Greetings to everyone on the women's site! Today we will talk about such a misfortune as convulsions. Mainly about cramps of the lower extremities, which worry humanity the most.
Seizures, causes, treatment
To answer the question: “What causes convulsions?”, let’s first define:
Cramps are painful, involuntary contractions of striated muscles that occur as a result of external or internal stimuli. Convulsions come in different natures, varying intensities and durations.
The following types of seizures are distinguished by duration:
Tonic spasms are prolonged, painful contractions. The duration of these convulsions lasts from 3 minutes or more.
Clonic seizures are short-term contractions in the form of tics.
Another type of seizure is generalized. They arise as a result of serious illnesses. These seizures are very serious and life-threatening, so you should seek medical attention immediately. As an example, with tetanus.
Hyperthermic convulsions are caused by a sharp increase in body temperature as a result of some disease. These cramps also include cramps caused by sun or heatstroke.
The most common symptoms of concern are thigh cramps, calf cramps, foot cramps and toe cramps. In a word, cramps of the lower extremities.
All these spasms are tonic.
And there are many reasons for this. Let's go in order.
1. The causes of such seizures may be a violation of the electrolyte or biological composition of the blood. This is a lack of certain microelements in our body, such as:
2. Vitamins for seizures are also necessary. For example, a lack of vitamin D can cause seizures.
3. Lack of oxygen (local hypoxia) is another cause of cramps in the limbs.
4. Professional hand cramps (musicians, typists, tailors) occur due to muscle overstrain.
5. Insufficient blood sugar.
6. Overdose of sugar-lowering drugs in patients with diabetes mellitus.
7. Osteochondrosis of the spine, when the nerve fibers coming out of the spine are compressed, which causes a violation of the motor nerves.
8. Infectious damage to nerve endings (with viral infections, with influenza).
9. Disturbances in the motor area of the brain (during the onset of a stroke or during the recovery period after it). By following the link you can read about the types of stroke.
10. Alcohol intoxication.
11. Overfatigue (long walking, swimming), being in a stuffy room.
12. Hereditary predisposition.
You need to determine for yourself the cause of your seizures.
If convulsions become regular, then it is necessary to be examined by specialists: a neurologist, an endocrinologist, a phlebologist (a specialist in vein diseases), and a vascular surgeon.
Here are a few tricks:
Medicine recommends treating calf muscle cramps with the following medications that can be used against cramps:
Lemon juice for cramps . Is your foot cramping? Rub lemon juice onto your clean foot and let it dry. Do not rinse, put on shoes and walk until the next procedure. And so, for two weeks - morning and evening.
Great celandine for leg and arm cramps . Make the following ointment for seizures: Mix celandine juice with Vaseline in a ratio of 1:2. Rub the spasmodic muscle with this ointment before going to bed for 2 weeks.
Laurel for leg and arm cramps. You can use pharmaceutical bay oil, or you can make it yourself: 25 g of dry crushed bay leaf, pour 150 ml of any vegetable oil (unrefined sunflower or flaxseed oil). Close the container with the mixture tightly and place it in a dark place for two weeks. Strain before use. rub the sore muscle.
Onion peel for cramps.
If your legs cramp at night, you can use this recipe: Wash the onion skins first. Take about 1 teaspoon, pour 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 10 minutes. Drink before bed. You will have a peaceful night.
Yeast will relieve cramps.
To compensate for the lack of potassium, you can prepare a drink from yeast. To do this, take rye bread crackers, pour boiling water, leave for 3 hours, strain, add a little yeast and leave to ferment for 7-9 hours in a warm place. Then put in a cool place. Drink 100 ml of the drink before meals, you can add honey to taste.
Another remedy for leg cramps is chamomile and raisins .
1. Make an infusion of chamomile (1 tablespoon of chamomile per 2 cups of boiling water). Leave for 30-40 minutes. Drink all day between meals. You should also eat baked potatoes. 2. The second infusion should be made from raisins: steam two tablespoons of seedless raisins with 0.5 liters of boiling water. Leave until morning. Drink this infusion the next day - a glass instead of tea, and eat raisins. Alternate the chamomile infusion with the raisin infusion, and over time the cramps will go away.
By rubbing mustard oil on cramped muscles, you can get rid of cramps.
Another folk remedy for cramps is ordinary magnets, which are recommended to be placed on the cramp area. Helps a lot!
Calf cramps, which can be treated using baths made from a decoction of medicinal herbs:
The collection should be made from equal parts of the proposed herbs. Take 100 g of the collection, pour 250 ml of hot water, place in a water bath and boil for 20 minutes. Strain the resulting broth into a pre-prepared tall bucket with water no higher than 40 degrees. Lower your legs until your calves are covered and hold for 20 minutes. Course 10 days in a row.
A mixture of the following herbs helps very well:
which are taken in equal parts. Pour one tablespoon of the mixture into 1 liter of boiling water and boil for 10-15 minutes in a water bath. Then leave for 30 minutes, strain. Soak a gauze napkin in the prepared broth, apply it to the convulsive muscle, and keep it for several hours (at least 5).
And sandalwood essential oil, being a natural antispasmodic, relieves spasms and cramps. Follow the link, everything about this wonderful oil is there.
To prevent seizures, you should include the following foods in your daily diet:
You can learn about the beneficial properties of some products by following the appropriate links.
I wish you not to encounter such a problem as cramps!
A sudden, severe, acute pain of a compressive nature that occurs in the calf (or some other) muscles is called a cramp. At its core, cramps are a strong sharp contraction of one or more muscles, a spasm, and if this phenomenon makes itself felt quite rarely, there is no point in worrying too much about it. However, often calf muscle cramps become too frequent and suddenly occur even during night sleep, which significantly worsens a person’s quality of life. Most often, seizures manifest themselves in middle-aged and elderly people, but they can also occur in children. The causes of cramps in the calf muscles can be quite different, ranging from a lack of certain vitamins to complex systemic diseases.
Most often, the causes of night cramps in the calf muscles are an excessively long, excessively intense load on the leg muscles during the day. In addition, a leg cramp may occur due to a lack of certain substances in the body, in particular mineral salts. It is believed that this unpleasant phenomenon is familiar to most people in the world, and convulsions can bother a person with varying frequency, accompanied by acute pain, or proceeding without any special symptoms. The causes of cramps in the calf muscles that occur in humans are quite varied. These include the following:
Quite common are the causes of cramps in the calf muscles, such as taking certain medications, pregnancy, lack of salts in the body due to increased sweating, active physical activity, etc. When blood flow in the lower extremities worsens, there is a danger of spasm, this is especially true at night, during sleep, when the blood flow is already slowing down, a double load occurs, the muscles suffer from a lack of essential nutrients. Since leg muscle cramps often indicate that a person has some serious illness, it would be a good idea to consult a doctor. It is quite difficult to get rid of regularly occurring muscle spasms on your own, although some folk remedies can come to the rescue in this case.
In general, it would be somewhat incorrect to call a spasm in the calf muscles the term “cramp”; it is rather a common name for this pathology, which in medicine is called myoclonus. Myoclonus is not only a spasm of the calf muscles, it also includes spasms of the thigh muscles, and with such “convulsions” a person does not lose consciousness. Experts have found out why muscle spasms occur during myoclonus, these reasons were mentioned above, and if such muscle spasms are observed in a person more than once every 2-3 months, one or another disease can be suspected, for example, varicose veins or a lack of calcium.
Cramps in the calves
Many people know (and may have experienced a similar phenomenon themselves) that the calf muscles often cramp while in cold water. Indeed, temperature changes, exposure to low temperatures, accompanied by severe muscle tension, can lead to spasms, severe acute pain due to narrowing of blood vessels and insufficient blood supply. This factor often causes the death of people in bodies of water, so you should be careful about this phenomenon, especially if you have a tendency to experience muscle spasms in the lower extremities, as well as diseases of the spine and a lack of calcium in the body.
In addition, spasm of the calf muscles often occurs during excessive physical activity, for example, when playing sports. This occurs due to the loss of mineral salts due to increased sweating and dehydration. Spasms can be caused by insufficient warm-up before sports exercises, too much stress on the same muscle group, or excessive training volume.
What to do in case of frequent cases of myoclonus, that is, spasms in the calf muscles? Probably, many have heard that a needle prick is a fairly effective remedy for leg cramps when swimming in cold water, and it is even recommended to always have a pin with you, just for such cases. In principle, such a procedure can sometimes quite justify itself, but it must be performed correctly; often, for ordinary people who are not trained in this matter, nothing comes of it, the required effect is not observed. Such a procedure, performed by a non-professional, can only cause harm; the injection site can cause pathogens to enter the body, and damage blood vessels or nerves.
It is much more important to take action in advance, especially if a person has a tendency to frequent muscle spasms. It is generally recommended to do the following:
Calf cramps may occur after intense workouts, long walks or running. Spasms occur unexpectedly and sharply, immobilizing a person and forcing him to clench his teeth in pain. One-off events signal that you need to slow down. But if cramps occur frequently, you should look for the cause and consult a doctor.
Spasms in the calf indicate varicose veins. The disease at an early stage is not always accompanied by swelling or protruding veins. Regular convulsions are a reason to contact a surgeon and check the condition of the vascular system.
Flat feet are the second cause of spasms. Due to the incorrect structure of the foot, the calf muscles are in constant tension. If you do not use orthopedic insoles and shoes, constant spasms can result in varicose veins.
Convulsions are caused by a deficiency of magnesium or potassium, a lack of calcium, and B vitamins. Athletes and women carrying a child become frequent victims of painful muscle contractions. The risk group includes children, because they are constantly growing, and the elderly. The body does not receive enough useful components due to impaired metabolism and diseases of the digestive organs.
Seizures are accompanied by tick-borne encephalitis, hormonal disorders and Gaye-Wernicke syndrome. Spasms occur due to impaired blood circulation due to diabetes, thyrotoxicosis or improper functioning of the adrenal glands.
The body reacts in this way to stressful situations, sudden temperature changes, when a person goes from a warm room into the cold or dives into ice water.
Injuries to the calf muscles can cause damage to the nerve endings, which prevents normal tissue relaxation, causing cramping. Cramps are a side effect of some medications. Painful contractions in the calves occur due to an overdose of antipsychotic drugs or during withdrawal from antidepressants.
A person who is awakened by a cramp should sit on the edge of the bed and lower his feet to the floor. It is advisable to have something cool under your feet. While taking a deep breath, you must simultaneously pull up and towards yourself the toes of the toe in which the spasm has appeared. The calves are rubbed and pinched to restore sensitivity.
When the muscle relaxes, you should prepare a compress of vodka or apple cider vinegar, or rub the limb with a warming ointment. Having assumed a lying position, place a high pillow or a blanket cushion under your leg. It must be elevated so that the attack does not recur.
What you can do yourself
Consulting a doctor should not be neglected, but sometimes people do not have the time or opportunity. You can independently enrich your diet with legumes, dried apricots and pine nuts, and eat a lot of parsley and seaweed. Have breakfast with oatmeal with bananas or peanuts, and snack on citrus fruits. Eat a portion of cottage cheese or drink a glass of kefir every day.
You should stop poisoning your body with cigarettes and forget about the existence of alcohol. Wear comfortable ballet flats or sneakers instead of stilettos. After taking off your shoes, clench and unclench your toes. Knead the joints of the foot, making circular rotations to the left and right.
A mandatory procedure before bed is warm foot baths. It is useful to walk around the house, transferring the load from your heels to your toes and back.
Hormonal disorders and varicose veins are treated under the supervision of a doctor. Consultation with a specialist is necessary if seizures were caused by taking pills. Self-diagnosis is fraught with serious consequences, which can be more difficult to get rid of than the original cause of cramps in the calves.
Calf muscle spasms at night are one of the most common types of leg cramps. It is important to find out why calf muscle cramps appear at night - the reasons can be different: from a lack of certain vitamins to complex systemic diseases.
The cramp may last only a few seconds, and in some cases up to 15 minutes or longer. A sudden muscle spasm results in a feeling of severe pain, and the leg muscles may twitch and feel hard to the touch. Typically, cramps occur at night in the calf muscles, but sometimes they can occur in the thighs and legs.
In addition to the calf muscle, a cramp can also tighten the muscles of the foot. There are also risk factors for a certain category of people who may be more likely to experience calf muscle cramps during sleep. Most often, muscle cramps appear in middle-aged and elderly people, but they can also occur in children.
Calf muscle cramps at night can be painful and disrupt sleep at night, making it very difficult to get proper rest. Therefore, it is necessary not only to identify the causes of night cramps in the calf muscles, but also to know how they can be prevented.
We will try to look at some of the reasons why calf muscle cramps occur at night. Although the exact cause of these calf cramps is not known, they are most often associated with muscle strain, dehydration, or caused by sitting uncomfortably for long periods of time.
If you have repeatedly experienced cramps in the calf muscle during sleep, you should immediately seek help from a neurologist, since frequent cramps in the calf muscles can be a consequence of various diseases. So, why do calf muscle cramps occur at night - the reasons.
The reasons that cause cramps in the calf muscles at night are quite varied and there can be many of them. So, for example, they can be caused by diseases of the nervous system or result from an unbalanced diet, in particular, a constant deficiency of calcium, potassium and magnesium. To better understand this issue, let's look at why the calf muscle cramps at night - causes, treatment and prevention.
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In this article, we looked at why calf muscle cramps appear at night - the reasons can be different. These can be diseases of the nervous system, unhealthy diet, and physical activity before bedtime. In any case, it is necessary to identify the exact cause and prevent it. Be healthy!
Cramps are clenching, sharp muscle pain that appears suddenly. This is a spasm or sudden contraction of muscles. If convulsions occur rarely, then this should not frighten or worry. If seizures are frequent, reduce the quality of life, or impair night sleep, then you should seek help from a doctor.
Seizures occur in childhood, but are extremely rare; most often they affect older people. Sometimes cramps are accompanied by acute pain.
Cramps are frequent contractions of muscles, one or more at once. There are many reasons for their occurrence, for example: atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, meningitis, varicose veins, cirrhosis of the liver and other diseases. It is impossible to independently find out the cause of convulsions; diagnostics are necessary here.
Seizures can bother absolutely healthy people. Their appearance is influenced by strong muscle loads, muscle fatigue, excess weight, stress, a sedentary lifestyle, high heels, and uncomfortable posture for a long time.
It is not difficult to understand what causes seizures; it is more important to know how to get rid of them, if this is not the result of a serious illness.
Vitamin D, magnesium and calcium are the most important fighters against cramps. Without magnesium, a muscle cell cannot exist, since it contributes to the consumption and formation of cellular energy. Sufficient amounts of magnesium cannot be obtained through food, which means it is important to take it in the form of vitamins.
Calcium also actively fights seizures. A lack of this component can lead to increased seizures. It is very important to use calcium supplements for those people for whom the phenomenon of muscle spasms is quite frequent and familiar. Of course, eating cottage cheese, cheese and other dairy products is very important, but they will not replenish the lack of calcium.
Vitamin D is the third fighter against frequent cramps; it helps the absorption of magnesium and calcium. There are cases where people were able to completely get rid of seizures by taking vitamin D.
Hence the conclusion that cramps occur from a lack of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D, which can be replenished by taking pharmaceutical vitamin complexes, or individual medications, as an addition to a healthy and proper diet.
Still, it’s better not to make guesses, but to visit a clinic and get proper advice.
Cramps are not a rare phenomenon; they most often occur in women, as this is influenced by narrow high-heeled shoes. Muscle spasms are accompanying symptoms during menopause and during pregnancy.
Seizures can appear suddenly in both men and women. Most often this happens at night, during sleep. According to statistics, cramps most often occur in women, as these are symptoms of pregnancy.
Many people face the problem of periodically cramping their legs. This is an unpleasant and painful phenomenon. There can be many reasons why legs cramp. If symptoms occur.
Very often, leg cramps occur due to dehydration and poor nutrition. But, there are other causes of leg cramps. Most often, elderly people, expectant mothers and athletes suffer from this pathology after heavy loads. During a cramp, involuntary muscle contraction is observed with the manifestation of a sharp aching pain.
If muscle cramps occur frequently, you urgently need to consult an endocrinologist, phlebologist or neurologist. Seizures can happen to anyone, so it is important to understand the reasons for their occurrence.
Causes of leg cramps:
If a person suddenly changes body position during sleep, only one muscle group becomes overstrained, causing a spasm to occur. Night cramps usually occur in the morning. At the same time, the legs begin to hurt very much, and the person cannot sleep peacefully. After a seizure, the affected leg may still hurt for some time. This phenomenon occurs due to the accumulation in the muscles at the time of spasm of lactate, that is, a product of incomplete oxidation of glucose.
Night muscle spasms most often bother people of retirement age. Cramps during sleep may also indicate the development of thrombosis in the legs, so it is important to visit a doctor.
The reason for leg cramps during pregnancy is that the growing uterus begins to put additional pressure on the blood vessels and nerve endings of the legs. Because of this, blood cannot flow normally through the veins of the legs and provokes spasms.
In parallel with leg cramps, pregnant women also experience cramps in the upper thighs and feet.
You can relieve cramps during pregnancy by taking a warm bath with medicinal herbs that will help soothe and relieve cramps. For example, you can make a bath with mint, valerian or horsetail.
It is also important for expectant mothers to eat a healthy and balanced diet to prevent leg cramps. The daily diet should consist of dairy products, meat, fish, poultry, herbs, vegetables and fruits.
It is also important for pregnant women to wear comfortable shoes with low heels. During rest, it is advisable to place your legs above the level of your heart.
Children who are actively growing may also experience leg cramps during sleep. Muscle tension is very frightening for children, especially if it appears for the first time. Babies are afraid, worried and cry. Reasons why muscle cramps occur in children:
If a child complains of pain in the legs and suffers from night cramps, it is important not to hesitate, but to urgently consult a doctor so that he carefully examines the baby, determines the cause of the cramps in the legs, and also prescribes correct and timely treatment.
Muscle spasms are tonic and clonic. Tonic cramps are characterized by prolonged muscle tension. With a clonic phenomenon, spasms alternate with muscle relaxation.
Since cramps are accompanied by severe pain, it is important to act very quickly, especially if you are in the water. Actions for contracting muscles:
If muscle spasms occur frequently, visit a doctor and only after his recommendations take a course of vitamins and minerals.
To treat seizures, it is important to understand the causes of their occurrence. To do this, consult a doctor. First of all, visit a therapist, who, after an examination, will refer you to a specialized specialist who can help you. If the cause of the cramp is varicose veins, you need to consult a phlebologist. If muscle spasms occur due to damage to the arteries, contact a vascular surgeon. If the seizures are caused by diabetes, you should see an endocrinologist, and if you have lumbar radiculitis, see a neurologist.
Treatment of seizures with diet:
Treatment of seizures with medications:
Treatment of seizures with gymnastics:
Perform the listed exercises barefoot every morning.
Evening exercises to relieve tension in the legs:
Before going to bed, take a warm foot bath.
Treatment of seizures using traditional methods can be carried out only after consultation with a doctor. Basic methods:
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To prevent the occurrence of night cramps, it is important to take the following preventive measures:
Only by following all of the above prevention methods can you prevent the occurrence of seizures at the most inopportune moment.
Now you know why your legs cramp, how the pathology is treated, and what can be done to prevent the occurrence of undesirable situations.
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Unpleasant muscle contractions often cause a lot of trouble. It’s easy to understand what causes leg cramps, especially at night. There are many reasons for this. It is necessary to learn how to provide timely assistance and even prevent such a condition so that unbearable pain ceases to be intrusive.
There are tonic and clonic types of muscle cramps. In the first case, prolonged muscle tension is observed, in the second, muscle contraction is rapid, they quickly relax and cause less discomfort. If we analyze in detail why leg cramps occur, we should highlight the following reasons:
In addition, wanting to know what causes leg cramps, you need to take into account metabolic disorders, lack of microelements, frequent nervousness, the presence of traumatic brain injuries, lack of vitamins, blood and heart diseases.
It would seem that at night all the muscles are relaxed, the person feels simply wonderful and enjoys colorful dreams. Then what causes leg cramps at night? After all, they are not groundless. Quite often they appear due to various health problems. Among the most common it is worth highlighting:
Cramps at night can occur due to so-called forced physical activity and changes in physical activity. For people actively involved in sports, the reason may be forced inactivity. And in people who prefer a sedentary lifestyle, night cramps can be triggered by increased physical activity.
In the off-season, you shouldn’t even wonder what causes leg cramps at night. The reason is obvious: lack of vitamins. The same applies to unfavorable weather conditions, in which a person may remain for a long time and experience convulsions.
These conditions almost always occur more actively if the human body lacks magnesium, potassium, sodium, and calcium. They are responsible for transporting nerve impulses to the central nervous system. Often, an additional circumstance is the low content of vitamins D and B. Only by properly replenishing the balance and curing the underlying diseases can night cramps be overcome and normal muscle contraction resumed. And then you won’t have to wonder why leg cramps happen at night.
It is important to know about your problem in order to be able to take rational actions in a timely manner. What causes leg cramps and how to treat them will be discussed below.
As soon as your leg cramps, you should do the following:
Knowing what causes leg cramps, you should learn to prevent this condition. Therefore, it is worth taking a number of measures in advance:
Seemingly simple recommendations can work wonders. People who are actively involved in their health and maintain their muscles in proper tone, who regularly do massage, will feel all the beneficial effects of all procedures.
You can prevent everything that causes leg cramps in no time. The main thing is not to be lazy and pay due attention to your health.