What causes cramps in toes

Why do leg cramps occur, and what to do in this case?

Leg cramps occur at any age, but they are most annoying to people over the age of 50. Cramps are involuntary contractions of the striated muscles of the legs, which can be caused by various reasons. Contractions of skeletal muscles are paroxysmal in nature and are often unbearably painful.

Numerous causes of muscle spasms are well studied by medicine, are easily corrected, and quickly treated. If you constantly suffer from contractions of your limbs, then be sure to consult a doctor who will help you solve this problem.

In this article we will look at why the legs cramp, especially at night, over the age of 50. What is the cause of this unpleasant symptom, and what should be done at home so that the cramps no longer bother you.

What are the reasons for leg cramps?

The reasons why leg muscle cramps develop at night lie in disturbances in the electrolyte balance of muscle cells, inadequate blood supply to soft tissues, or neurological problems.

These three groups of causes can occur either in isolation or in various combinations, accompanying congenital anomalies or acquired diseases. In this case, it is not so important what the patient’s age is, since the mechanisms of development of myoclonus are almost identical for children, adults and the elderly (including those over 50).

Muscle overstrain (for example, during prolonged work in the garden near the beds or professional cramps of the arm muscles in pornographers or, say, musicians);

A sharp increase in temperature leads to hyperthermic convulsions. This condition can occur with heat, sunstroke, as well as with diseases accompanied by an increase in temperature.

Dehydration of the body. With active sweating, there is a significant loss of microelements that ensure healthy muscle function. Therefore, it is so important to drink up to 2.5 liters of water per day, especially during the hot summer season and during active sports.

One of the reasons why your legs cramp at night may be the beginning of varicose veins. Other symptoms of this pathology are swelling, heaviness in the legs, and fatigue.

Infectious damage to the nervous system is also a fairly common cause of leg cramps. Such damage can occur with influenza, as well as with other infections.

Stress. During emotional stress or a nervous breakdown, an intense load occurs on the entire human body, primarily on the nerve endings responsible for contracting the muscles of the body. An excess of the stress hormone (cortisol) leads to an imbalance of micro- and macroelements, leading to a lack of calcium in the body, which is necessary for healthy functioning, muscle tension and relaxation.

Violations of the biochemical or electrolyte composition of the blood (loss of calcium, potassium, magnesium salts, lack of vitamin D).

A lack of vitamins and minerals can be caused by:

Stressful condition, in which cortisol is produced in large quantities (it impairs the absorption of calcium in the intestines and promotes its excretion in the urine);

Long-term use of medications that impede the absorption and further absorption of magnesium in the body. A similar effect is caused by the antacids Maalox and Almagel, which are used for heartburn. Their action is to coat the gastric mucosa to protect against the aggressive effects of hydrochloric acid. At the same time, the absorption of microelements and vitamins slows down. Eufillin and insulin remove magnesium from cells.

Consumption of proteins in large quantities (glucose is absorbed not from carbohydrates, but from the body’s fat reserves, which is why ketones appear in the blood, which contribute to the excretion of calcium in the urine);

Pregnancy of a woman due to non-compliance with a balanced diet (lack of calcium, magnesium);

Long-term lack of exposure to sunlight on the body (lack of vitamin D, leading to deterioration in calcium absorption) - residents of northern latitudes are susceptible to this;

Increased sweating, which leads to the excretion of magnesium along with sweat, resulting in a deficiency of this microelement in the body.

Secondary seizures are more dangerous, since their appearance at night can be associated with a wide variety of diseases. These include diabetes, disorders of the central nervous system and thyroid gland, varicose veins, as well as some infectious diseases.

Very often they bother pregnant women, whose weight increases, which leads to increased stress on the leg muscles. We also note that the cause can also be poisoning with drugs, lead, or mercury.

My legs cramp at night, why and what to do?

If your leg cramps at night, you need to take several measures to help eliminate the cramp. First you need to stand with the affected leg on something cold. In this case, you should try to pull the toe forward as much as possible. Then you can try to squat slightly, leaning mainly on the leg that was cramped. The spasm is relieved by lightly massaging the affected area.

It is also advised to strongly pinch the tense muscle or lightly prick it with a sharp object, such as a needle or pin, and the spasm should stop. To prevent relapse, apply warming ointment to the sore spot or rub with alcohol.

Treatment of leg cramps

The main condition for successful treatment is determining the cause of seizures. To find out why your legs cramp at night, your doctor may prescribe a blood test for magnesium and calcium levels, neuromyography, and other examinations.

impact on the cause (treatment of varicose veins, correction of flat feet, sedative therapy for stress);

a diet rich in vitamins and microelements.

If your leg cramps at home, you need to massage it, rub the muscles thoroughly, stand up, and walk around. If muscle cramps bother you at night, it is better to sleep in warm socks or knee socks. To relieve pain, use any “burning” ointment, for example finalgon.

When the cause of cramps is a lack of vitamins, reconsider your diet. It is important to eat foods rich in magnesium, calcium, vitamins D, B6, and so on. Therefore, it is useful to enjoy bran, dried apricots, raisins, fish, bananas, and peanuts. Eat dairy products every day - cottage cheese, hard cheese, drink milk.

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:

Press your heels to the floor and stand for 10-20 seconds.

Repeat the exercise with your toes together and your heels apart.

Repeat the exercise, but now toes apart, heels together.

After a working day, try to relieve accumulated stress with the following exercises:

Slowly bend your toes down and then quickly straighten them.

Walk on the outside and inside of your feet.

Sit on a bench, raise your feet and “write” the numbers 1 to 10.

And one more exercise option:

Sitting, bend your legs and pull your toes towards you for 8-12 seconds, stretching the calf muscle. Repeat 3-6 times with a break of 5-10 seconds.

Standing, we rise on our tiptoes, stretch our arms up, and breathe deeply. Then lower your heels to the floor. Repeat 3-6 times with a break of 5-10 seconds.

Standing, bend your torso and reach your toes with your hands, without lifting your heels from the floor, stretching your calf muscles. Repeat 3-6 times with a break of 5-10 seconds.

During heavy physical work, when you have to stand on your feet for a long time, find an opportunity to rest for 5-10 minutes: sit down or take a lying position with your legs elevated. At the same time, you can do the listed exercises.

To prevent leg cramps from bothering you, you should adhere to the following prevention measures:

Wear only comfortable shoes with low heels - this will prevent not only cramps, but also varicose veins;

Avoid physical activity that involves standing for long periods of time or walking for long periods of time.

Reduce coffee and sugar consumption to a minimum, especially before bedtime;

Stop smoking.

Every day, in the evenings, contrast baths, as well as baths with sea salt and decoctions of medicinal herbs that have

anticonvulsant effect (horsetail, peppermint, valerian).

It is also very important to eat right and get enough vitamins and minerals. Lack of potassium in the body can cause cramps in the calves and feet. Dehydration can also cause cramps. The body needs water and other fluids, especially those that provide electrolytes.

Vitamin D is also important for healthy feet and bones. Smoking and drinking alcohol can lead to dehydration.

Cramps: why cramps in legs, arms and other muscles, night and day, normal and connection with diseases

Basically, they come at night, in a dream, although they always wake a person up and make him writhe in pain. “Writhing” is what old people would call a phenomenon when legs, arms or other parts of the body cramp. Nowadays such a word is no longer in use, and contractions of muscle fibers that do not depend on the will of a person have their own names (convulsions, spasms) or are simply expressed: a leg (arm) cramped.

Cramps often appear as symptoms of a certain pathology, that is, they always have a reason and, depending on it, cramps can be rare, frequent, constant, affect one muscle or a whole group, occur in skeletal muscles or prefer smooth muscles...

Cramps are not only a sudden contraction of the calf muscle, which can numb a person when swimming in a cold body of water, or a convulsive contraction of the muscles of the entire body, characteristic of an epileptic seizure.

The types of seizures are diverse and they differ in many ways:

Depending on which muscles are affected: smooth or striated;

Are the seizures epileptic or have a different pathogenesis;

Based on the reason;

Taking into account the time of muscle tension and the nature of the convulsive attack.

We will not go into the details of such a serious disease as epilepsy, a description of which is already on our website, but will consider the topic: seizures, which are manifestations of lifestyle or symptoms of another disease.

For those who have forgotten what a cramp is, we remind you of its symptoms:

A muscle, suddenly frozen in one position, hard as stone, protrudes above the surface of the body;

Often the pain is so severe that the person is unable to suppress a cry;

The duration of a convulsive attack varies: from a minute to a quarter of an hour.

Pain in a muscle is explained as follows: as soon as continuous contractions begin in it, which cannot be stopped by force of will, the muscle tissue ceases to receive oxygen and nutrients in sufficient quantities, that is, it experiences starvation. In addition, during a short period of intense work, muscle tissue releases a significant amount of waste products, which, if in excess, negatively affect nerve endings. Irritation of nerve endings during a spasm is the sensation of pain by a person whose leg, arm, or jaw have been cramped by a spasm.

The main causes of sudden muscle contractions

There is always an explanation for such behavior of the muscular system, which, however, is not always easy to find (you need to see a doctor, take tests, undergo an examination).

If we briefly touch on the main causes of involuntary muscle contractions, they can be characterized as follows:

The aforementioned epilepsy is most often associated with seizures;

Severe convulsions are characteristic of such a fatal disease as tetanus (opisthotonus);

Convulsive attacks can form as a result of neurotic conditions (hysterical neurosis, psychogenic convulsions);

Involuntary muscle contraction is observed in case of poisoning with poisons of organic and inorganic origin;

Severe muscle tension can be caused by a deficiency or excess of certain microelements (potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium), resulting from insufficient intake into the body or metabolic disorders, as well as a lack of vitamins;

Malfunction of the endocrine system.

Of course, it is not easy to list all the factors that can lead to such unpleasant sensations. A seizure as a symptom can accompany diseases that are completely unrelated in nature. But due to the fact that readers are more interested in cramps that cramp the limbs than spasms of smooth muscle fibers that cause pain inside the body, our further narrative will be devoted to this particular problem (causes of cramps in the legs and other parts of the musculoskeletal system, their symptoms and treatment ). In addition, seizures in children are of particular concern to adults; they also cannot be ignored.

Video: specialist on the causes and treatment of seizures

Convulsive contractions are more disturbing at night, to which the position predisposes: the sleeper lies on his side, his knees are slightly bent, his feet are relaxed and slightly turned down - in this position, the calf muscle shortens and is ready to spasm. More often, convulsive contractions of the muscles of the lower extremities are observed in athletes who force their legs to work very actively during the day, and in elderly people suffering from circulatory disorders in the vessels of the extremities. Quite often, involuntary twitching and shuddering are observed with fever in a young child (usually under 6 years of age).

The causes of cramps in the legs and arms can be due to the behavior or lifestyle of the person himself:

Professional activity: It is known that people who stand all day behind a counter or operating table, carrying loads or checking tickets for passengers often experience night cramps.

Heavy smokers suffer from muscle spasms 5 times more often than those who cannot stand cigarettes. By the way, alcohol and coffee are also among the causes of leg cramps.

After spending a day running around or taking a quick walk of a couple of kilometers, I got a cramp in my calf muscle at night. Night cramps often result from simply hard physical work that a person does on his own initiative during the day (digging up a garden, moving furniture). You need to make sure that only one muscle group is not tense; if possible, work and relaxation should alternate.

Swimming in a cool pond in hot weather, unfortunately, can bring not only a lot of positive emotions; many tragic cases are recorded every year - severe cramps pulled a person to the bottom. By the way, swimming in the pool also does not exclude the occurrence of sudden muscle spasms; swimmers probably know about this. The reason why the leg cramps, making it impossible to move in the water, is the temperature difference : the heated muscular system, having found itself in unexpected conditions, contracts.

It cramps the legs and arms when dehydrated (increased sweating and lack of fluid), so in hot weather you need to provide yourself with water in full, especially for people actively involved in sports, working in the fields and those who like to explore hot tropical latitudes.

Psycho-emotional stress and stressful conditions can remind of themselves even in a dream, when it would seem that the patient has calmed down. This stress hormone cortisol “tried” - its excess amount in the body led to the redistribution of calcium necessary for the normal functioning of the muscular system.

Spasms of the muscle fibers of the foot can be a consequence of existing flat feet in combination with excessive load on the ankle joint, as well as the result of wearing tight, uncomfortable shoes.

It causes cramps during sleep and not only with uncontrolled use of medications (for example, certain groups of diuretics, statins, antibiotics and other drugs that remove or redistribute microelements in the body), therefore therapy with certain medications requires mandatory control over the biochemical composition of the blood.

Healthy people who do not overload themselves with unnecessary activities, who avoid stress and extreme situations, suddenly notice that cramps have begun in the muscles of the lower leg, foot, fingers... No, no, and at night, for no apparent reason, a spasm will occur, leaving a painful sensation in the morning. First of all, you should think about whether the body has enough magnesium and other microelements and, of course, reconsider the diet: perhaps fasting or insufficient intake for other reasons of calcium, magnesium, sodium and vitamins that ensure the normal functioning of muscle fibers has led to this? Hypomagnesemia often manifests itself as cramps and pain in the muscles of the neck, back, limbs, and tingling in the fingertips. A lack of vitamins A, B, D, E affects muscle contractility, which must be kept in mind when cramps occur in the legs.

Quick help and simple treatment

This kind of muscle contraction most likely will not require special treatment, however, the pain will not be tolerated for long, so we can recommend several ways to deal with such unexpectedness:

• Try massaging the “frozen” muscle or hitting it;
• You can eliminate the spasm by pricking the tense area with a needle;
• When contracting the calf muscle and/or muscle fibers of the foot, sit down, reach your big toes with your hand and pull them towards you;
• You can relieve tension in the calf muscle like this: vertical position, legs touching at the knees, the sore limb resting on the heel, hands trying to reach the toes;
• If a cramp cramps the muscles of the front surface of the thigh, take a vertical position, bend the knee of the sore leg, grab the foot with your hand and pull it in the direction of the buttocks.

Other measures aimed at preventing spasms during sleep or during the day should primarily include:

1. A diet enriched with microelements and vitamins (blood biochemistry will show what is missing);
2. Elimination of harmful addictions (alcohol, smoking, strong coffee and other tonic drinks);
3. Adequate fluid intake;
4. Physical exercise to improve blood circulation and relax skeletal muscles;
5. To prevent night cramps, it is good to take a rule: an evening warm shower or bath with aromatic oils that relax the muscles.

If the measures listed above do not seem enough, you can purchase a special vitamin complex with microelements (always including magnesium) at the pharmacy and take it. It should be borne in mind that even in the absence of magnesium deficiency in the patient’s body, drugs containing Mg will not interfere for the simple reason that, passing between nerve fibers, this chemical element reduces neuromuscular excitability. In a word, use magnesium supplements – you won’t go wrong.

Cramps are a symptom of the disease

Cramps in arms, legs and other parts of the body, often due to some illness. Especially, night cramps are typical for people who have accumulated various chronic pathologies over their lives, which is why involuntary muscle tension is observed to a greater extent in the elderly. Convulsive contractions of certain muscles or an entire group can be a consequence of many pathological conditions:

• Daytime and nighttime cramps that occur in various parts of the body’s muscles often accompany liver damage (hepatitis, cirrhosis);
• Along with other symptoms (fever, dehydration, intoxication), the whole body cramps in case of severe poisoning ;
• The cause of leg cramps may be diabetes mellitus (diabetic angiopathy);
• Cramps in the legs at night in people with varicose veins of the lower extremities ;
• Severe convulsions are observed with thrombophlebitis ;
• The lumbosacral form of ALS ( amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ) at the beginning of its development is manifested by weakness of the muscles of the lower extremities and the occurrence of cramps in them; with the cervicothoracic variant of motor neuron disease, the arms cramp, and muscular atrophy of the fingers occurs;
• Spasms of muscle fibers can be caused by a decrease in hemoglobin levels ( anemia ), which cannot sufficiently supply the tissues with oxygen;
• In the early postoperative period, the occurrence of a convulsive attack is also due to the low concentration of oxygen in the tissues;
• Leg cramps are also characteristic of vascular diseases of the lower extremities such as atherosclerosis and obliterating endarteritis ;
• Twitching and spasms occur when there is a hormonal imbalance ( increased production of thyroid hormones );
• The cause of leg cramps can be chronic heart failure (blood stagnation, lack of nutrition of the muscular system of the lower extremities).
• Involuntary twitching (tics) is characteristic of some (fortunately rare) genetic abnormalities (mutation of genes that control the synthesis of some contractile protein).

Due to the fact that seizures are only one of the symptoms of the listed, sometimes quite severe, pathological conditions, treatment will be reduced to correcting the underlying disease.

For muscle spasms, of course, anticonvulsants are used, for example, derivatives of valproic acid (Depakine, Convulex) and dibenzazepine (Finlepsin), barbiturates (phenobarbital), benzadiazepines (Phenazepam), but they are not freely sold in pharmacies, their prescription must be justified, and this is up to the attending physician. Magnesium sulfate helps with convulsions, but it must be administered intramuscularly or intravenously, which is also not recommended. But preparations containing magnesium and other microelements (Orthocalcium + magnesium), and vitamin complexes (Ortho Taurine Ergo) can be very useful in these cases.

Convulsions in a child: with fever and other reasons

Seizures occur more frequently in children compared to the adult population. The immature nervous system of a young child can react in a similar way to any irritants, which are primarily acute and chronic diseases:

• Infections affecting the nervous system;
• Injuries of various locations, but especially craniocerebral;
• Increased intracranial pressure (dropsy, hydrocephalus);
• Cystic formations and brain tumors, compressing the cerebrospinal fluid pathways and blood vessels;
• Various genetic pathologies;
• Endocrine disorders;
• Electrolyte shift (potassium deficiency, sodium deficiency or excess, etc.);
• Poisoning;
• Feverish conditions;
• Hysterical attacks in order to get the desired result in any way (even rolling on the floor);
• Convulsive variant of fainting;
• Epileptic seizures are included in a separate group, but established epilepsy constitutes a small proportion in the general population (no more than 1%).

Meanwhile, despite the variety of factors that stimulate increased convulsive readiness, in most cases they have a common basis: impaired blood supply to the brain , and as a result - its starvation, acidosis and other metabolic disorders in the central nervous system. By cramps in children, we generally mean their generalized nature, although muscle spasms that occur in cold water, during active sports or other stress are also not excluded. Of course, more often this kind of muscle contraction occurs in schoolchildren, that is, at an older age.

Febrile convulsions in children with fever

The greatest number of convulsive conditions occur against the background of a high temperature in a child (febrile convulsions, according to various authors, occupy from 25 to 85% of all cases), and it is not at all necessary that the thermometer rise to 39 - 40 degrees. Some babies cannot tolerate temperatures of 38°C or slightly higher. Febrile seizures can present in different ways:

• Short-term slight twitching of the limbs, rolling of the eyes;
• Relaxation throughout the body, indifference for a short time, involuntary bowel movements and urination;
• Tension of the entire muscular system: arms are brought to the chest, legs are extended, the head is thrown back, the eyes are rolled up, the body trembles.

Typically febrile convulsions last a couple of minutes, however, if a quarter of an hour passes and nothing changes, you should dial “103”.

In general, convulsions during a child’s temperature do not require special treatment; the parents of such children, having become worried for the first time, try to prevent the thermometer from crossing the critical level. As a rule, by the age of 6 everything returns to normal and an increase in temperature to subfebrile levels no longer causes such a reaction in the body.

Video: Dr. Komarovsky about seizures in children and their relief

Reason: pregnancy

Pregnancy is not a disease, but it also cannot be ignored, since the processes occurring in the body of a pregnant woman, whose task is to provide the fetus with everything necessary, lead to metabolic disorders, change hormonal levels, impede blood circulation in the vessels of the pelvic organs and lower extremities and thereby contribute to because the muscles periodically cramp. Thus, the cause of seizures during pregnancy is considered to be:

• Lack of vitamins and microelements;
• Development of anemia;
• Increased blood glucose levels (gestational diabetes);
• Varicose veins of the lower extremities and venous congestion;
• Failure to comply with the diet, work and rest regime provided for pregnant women;
• Limitation of physical activity (concern for maintaining pregnancy - forced on the recommendation of doctors or organized on one’s own initiative).

It will be better if a doctor prescribes treatment for such a scourge in pregnant women. He will carefully collect anamnesis, conduct a biochemical blood test, check blood circulation in the vessels, assess the general condition of the body and advise in which direction to move: it will be enough to balance the diet, saturating it with the missing microelements, or you will have to undergo treatment in a hospital setting.

Muscle spasms and cramps - is there a difference?

Common people are more likely to call convulsions an involuntary contraction of skeletal muscles. In the same category, people include attacks of stiffness and pain that occur, for example, in the calf muscle during sleep, in cold water or after intense muscular work. To explain their condition, patients use generally accepted, and therefore understandable in all circles, terminology: “cramped arm, a cramp began in the leg, severe cramps in the fingers began...” Everything is correct, but contractions of the smooth muscles of the vascular walls, intestines, bronchi and other organs that occur without a human command are also convulsions, which are usually called spasms .

Also closely related are headaches and cramps of this (spasms) and other (striated muscle tension) types. Attacks of cephalalgia are caused by:

tension headache due to spasm of the head muscles

Spasms of cerebral vessels , which are nothing more than a contraction of smooth muscle fibers of the vascular wall;

• Spasm of the esophagus , causing tension and sharp pain in the chest, neck, ears and throughout the head, although the extremely unpleasant sensations do not last long;
• Tension of the neck muscles when turning the head in patients suffering from osteochondrosis of this part of the spine.

In addition, various other factors (cold, stress, diseases of the brain and internal organs) can cause headaches and cramps at the same time, so a person often does not have time to understand: the cramps caused illness or the headache first, and then other symptoms appeared.

• Cramps can affect smooth muscles , cause pain and functional disturbances in the functioning of internal organs: bronchospasm underlies a disease such as bronchial asthma, spasm of the coronary vessels causes attacks of angina, intestinal colic occurs from sudden tension of the intestinal walls, and headache is a consequence of spasm of cerebral vessels ;
• Cramps occur due to a sudden contraction of skeletal muscles (cramps of an arm, leg, fingers, etc.). The body's motor ability most often suffers from such muscle contractions.

seizures: tonic (top) and clonic (bottom)

Taking into account the nature of the convulsive attack and the duration of muscle contraction over time, convulsions are divided into:

• Tonic – muscles remain tense for a long time;
• Clonic - phases of tension and relaxation replace each other, causing the muscle to perform characteristic twitching (jolts);
• Tonic-clonic.

Jerky contractions that involve all the muscles of the body (at the same time contracting the legs, arms, and fingers) are often called convulsions .

Anywhere, anytime

It is clear that muscle spasms can occur anywhere in the human body where muscle fibers are present, but if every person has experienced leg cramps at least once in their life, then some arise only due to certain, usually unpleasant, circumstances. Meanwhile, people’s attitude to the signals sent by the body through individual tissues is ambiguous:

• Relatively rare trismus - spasms of the masticatory muscles, which begin with irritation of the trigeminal nerve in epilepsy, tetanus, meningitis, neoplasms, are undoubtedly classified as terrible symptoms;
• Blepharospasms , when the orbicularis ocular muscles contract as a result of damage to the organ of vision, nasopharynx, or due to dental pathology, are noted as a symptom of the listed diseases, but a nervous tic (eyelid twitches), which occurs from time to time in particularly sensitive people, is perceived as a transient harmless phenomenon;
• Other nervous tics , hiccups , involuntary twitching of the muscles of the neck, arms, and back , but these are also muscle spasms, which are usually not accompanied by pain and most often occur due to a lack of magnesium in the body.

It should be noted that short-term convulsive twitches, which do not bring so much suffering, are also a variant of the described pathology. They simply occur more easily and people often do not attach much importance to them, but in vain - they can be a signal that something is wrong in the body.

Why does my fingers cramp and what can I do about it?

Almost every person, regardless of age, experiences cramps in their fingers. This mainly occurs due to improper blood circulation and hypothermia. Cramps are not an independent disease; they are a symptom indicating that the body is not functioning properly. The cause of the failure may be an external factor, for example, hypothermia, or the physiological state of the body, a change in blood circulation.

If your fingers cramp regularly, and this is accompanied by severe pain, then it is worth studying in detail the causes of cramps in order to understand why you are experiencing these unpleasant sensations. Except for insufficient blood circulation in the extremities, convulsions can occur for the following reasons associated with diseases:

• lack of microelements in the body;
• phlebeurysm;
• inflammatory processes in the body;
• flat feet;
• infectious diseases;
• drug poisoning.

During pregnancy, a woman may experience cramping of her fingers and toes. This occurs due to the increasing volume of consumed vitamins and microelements. As the child grows, more and more nutrients are required; if the supply of vitamins in the female body is not replenished, this can manifest itself as convulsions.

As soon as you feel your arm or leg cramping, you need to stretch the limb in the opposite direction, as if stretching a muscle. If your fingers or toes begin to cramp, there will be no benefit from such manipulation. Warming ointment will help with convulsive contractions of the muscles on the toes. Massage will also help with finger cramps, periodically lowering and raising your arms. Basically, it cramps only one hand, for example, when your left hand cramps, you can perform massage movements with your right hand.

Fingers can cramp for a variety of reasons; you should familiarize yourself with the main causes of cramps and compare them with your lifestyle, then begin treatment and prevent cramps. The most common causes of the disease are the following:

• 1. Severe and prolonged overexertion during sports. Regardless of the type of sport, keeping your fingers under extreme tension for a long time can provoke an attack.
• 2. Hypothermia. Cramps may occur in the fingers and hands after a long stay in cold water.
• 3. Alcohol poisoning. When consuming low-quality alcoholic products or drinking alcohol for a long time, poisoning occurs, the consequence of which is the occurrence of finger cramps.
• 4. Incorrect functioning of the circulatory system. Fingers can cramp due to an insufficient amount of oxygen in the muscle tissue, and the circulatory system is responsible for the enrichment of oxygen.
• 5. Calcium deficiency in the body. Calcium is involved in many processes in the body; its lack can cause limb cramps.
• 6. Lack of microelements for the normal functioning of the body. Potassium and magnesium provide nerve impulses to the muscles; a deficiency of these elements can result in cramps.
• 7. Sedentary work. Sitting for long periods of time while using a computer or typing on a keyboard causes muscle fatigue and can cause regular cramps. If the cramp is mainly in your right hand, then perhaps you work a lot with a computer mouse in an awkward position for your hand.
• 8. Sudden fear. A sudden stressful situation and fear can be the culprit for muscle contraction.

Regular cramping pain in the thumbs over a long period may indicate pathological disorders in the spine. Perhaps these are the consequences of injuries or a developing disease of the spine. If there is a disturbance in the functioning of the nervous system, in particular, pinching of nerve endings in the spinal region, seizures may occur. Statistical overloads of the cervical spine may well become the impetus for uncontrolled contractions of the muscle tissue of the arms. Staying the body in a tense position for a long time, when the load is on the neck and back, causes short-term contractions of muscle tissue.

If you regularly experience cramps in your fingers and hands, then first of all you need to identify the cause and try to eliminate it. Sometimes it takes quite a long period of time to restore normal functioning of the body. First, you need to provide the body with important microelements and vitamins. As an option, multivitamin complexes with a high content of calcium, potassium and magnesium are suitable. But it is still better to replenish the vitamin balance with food. Your diet should be varied and balanced. It should contain the maximum amount of vegetables, fruits, and fermented milk products. Hard cheeses, fish, nuts and honey will help replenish the missing microelements.

When playing sports, you should not overexert yourself and work too hard. Everything is good in moderation. If you are not into sports, it's time to pump up your muscles a little - light exercises to strengthen the muscular skeleton and regular gymnastics will be beneficial. Uncomfortable shoes, high heels and too-tight jeans should be excluded from your wardrobe.

When working sedentarily at a computer desk, you should introduce regular breaks with a short warm-up. Shaking the hands, circular movements, bending the hand towards the inside and outside of the arm will help restore blood circulation and prevent muscle spasms. Hand massage helps to stimulate blood circulation. Massage of the hands is performed using stroking movements with slight pressure. This promotes normal blood circulation. A massage course will have an even greater effect; a specialist will restore the proper functioning of the circulatory system throughout the body. If you have problems with your spine, you can contact a chiropractor. Based on ultrasound and MRI of the spine, the doctor will restore the correct position of the vertebrae and eliminate pinched nerve endings.

An excellent treatment option is acupuncture. It helps restore neuronal impulse signals and improves the sensitivity of nerve endings. There are special mats with needles for sale for carrying out such procedures, or you can contact a specialized salon.

Traditional medicine helps treat many diseases. Since ancient times, people have been using improvised means to eliminate various diseases. If convulsive contractions occur, it will be useful to use the following recipes:

• 1. Lemon juice against cramps. It is necessary to treat your feet with lemon juice twice a day, after the juice has dried, put on warm socks.
• 2. Bay leaf. To treat with this method, you will need to make laurel oil. Buy a dry bay leaf weighing 50 g and place it in a glass container, pour 250 g of unrefined sunflower oil into it. Place in a dark place, the container must have a lid, and strain after 12 days. Apply oil to the limbs when convulsive contractions occur. Use as needed.
• 3. Celandine. For treatment you will need celandine juice. Choose fleshy, healthy stems and leaves. It is better to collect the plant for preparing medicine in mid-summer, then the plant contains the maximum amount of useful substances. Squeeze the juice from the collected leaves and mix with petroleum jelly. There should be 2 times more Vaseline than juice. Apply the resulting ointment to your limbs daily. When rubbing, you can do a light massage. The course of treatment is 2 weeks.
• 4. Thyme and yarrow. Take 20 g of dried yarrow herb and 10 g of thyme herb, place in a jar and pour 200 g of vodka (alcohol), the tincture will be ready in 10 days. The jar should be shaken during infusion. Apply up to 3 times a day on problem areas; after rubbing, be sure to apply dry heat. The tincture does not have an immediate effect, but gradually it will become much easier. The tincture should be stored in the refrigerator.
• 5. Yeast. They contain a large amount of potassium and will help replenish the body with it. Dry the rye bread, pour boiled water over it and wait 4 hours. Then strain and add yeast. Place the yeast drink in a warm place to infuse for a week, then move it to the refrigerator. Take 100 g before meals 3 times a day. You can add sugar or honey. The course of treatment is one month.
• 6. Onion peel. For treatment, you should make a decoction of onion peels. Pour boiling water over 0.5 cups of onion peel and leave until cool, then strain and drink. Use once a day until the seizures stop completely.
• 7. Adonis. Take 1 tsp. Adonis, pour 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 3 hours, then strain. You should drink the decoction three times a day, 1 tbsp. l. within 10 days.
• 8. Chamomile. Chamomile infusions help relieve spasms. You can prepare the plant yourself or purchase it at a pharmacy. Drink chamomile infusions daily during the day, half a glass.
• 9. Raisins. Take seedless raisins and pour boiling water over them; it will be more effective if you brew them in a thermos overnight. Drink throughout the day; raisins are also recommended for consumption.
• 10. Magnet. If signs of a cramp appear, press the magnet onto the sore spot. It relieves pain instantly.
• 11. Table salt. When muscle spasms occur, place a pinch of salt on the tip of your tongue. After a few minutes, the pain and cramping should subside and the salt can be spat out.
• 12. Horseradish. With the help of horseradish you can get rid of not only seizures, but also problems with neuralgia. To prepare the product you will need a fresh plant. Wash the roots well and chop them. You can grate it or pass it through a meat grinder. Add 0.5 kg of liquid honey and half a liter of olive oil, mix everything. The medicine must be stored in the refrigerator. Take 1 tbsp before meals three times a day. l. Horseradish leaves are used for external use. Select a sheet of the appropriate size, coat it with honey and apply it to the sore area of ​​the body. Wrap in a plastic bag and insulate well with cloth or clothing. It is better to apply the compress in the evening and not remove it until the morning.
• 13. Wormwood. Collect leaves and flowers of wormwood, place in an enamel or glass container and fill with vodka, put in a dark place. The tincture will be ready in 3 weeks. At night, massage using alcohol tincture.
• 14. Chestnut. Make chestnut decoction - 4 tbsp. l. fill the plants with 0.5 l. boiling water and place in a water bath for 30 minutes. Then strain, moisten the cloth in the broth and apply to the sore limb. Place the bag on top so that the liquid does not leak out, and secure the compress. After an hour, the compress is removed. Treatment should be carried out daily.

When a person cramps his fingers, arms or legs, he experiences discomfort and severe pain. Regular occurrence of seizures can disrupt a person's mental state. Therefore, it is necessary to promptly address the causes of muscle spasms. First of all, you should pay attention to the quality of nutrition and lifestyle. Hypothermia and overexertion of the limbs should be avoided. Every day you need to perform gymnastic exercises to strengthen your muscles and ligaments. If necessary, lose excess weight. By following these simple recommendations, you will forget about cramps forever.

health constructor

Spasmodic sensations in the hands, covering the hands or fingers, are familiar to many firsthand. Neither a professional athlete nor an office worker is insured against them, and there are no age restrictions on this matter either. There are a whole bunch of reasons for such an unpleasant phenomenon as cramps in the hands and fingers.

The Health Constructor site finds out why most people have cramps in their hands from time to time, how to deal with it, and what needs to be done to put an end to such problems once and for all. Any cramps, including those that occur in the legs at night, are involuntary muscle contractions. A person is not able to control them, but he can easily provide first aid to himself, fortunately, no special skills are required in this case.

The main causes of cramps in the hands

Most often, convulsions running through the hands and fingers bother people who have to work a lot at the computer. Their hands are in the same position for a long time and make the same movements, as a result of which they become “numb.”

The causes of cramps and spasms in the hands include the following circumstances:

stressful conditions, feelings of fear;

• insufficiently intense blood supply to the upper extremities;
• physical overload during sports training, accompanied by muscle strain;
• hypothermia;
• food and alcohol poisoning;
• lack of calcium in foods that make up the daily diet (see the article “Calcium in food: a building material for the body”).

  Among those who usually complain of frequent cramps in the legs and arms, there are many coffee lovers: abuse of this tonic drink results in the “washing out” of calcium from the body, and the body begins to desperately give us signals for help, giving them in the language of spasms.

  What to do about hand cramps?

  In fact, it is not difficult to overcome an attack of cramps in the hands, no matter what time of day it makes itself felt: at night, in a dream, or during the day, in the midst of a work emergency.

  What you can do:

• gymnastics - actively move your fingers, clench and unclench your fists at an intense pace, wave your hands in the air;
• massage - do self-massage. Cramps rarely occur in both hands at the same time, so with a free hand you can knead and massage the other one that is prone to spasms.

  Preventive measures against muscle cramps in the limbs

  Like any ailment, cramps in the fingers and toes, as well as in the hands, feet, and legs can be prevented if you follow easy preventive measures.

  Here are its simple rules:

• try every day to eat foods that have proven to be the best sources of potassium and calcium - primarily milk and cottage cheese, as well as green vegetables;
• prepare and take homemade dietary supplement from eggshells with lemon juice - see the preparation technology here;
• avoid hypothermia. In cold weather, it is better to hide your hands in gloves or mittens, then cramps will not bother you.
• take warming water procedures. These can be not only local warm baths for the hands, but also general baths for the whole body with the addition of sea salt or essential oils with a relaxing effect.

  Leg cramps: causes and treatment

  Leg cramps are a common problem that causes a lot of trouble. There are many reasons why people experience leg cramps. We'll talk about the most common ones, and also tell you how to cope with cramps.

  What do leg cramps mean?

  A cramp is an involuntary muscle contraction that is often accompanied by pain. There are clonic and tonic seizures. With clonic convulsions, a sudden movement occurs, like a nervous tic. With tonic spasms, the muscle hardens, and this condition is accompanied by pain.

  Most often, tonic cramps occur in the lower legs and calves. Cramps can affect people of all ages, but most often they affect middle-aged and older people.

  As a rule, leg cramps occur when the biochemical and electrolyte composition of the blood is disrupted. If there is a lack of a number of substances that regulate the activity of the neuromuscular system, cramps may occur. This condition can develop due to a number of diseases or poor diet.

  Leg Cramps: Key Mineral Deficiencies

  A lack of key elements necessary for normal muscle function can be caused by the following reasons:

• Taking certain medications. Adsorbents and antacid drugs interfere with the normal absorption of magnesium and calcium. And when taking diuretics, potassium is forced out of the body. Lack of magnesium, calcium and potassium leads to dysfunction of the neuromuscular system, which causes the development of seizures.
• Pregnancy. One of the common symptoms that bother pregnant women is leg cramps. This is due both to a lack of key minerals and to deterioration of blood circulation in the legs and pelvic organs, which causes cramps.
• Stress. When we are nervous, a large amount of the stress hormone cortisol is released into the blood. This hormone helps us “group” and prepare for danger (a mechanism developed during evolution). However, this hormone also has side effects. One of them is a deterioration in the absorption of calcium in the intestines and increased excretion of this mineral by the kidneys.
• Heavy sweating. People who sweat heavily lose a lot of minerals in their sweat, including calcium, potassium and magnesium. In this regard, the development of seizures increases in hot weather, as well as in overweight people who sweat when performing even minor physical work.
• Lack of vitamin D. It has long been known that a sufficient amount of vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium. This vitamin is produced in the body under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. A 20-30 minute walk in sunny weather is enough for the body to produce a sufficient amount of this vitamin. During the fall and winter, when the day length decreases, many people suffer from a lack of vitamin D, which can cause leg cramps.

Diseases leading to leg cramps

Leg cramps may indicate several medical conditions, including:

• Varicose veins, as a result of which muscle nutrition deteriorates.
• Chronic circulatory disorders in the lower extremities and chronic venous insufficiency.
• Metabolic diseases, such as diabetes.
• Diseases of the human endocrine system, for example, thyroid disease.
• Kidney diseases.
• Hemorrhoids (often with hemorrhoids, leg cramps bother you at night).
• Radiculitis.
• Flat feet and musculoskeletal injuries.

Emergency help for leg cramps

If you often have leg cramps, here are some tips to help you quickly deal with the problem:

• Relax your leg. If this is not your first cramp, then you will probably feel its onset in advance.
• During a cramp, pull the sock towards you, after which you should release the pull. If the cramp does not go away, the procedure must be repeated.
• If the cramp does not go away after stretching the sock, then it is recommended to walk barefoot on the floor (preferably NOT on the carpet, so that the feet feel cool).
• Lightly massage the cramped muscle. To enhance the effect, you can use ointments with a warming effect. If massage does not help, then the muscle can be pinched or even pricked with a needle (sterilize it first!).
• After the leg cramp has passed, it is recommended to lie down for a while with your legs elevated so that the blood flows back better. This will help avoid recurrence of the spasm.

Leg cramps: treatment

Treatment of seizures depends on the cause of the development of this pathology. If leg cramps are caused by a banal lack of minerals, then the patient is prescribed a balanced diet and vitamin-mineral complexes. As a rule, this is enough so that leg cramps no longer bother the person.

If the cause of leg cramps is the use of certain medications, the doctor may change the medication to another or prescribe replacement therapy. For example, when taking diuretics, the patient is also prescribed potassium supplements to replace losses.

Metabolic diseases and endocrine disorders require adjustment of the body's hormonal levels. In such cases, it is necessary to consult an endocrinologist who will help eliminate the true cause of leg cramps.

For varicose veins and problems with blood circulation in the lower extremities, special drugs are used (for example, venotonics, drugs that strengthen the walls of blood vessels and others). This treatment should only be carried out by a doctor.

Leg cramps: prevention

If you are prone to leg cramps, you should make sure that the cramps bother you as little as possible. Among the preventive measures against cramps of the lower extremities, the most effective are the following:

• Balanced diet. You can avoid muscle spasms with a balanced diet. You should increase your intake of foods rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium and vitamin D. Many minerals are found in vegetables and fruits. There is a lot of calcium in dairy products and broccoli.
• Rejection of bad habits. One of the elements of preventing lower limb cramps is giving up bad habits. Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption impair the absorption of key nutrients and microelements, and also have a negative impact on the condition of the walls of blood vessels.
• Moderate physical activity. In order for muscles to work well, they must receive dynamic load daily. Fast walking, swimming, jogging and other types of exercise will be useful. Try to avoid prolonged static loads (for example, prolonged standing, sitting, etc.).
• Correct selection of shoes. Shoes should have a high arch and tight ankle support. It is better for the fair sex to abandon high heels in favor of small but stable ones. In such shoes, your feet will not get tired, which will reduce the likelihood of developing cramps.
• Contrast procedures. If you are prone to leg cramps, then before going to bed it is recommended to carry out contrast procedures - baths or showers. You can add decoctions of herbs that have an anticonvulsant effect, such as mint, valerian or horsetail, to foot baths.
• Self-massage of feet. Foot massage should be done with light massaging movements. Start with stroking, then move on to spanking and kneading the area that is experiencing spasms.