any time of the day, but cramps most often occur at night. We wake up from acute pain in the leg and feel such strong tension in the muscle that the leg literally feels like stone.
I still remember how my grandmother suffered from leg cramps. There were moments when I simply screamed in pain and I remember well the tube of Troxevasin ointment, which was always at hand. And my mother is now suffering from this. We also tried a lot of things to cope with the problem. Apparently, this is hereditary for us.
Cramps are caused by a sudden sharp spasm in any muscle, most often cramping the calves and muscles of the legs, but they can also occur in the thigh, foot, and toes. At a young age, these spasms occur quite rarely, although our children also face this problem (even in infancy). Most often, mature and elderly people are susceptible to seizures. It has also been noted that in the summer, cramps occur more often than in the cold season. But personally, I encountered this problem more often during the cold season.
So why do your legs cramp, what are the causes of leg cramps and how to deal with them? Is it possible to cope with such a problem, is it necessary to cope, and what should we all think about if you have leg cramps? Let's figure this out.
There are quite a few causes of seizures; they can be provoked by venous diseases or flat feet, when normal blood circulation in the lower extremities is disrupted. These could be old injuries or hypothermia of the legs, or there could be severe physical stress on the legs, during which a large amount of lactic acid can accumulate in the muscles, causing cramps.
But most often, the reasons need to be looked for much deeper; these are, as a rule, some kind of disease or serious changes in the composition of the blood. Varicose veins are often the cause of leg cramps.
Kidney failure, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, and various nervous disorders can lead to seizures. Reduced amounts of magnesium, calcium, potassium, B vitamins, vitamin D, A, E lead to leg cramps. These microelements and vitamins play an important role in the formation of nerve impulses and significantly affect muscle tone.
Let's take a closer look at the main causes of seizures and why there is a deficiency of certain elements in the body.
Perhaps the main element that influences the normal functioning of our muscles is magnesium. Lack of magnesium in the blood is the most common cause of cramping cramps in the legs. In turn, its deficiency in the body has several reasons:
If there is a deficiency of magnesium, it must be replenished with food; the daily share of magnesium for an adult is 300 mg. Most magnesium is found in buckwheat, nuts, pumpkin seeds, broccoli, all kinds of greens, dairy products, grapefruits and apples.
Lack of calcium in our body . The second most important microelement that affects muscle function is calcium. We all know about the importance of calcium for the proper functioning of the whole body; its deficiency can also provoke leg cramps.
Of the many reasons for calcium loss, several of the most common can be identified:
If there is a lack of calcium and magnesium in the body, you should not neglect vitamin and mineral complexes, which are balanced in composition and contain all the elements necessary for us; it is advisable to drink them in courses in winter or early spring.
The cause of leg cramps may be poor circulation in the extremities . As I already said, this can happen due to varicose veins or flat feet, but there are other reasons.
Sometimes cramps can occur in practically healthy people; in this case, as a rule, no treatment is required; you need to learn how to quickly relax a spasmed muscle and, of course, understand the reasons that provoke the occurrence of cramps.
If convulsions recur frequently, this indicates a problem in the body; you should definitely consult a doctor , undergo an examination to identify the root cause and undergo treatment.
In any case, the first thing you need to do is relieve the spasm, because the pain during a spasm can be simply unbearable. Here are some of the most common ways to get rid of leg cramps.
Recommendations on this problem can be seen above, but let’s note the main points again:
And if you have leg cramps, you must definitely find the reasons for this and try to eliminate them.
There are general recommendations for preventing leg cramps:
I invite you to also watch the video on this topic. Leg cramps. Causes and treatment. Doctors' recommendations.
The exercises are very simple. I highly recommend everyone to do it, take 5-10 minutes of your time, because there is nothing better than our daily work on ourselves in order to strengthen our legs. And there will be less swelling on the legs, and good prevention of varicose veins.
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I wish everyone good health. It is always better for all of us to take preventive measures to avoid problems such as leg cramps. And if they happen, then consult a doctor in time and, again, add simple gymnastics and all the tips that you read in this article to the treatment. I hope that the information was useful and interesting to you.
Many people wonder how to cure leg cramps at home. After all, this disease is very common. Its causes lie in poor nutrition, constant stress, and fatigue. Often, spontaneous muscle contractions indicate the presence of diabetes, lack of water in the body, and poor functioning of the veins. It is very important to undergo an examination to find out the true cause. As soon as it is eliminated, the cramps will go away, but for now you will have to deal with this problem on your own.
If your legs are seized by a cramp, then you need to immediately get a massage. It is necessary to quickly compress and unclench the muscle. As soon as it gets a little better, it is recommended to sit down and, grabbing your big toe, pull it towards you. This must be done until the muscle is completely relaxed. Ordinary salt relieves muscle spasms. As soon as they start, it is recommended to put the product on the tip of the tongue and hold it with your mouth open.
The cramps go away in literally 5 minutes, after which the salt can be removed.
If there are ice cubes in the refrigerator, it is recommended to rub your leg with them until the attack stops. When you can stand up, you should walk on the cold floor, or better yet, wet a cloth in cold water and apply it to the muscle. Soon the spasm should release from the leg. It is also recommended to pinch the muscle during an attack. Such actions will restore blood circulation, and the cramp will pass faster. Muscle spasms can be relieved in 1 minute by applying a magnet to the problem area.
Lemon juice will help cope with leg cramps. It is necessary to lubricate your feet with it twice a day. You need to wait until the product has completely dried, after which you can put on socks. The procedure must be completed for 2 weeks. After this, cramps will bother you much less often.
Bay leaves will help get rid of this problem. You will need to take 50 g of dry raw material, grind it and pour in 250 ml of unrefined sunflower oil. Then the container is removed for 12 days. After this time, the product is filtered. They need to rub their feet daily. The course of treatment is a month.
Yeast is a good remedy for cramps. You need to make a drink from them. To do this, you will need to pour boiling water over the rye bread crackers and leave them for 4 hours. Then the mass is filtered through cheesecloth and 10 g of yeast is added to the drink. After which it is left to ferment for 8 hours in a warm place. After this time, it must be put in the refrigerator. Drink 100 ml three times a day before meals. You can add a little sugar or honey to the drink. The course of treatment is a month. This remedy gives good results if the seizures were caused by a lack of calcium in the body.
You can prepare an ointment for leg spasms. You will need to mix 20 g of mustard with 10 ml of olive oil. This remedy should be rubbed on your leg during cramps. The ointment has warming properties, so the pain will go away quickly. You can also take an aspirin tablet. This drug restores blood microcirculation in the vessels of the legs.
Horseradish is an excellent folk remedy for this scourge. For treatment, you will need to take 200 g of fresh roots of this plant and grate it on a fine grater to make a paste. Add 500 ml of olive oil and 500 g of honey to it. All ingredients are thoroughly mixed and placed in the refrigerator for a day. The mixture is taken 30 g three times a day 20 minutes before meals.
You can also make compresses with horseradish. You will need to take a leaf of the plant, smear it with honey, sprinkle it with salt and apply it to the problem area.
Parchment paper is placed on top and everything is secured with an elastic cloth or bandage. It is recommended to apply the compress at night; in the morning, wash off the residue with warm water. After a week, the spasms should subside.
Celandine is a plant that helps with almost all diseases; it also gives good results in the treatment of seizures. You will need to squeeze the juice from the plant and mix it with Vaseline in a 2:1 ratio. This ointment is applied to areas where muscle spasms occur. The procedure should be carried out before bedtime. The course of treatment is 2 weeks.
Herbalists recommend rubbing muscles with tincture of yarrow and thyme. These components are taken in a 2:1 ratio. 30 g of raw material will need to be poured with 200 ml of vodka and left for 10 days, shaking the product from time to time. The infusion will help relieve pain and soothe muscles. They need to rub the areas that relieve cramps several times a day. After the procedure, you need to put on woolen tights or gaiters on your legs.
Traditional medicine recommends drinking an infusion of onion peels at night. To do this, take 10 g of raw material, pour 200 ml of boiling water and leave for 10 minutes. It has been noticed that after the first glass, cramps at night practically do not bother me. If you drink the infusion for a month, you will be completely cured. Moreover, this remedy also relieves headaches.
Adonis shows good results in the treatment of seizures. You will need to pour 10 g of raw material with 300 ml of water, leave for an hour and strain.
The infusion is taken 10 ml three times a day. The course of treatment is 10 days.
Chamomile is a reliable folk remedy against neuralgia. You will need to prepare an infusion of 10 g of herb and 400 ml of boiling water. The product should infuse for 40 minutes, after which it is filtered and taken an hour after meals during the day.
Herbal teas will help relieve leg cramps. You can try a recipe that includes the following herbs:
The ingredients are taken in equal proportions and mixed thoroughly. Then 100 g of raw material is poured into 200 ml of water, the container is placed on fire, brought to a boil and simmered for 15 minutes over low heat. Then the broth should sit for 30 minutes. The product needs to be poured into a bucket or basin, pour hot water into it and lower your feet. The duration of the bath is 20 minutes. The procedure must be done within 10 days. After this, cramps should not bother you.
For attacks, you can try making a compress with a decoction of the following herbs:
The components are taken in equal proportions and mixed. Then 10 g of the mixture is poured into 1 liter of boiling water and kept in a water bath for 10 minutes. After which the product is infused for half an hour and filtered. Then a bandage is moistened in it and applied to problem areas. You can remove it after 5 hours. It is recommended to do the procedure daily for a month.
When muscle spasms bother you almost every day, there is a high probability that there is not enough calcium in the body. To get rid of cramps, you need to make adjustments to your diet. It should contain more of the following products:
It is recommended to eat 25 g of honey daily. It contains calcium, which is easily absorbed by the body.
To make spasms bother you much less often, you need to get rid of smoking and alcohol. These are the main causes of seizures. It would be a good idea to go jogging in the morning. At first, their duration can be only 15 minutes, and later they can be increased to 1 hour. Before going to bed, it is recommended to take a bath or a contrast shower. Such simple actions will help you forget about the disease forever and regain your joy of life. When the pain is constant, it is better to consult a doctor so that he can prescribe medication. You cannot delay this, as the condition may worsen over time.
A cramp is manifested by involuntary contractions or excessive tension of one or more muscles. It happens in the calves, stomach, arms. Often my legs cramp at night. The cause of cramps is muscle fatigue, nervous tension, monotonous sedentary work, prolonged walking or swimming, dehydration, and various diseases.
With the clonic type of cramps, the muscles quickly contract and relax. The tonic variety is characterized by prolonged muscle tension.
Both varieties are accompanied by some infectious diseases, intoxication, poisoning, traumatic brain injury, neurosis, metabolic disorders, heart disease, blood disease, deficiency of vitamins and microelements.
If a cramp occurs quite often over a long period, you should consult a doctor to determine the cause.
Although the exact reasons why calf muscle cramps occur at night have not yet been clarified. They happen even in the absence of serious illness.
One of the possible reasons is considered to be dehydration . Moisture is lost in the summer heat, in a hot steam room, or during intense sports training. Sweating increases, the body loses a lot of fluid.
In the treatment of hypertension and heart failure, diuretics . They can also cause calf cramps at night, as the body loses the trace elements potassium, magnesium, sodium, necessary for proper contraction and relaxation of muscles and transmission of nerve impulses.
Another reason why leg cramps are considered to be an imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory signals entering the calf muscle, as well as an increased reflex to its contraction.
This happens when the formation of adenosine triphosphoric acid ( ATP ) decreases, causing metabolic processes within the slow muscles of the lower extremities to worsen and their ability to relax to decrease.
Metabolic processes slow down with changes in blood viscosity, vascular pathology, muscle fatigue, which increases the reflex to contraction, one of the causes of leg cramps. This happens when performing quite ordinary work in a state of fatigue.
Involuntary muscle contractions are provoked by various factors: increased body temperature, stress, calcium deficiency.
Febrile convulsions occur when the temperature rises to high values of +38..+39C, as a rule, with infectious diseases. The cause is poisoning of the body with waste products of microbes.
The cause of affective-respiratory convulsions is severe stress. Under the influence of adrenaline, breathing quickens, which leads to a decrease in carbon dioxide levels and convulsive muscle contractions.
A common cause of cramping of the muscles in the calves is clubfoot , when the heel tilts inward and causes curvature in the ankle joint. The defect is especially noticeable in high-heeled shoes.
Over time, the legs begin to quickly get tired, they feel heaviness, the calves and knees hurt, and the veins of the feet and legs become dilated. At night, my legs go numb, cold, and cramps occur. “Spurs” may form and posture may worsen.
With polyneuritis the nerves are affected. The cause is viral diseases, intoxication, hypovitaminosis, metabolic disorders in diabetes mellitus.
The disease is accompanied by nighttime leg cramps, tingling, goosebumps, and sometimes numbness are felt on the skin.
The head hurts or feels dizzy, hearing decreases, discomfort is felt in the cardiac region, and irritability increases.
With varicose veins, veins expand, reaching a significant diameter. The disease occurs when the venous valves weaken, causing the blood to stagnate excessively and stretch the walls of the veins.
A common cause is a sedentary lifestyle, hereditary predisposition, slagging of the body, causing weakening of the walls, reduced fluid circulation due to excess weight or pregnancy, a consequence of hormonal changes, taking birth control pills, prolonged daily standing.
The calves swell, causing night cramps. The skin may peel off from your legs, they hurt, itch, and you constantly feel tired.
To stimulate circulation and prevent night cramps, it is worth giving your legs physical activity and taking walks. Special elastic stockings shown. It is worth giving up a tight belt or belt, getting rid of the habit of sitting cross-legged, since in this position the outflow of venous blood worsens.
Stagnation of blood with varicose veins can cause thrombophlebitis , inflammation of the vein wall and its complete blockage. Often this complication of varicose veins, causing destruction of the venous valves, occurs during pregnancy.
The body is rebuilt, the outflow of blood is disrupted due to compression of the venous plexuses by the uterus. Under the influence of hormones, the walls of the veins soften and are damaged by sudden changes in pressure inside the vessels during labor.
The cause of leg cramps during pregnancy is venous insufficiency. In the evening, the feet and legs swell, the calf muscles feel heaviness, and convulsive contractions occur at night. If the veins are accidentally injured, a bruise will form. In the later stages, the veins of the lower legs, thighs, and perineum expand, which can cause heavy bleeding during childbirth.
The parathyroid glands are located near the neck in close proximity to the thyroid gland. They regulate phosphoric acid metabolism in the body. Sometimes the lack of function is caused by their damage during surgery on the thyroid gland.
Signs of hypoparathyroidism are manifested by muscle spasms, including respiratory muscles, cramps of the feet, and fingers. The stomach hurts, the stool is loose, and sometimes allergies appear. Everything around you begins to irritate you for no reason, nervous breakdowns occur, and sleep deteriorates.
The cause of painful, repeated cramps in the calf muscles is a lack of calcium caused by hypoparathyroidism.
Calcium is found in milk powder, cheese, soy, nuts, cabbage, parsley, cream, yogurt, beans, and cottage cheese. The daily requirement is 1000-1500 mcg. Deficiency is manifested by brittle nails, decreased resistance to disease, deterioration of memory, and blood clotting.
Calcium is especially necessary for dieters, during pregnancy, and during teenage development.
If the cause of seizures is associated with hypoparathyroidism, treatment requires vitamin D, which promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, regulating the exchange of these elements.
Vitamin D is rich in fish oil, cod liver, herring, tuna, cheese, cottage cheese.
With a sedentary lifestyle, constipation, and heavy lifting, the veins of the rectum expand and become pinched. The disease develops when there is a deficiency in the diet of magnesium, vitamins C, K, and P.
If pain or bleeding occurs during bowel movements, leg cramps, or bruises on the body, it is necessary to eliminate magnesium deficiency.
Magnesium is found in wheat bran, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, nuts, soybeans, and lentils.
Fresh vegetables and fruits, tomatoes, sweet peppers, dill, sorrel, lemons, oranges, black currants are rich in vitamin C.
Vitamin K is found in green plants, liver, walnuts, and cabbage. In addition, it is produced by intestinal microflora. If enough dietary fiber is supplied through the diet, the walls are not contaminated and the balance is not disturbed, the body receives a sufficient amount of vitamin K.
Vitamin P is found in rose hips, red capsicums, oranges, grapes, and black currants.
With insufficient intake of vitamin B1 ( thiamine ), depression becomes more frequent, fatigue increases, memory deteriorates, and leg cramps occur. The cause of deficiency is diet abuse and diabetes.
Cereals, legumes, and potatoes help eliminate the lack of vitamin B1.
Vitamin B6 ( pyridoxine deficiency causes leg cramps, loss of appetite, and muscular dystrophy. Contained in cereals, legumes, bran, wholemeal flour, milk, meat, fish, brewer's yeast.
To treat nighttime leg cramps, you should take vitamin E (tocopherol) . The recommended daily intake is 10-20IU; for medicinal purposes it is increased.
Taking vitamin E eliminates circulatory problems in the lower extremities - the cause of cramps, helps in the fight against fungal diseases, is good for the eyes, adds energy and attractiveness.
To prevent cramps in your legs at night, regardless of the causes of convulsive contractions of the lower extremities, it is useful to do simple exercises before going to bed.
To stretch the lower leg muscles, place the front of your feet on a small ledge (a low stack of magazines) and hold onto a table or chair:
When a cramp approaches, pull your socks toward you to stretch and relax your calves.
What to do if your leg still cramps? Stand up, move your flattened leg back, place your toes on the floor and gently apply pressure with your body weight to relax your calf.
If your calves are cramped, formulations based on Potentilla anserinosa :
The condition of cramping the calves is familiar to many. Seizures occur in people regardless of age and gender. They can occur in children and adolescents, men and women. Convulsive contraction of the muscle causes severe pain, which may persist for some time after relaxation. The cramp itself lasts a short time - from a few seconds to a minute, but can cause serious trouble to a person. After all, cramps in the leg most often occur in sleep, when the muscles are as relaxed as possible, or, conversely, with severe overexertion - during sports.
Scientists have long studied the question of why the calves cramp. They determined that the cause of this condition may not only be external factors. Muscle contraction occurs due to the transmission of nerve impulses from the brain. Magnesium, potassium and calcium salts are involved in this process. These and some other microelements are very important for normal muscle function. Therefore, before starting treatment for frequent seizures, it is necessary to find out the causes of this condition.
Convulsive muscle contractions can vary in intensity, duration and frequency. In most cases, it does not require special treatment, since it occurs periodically and does not disrupt the normal course of a person’s life. Cramps most often occur at night or in the morning, when the muscles are as relaxed as possible and blood circulation is slow. This is due to insufficient supply of nutrients. If a muscle lacks certain microelements, its functions may be impaired. This may be due to iron deficiency anemia or low blood glucose levels.
But most often the cause of cramps is a lack of magnesium, potassium or calcium. Now more and more people are suffering from this, because modern food is poor in microelements. In addition, they are actively lost along with the liquid. For example, when a person sweats profusely in the summer or when playing sports. Many minerals are released when using diuretics, vomiting or diarrhea. It is for this reason that the calf muscles most often cramp during pregnancy.
A lack of mineral salts can occur with excessive consumption of alcohol, caffeine-containing drinks, and smoking. This can also happen in people who don’t drink enough water. The absorption of calcium and magnesium slows down with excessive consumption of sugar, a high-protein diet, and taking certain medications.
Often cramps in the calves also occur when muscles are overstrained. This can happen when running or intense training, if you do not warm up first. An increased load on the calves is also observed with excess weight. Women suffer from cramps due to wearing high heels. If the calf muscle is in an unnatural position for a long time, then there may be cramps at night or in the morning. Many people experience this phenomenon during hypothermia. This can happen in cold water or in the cold.
Athletes often suffer from cramps due to severe muscle strain.
But it happens that cramps appear frequently - more than once a month. In this case, it is necessary to undergo an examination, as they can be a symptom of serious diseases. Therefore, it is necessary, first of all, to treat them, then the cramps will disappear by themselves. Every person needs to know why the calf muscle cramps. Most often this occurs due to circulatory problems. Atherosclerosis, thrombophlebitis, obliterating endarteritis and other diseases that lead to insufficient blood supply to the lower extremities can cause seizures.
Cramps in calves often with varicose veins. Violation of the venous outflow of blood from the lower extremities causes convulsions. In this case, swelling, fatigue in the legs, and heaviness in the muscles will still be observed. For this disease, it is advisable to undergo special treatment from a doctor. It will help prevent seizures.
The muscle can also contract with flat feet. This pathology leads to improper load distribution. Therefore, the calves experience overstrain. Convulsions also appear with increased body temperature, diabetes, cerebrovascular accidents, brain tumors, as well as stress and neuroses.
Older people after 60 years of age often experience this phenomenon due to natural shortening of tendons and other age-related changes.
When this condition often bothers you, you need to find out why your calves are cramping. Diet and lifestyle changes can prevent new seizures and reduce their frequency and intensity. But in cases where the muscle is severely cramped, emergency measures can help. Different methods help each person, so you need to try everything and choose the most convenient and effective one. First aid for a seizure may be as follows:
The most effective way to deal with a cramp is to pull your big toe towards you.
To prevent cramps from occurring or at least make them less painful, it is recommended to perform exercises to strengthen and stretch the calf muscles. It is useful to walk on your heels, on your toes, and perform heel-to-toe rolls.
This exercise is good for relaxing your muscles: stand near a wall and rest your hands on it. Place one leg back and slowly squat on the other, feeling the calf muscle stretch.
It is also useful to do stretching exercises while sitting on the floor. To do this, you can take a towel and use it to hook your leg behind your foot. Pulling the towel towards you will stretch the calf muscle.
Regular calf massage and stretching exercises will help prevent cramps.
To prevent convulsive muscle contractions, you need to follow simple rules. In addition, it is advisable to get examined by a doctor to find out what is causing the cramps. The most commonly recommended preventive measures are:
Only with careful attention to your health can you reduce the frequency of seizures or completely get rid of them. With this problem, an integrated approach and following the doctor’s recommendations are very important.
Leg cramps are acute, unbearable pain in the calves that occur suddenly. There is no need to be particularly alarmed if leg cramps are episodic. But many people suffer from frequent, spontaneous or nighttime leg cramps. Statistics say that more than 75% of the world's inhabitants suffer from leg cramps. For some they happen rarely, for others often. Very often, cramps are accompanied by severe pain.
There are many causes of cramps - varicose veins, calcium deficiency, and flat feet.
The cause of leg cramps at night is a slowdown in a person’s blood circulation during sleep; as a result, with a deficiency of certain microelements, their delivery to the leg muscles is reduced, and as a result, leg cramps occur. To identify a deficiency of these microelements, it is necessary to conduct special tests that will either confirm or refute this deficiency.
The most serious causes of seizures can be hidden injuries, brain tumors, epilepsy, spasmophilia, eclampsia, neurological diseases, severe infectious or inflammatory processes. If you suspect these diseases, you should consult with doctors such as a neurologist, phlebologist and endocrinologist. After treatment of the underlying disease, seizures usually go away.
If the cramps have become chronic, and they were preceded by a long period of pain in the legs, swelling and a feeling of heaviness, then this may signal the development of varicose veins.
In addition, cramps can be provoked by flat feet or a lack of microelements such as potassium and calcium in the body. To prevent their deficiency, it is necessary to regularly include in your diet foods high in calcium - legumes, hard cheeses, cottage cheese, as well as bananas, dried apricots and apples, which contain a large amount of potassium. If the lack of microelements is much higher than the norm, you need to take vitamin preparations twice a year, in courses.
Leg cramps in pregnant women are caused by a sudden contraction of the calf muscles located on the back of the lower leg. Areas of local muscle spasm appear in the form of compactions. Cramps are accompanied by painful sensations in the muscles and the inability to force the outstretched toe of the foot towards oneself by force of will. More often, this condition occurs in the evening or at night while lying down. At the cellular level, this process is associated with an increase in the excitability of muscle cells, due to which muscle contraction occurs.
Leg cramps are extremely painful. They do not last long, but can be repeated at short intervals. Painful cramps occur at any age, although older people complain of them more often. As a rule, cramps occur at night, in a warm place, when you are sleeping. All these conditions contribute to rapid and intense muscle shortening.
In order to relieve the pain of cramps, you can pinch the sore spot several times, rub your leg with warming ointment, or do a massage. Regular massage is an excellent preventive measure against seizures.
Traditional medicine also offers several methods to overcome this disease. So, during attacks of convulsions, you can rub the sore spot with mustard oil. As a preventive measure, you can wipe the soles of your feet with lemon juice in the morning and evening, letting it dry and only then putting on socks or shoes. This treatment should be carried out for two weeks, then a long break is taken.
There are several exercises that can significantly reduce the occurrence of leg cramps.
1. Lie on your back with your arms extended along your torso and legs straight. Without lifting your heel off the bed, extend your left leg as far as possible, pulling your toes towards you. After 5 seconds, relax your leg and perform the movement with your right leg, and then with both legs at once. Repeat 5 times.
2. Rise up on your toes so that your heels are high off the floor, and sharply lower them to the floor. Do it 10 times.
3. Stand on your heels, curl your toes and try to maintain your balance in this position for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
4. While sitting or standing, place your feet crosswise and rest on their outer edges. Stay in this position for 10 seconds. Do it 5 times.
5. Curl and straighten your toes very slowly for 3 minutes.
6. Sit on the floor, stretch your legs in front of you and perform slow rotations with your feet. Do the exercise for 3 minutes.
There are probably not many people who have not experienced leg cramps at least once in their lives. There is a night cramp in the legs or during swimming, with a sharp change in temperature, during physical exertion, it happens that the toes, the entire foot or the calf muscle cramp.
In this article we will look at how to treat leg cramps using various traditional medicines at home. But first, let’s find out why my legs cramp for no apparent reason or any external influence.
The most common leg cramp is the night one. Most often it occurs due to an uncomfortable position of the legs during sleep or severe compression of muscles and nerves. But also, with regular reduction of the lower extremities, the causes may be various diseases. These include:
1. Lack of vitamin D, calcium and potassium in the body.
2. Stress – any emotional and physical stress affects our body.
3. Dehydration and increased sweating - especially important during the heat.
4. Excess protein in the body.
What to do if you have severe leg cramps? First of all, don't panic. The first aid for leg cramps is to stretch the calf muscles. Reach towards your toes and pull the front of your foot firmly towards you, but without jerking. If you can’t reach it, use a robe belt or a towel. If there is nothing suitable at hand, then it will only help if you stand on the sore leg with all your weight with the foot arched upward.
After this manipulation, you should let go a little. Then you should do a gentle massage, starting from the toes up to the thigh. You can massage, pat, stroke, pinch - this should completely relieve the pain. After such a massage, you can go to bed and put your feet on a raised platform to drain the blood.
1. For varicose veins, atherosclerosis and poor circulation, lemon juice, which has a vascular strengthening effect, helps well against cramps. For two weeks, morning and evening, lubricate the soles of your feet with lemon juice, let it absorb, then put on socks.
2. What to do if your toes cramp? Take advantage of a Japanese massage. Take a round stick about 30cm long and 2cm in diameter and tap it on the balls of your toes right at the base of your toes. You need to knock 2 times a day, 100 times. If you do this massage daily, you will soon forget about cramps forever.
3. As soon as you feel a cramp in your leg, immediately lubricate the area with mustard oil - it has a warming property and restores blood circulation in the limb.
4. An infusion of meadow cress helps well in treating leg cramps. In the evening, pour 2 tablespoons of meadow cress into a thermos with two glasses of boiling water. The next day, strain the infusion and drink it in 4 doses.
A good folk remedy for treating leg cramps is evening baths.
• In the evening, make yourself such a bath - pour half a glass of baking soda and a quarter glass of ginger into a bowl of hot water, stir and steam your feet for 15 minutes.
• Steam birch leaves with boiling water directly in a basin, when it cools down to an acceptable temperature, hold your feet there. By the way, birch leaves, due to their anticonvulsant effect, are also used dry: in night pajamas, trousers are stuffed with dry leaves around the legs and sleep like that.
• If you have a cramp, lower your leg into a basin of warm salt water (2 tablespoons per liter of water).
• In the morning, pour 1 tablespoon of tansy baskets into a thermos with one glass of boiling water. In the evening, pour the infusion into a bowl, add warm water and soak your feet for 20 minutes. You need to be treated daily for 10 days.
• Pour a good bunch of wormwood into 5 liters of water and bring to a boil. When it cools down to 60 degrees, pour it into a bowl along with the grass and soak your feet in it for 20 minutes. Just 5 - 7 such daily baths bring noticeable results.
When dealing with cramps, it is very important to include foods containing calcium and magnesium in your diet and limit salt intake to a minimum. Be sure to include fish oil, cottage cheese, cheese, beans, and leafy greens into your diet. There is a lot of calcium in eggshells (quail shells have more than chicken shells). It is cleared of films, calcined in a frying pan, crushed into powder and eaten every morning, 3 grams (on the tip of a knife).
Be sure to wear comfortable shoes, give up high heels, quit smoking, limit the amount of coffee you drink and the amount of sugar you eat. Since frequent leg cramps may precede any disease, it is advisable to coordinate any treatment with a qualified physician.