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Calf cramp on leg

20 Mar 18

Cramping calves - the reason

Pain in the calves, discomfort in the muscles and cramps are quite common. Many people don’t even pay attention when something like this happens, and doctors are in no hurry to become wary when patients with such symptoms come to them. If you have cramps in your calves, the cause most often lies in hypocalcemia or hypokalemia. A lack of calcium and potassium is observed in 75% of people who experience cramps in their calves. As a rule, it is enough to compensate for the deficiency of these substances, and everything will fall into place. But there are some nuances.

Calf cramps - treatment and prevention

Potassium and calcium are microelements that interfere with the absorption of each other. That is, if a person has too many foods containing calcium in his diet (hard cheeses, cottage cheese, milk and fish), then potassium will be absorbed worse and a deficiency will occur. If you eat a lot of legumes, cabbage, greens, bananas and other foods rich in potassium, you will experience a calcium deficiency. Therefore, if you often have cramps in your calves, you most likely need to reconsider your diet. First of all, try to eat foods high in calcium and potassium at different times of the day. Since magnesium helps potassium to be absorbed well, you can add foods high in this microelement to your diet.

If your calves cramp when stretching

If your calves cramp when stretching, there is a possibility that the cause lies in a short-term muscle spasm, which indicates high physical exertion. If you've been on your feet all day, especially in high heels, strained calf muscles remain tense even during sleep. When you are already rested and full of strength, the muscles just begin to relax and straighten, a spasm occurs. In the mornings, it cramps the leg muscles of salespeople, flight attendants, ballerinas and representatives of other professions with high loads.

A simple exercise will help you cope with a cramp: you need to lift your leg up and pull the toe of your foot towards you. If your calves are cramping very badly and it’s difficult to stand up or even sit down, try stretching the muscle with your hands, pinching it, or pricking it. As soon as the spasm passes, apply warming ointment to your calves.

If your calves cramp when walking

In the case when cramps appear directly during walking, swimming, or other physical activity, the reasons may be not only a calcium or potassium deficiency, but also a circulatory disorder. Sometimes cramps in the calves when walking in women predisposed to varicose veins, which helps to detect the disease in time and take all necessary measures to prevent it from progressing. The cause may also be banal flat feet.

There are several ways to quickly get rid of cramps:

  • Prick the area with a pin or pinch it firmly.
  • Stand on your sore leg, rise onto your toes, then lower onto your heel and tuck your toes.
  • Give an intense massage with a warming agent.
  • If you are interested in prevention, adhere to the following rules:

  • Keep your feet and calves warm.
  • Eat right, take extra vitamins and minerals if necessary.
  • Avoid high stress on your feet and wear high heels less often.
  • Get a routine check-up with your doctor every six months.
  • If you often cramp your calves

    If you have read this article and the question of why your calves are cramping remains unanswered, it’s time to see a doctor. This happens quite rarely, but sometimes seizures are symptoms of neurological diseases, such as epilepsy. Or they indicate a brain tumor and other serious diseases. If you were unable to cope with the problem on your own, do not take risks, consult a professional.

    Also, such cramps are a common occurrence in pregnant women. Due to a lack of vitamins and minerals, as well as increased weight, pregnant women also experience cramps in their calves. If this is the reason, please accept our congratulations, everything is fine with you!

    Legs cramp: what to do?

    General practitioners regularly encounter patient complaints of leg cramps, and this phenomenon worries people of completely different categories - young and elderly people, men and women, pregnant women and children. More often, convulsions occur while falling asleep or at night, while a person is sleeping, causing him to wake up and experience several very unpleasant moments. What leg cramps are, why they occur and how to deal with them will be discussed in our article.

    Involuntary contractions of one or more muscle groups, accompanied by pain, are called cramps. The most common occurrence is leg cramps, or more precisely, cramps in the calf muscle (located on the back of the lower leg). For a certain reason, this muscle suddenly goes into spasm, which entails the maximum possible extension of the foot - the person seems to stand on tiptoe. As is clear from the definition, muscle spasm is accompanied by intense, often unbearable pain.

    Why do leg cramps occur?

    There are actually many causes of seizures - from banal malnutrition to serious, life-threatening diseases. The vast majority of leg cramps are caused by the causes listed below.

  • Imbalance of vitamins and microelements in the body:
    • Is magnesium deficiency the cause? all cases of lower limb spasms;
    • thyroid diseases;
    • hypovitaminosis B (mainly B6);
    • chronic renal failure (since this disease interferes with the elimination of metabolic products from the body that have a toxic effect on it).
    • Reduced blood glucose levels – hypoglycemia. It occurs more often when diabetes treatment is too aggressive or when the diabetic does not comply with the diet.
    • Prolonged, excessive physical activity on the legs - running, walking, swimming, football and others.
    • Varicose veins, thrombophlebitis.
    • Chronic circulatory disorders in the vessels of the lower extremities (obliterating atherosclerosis and other diseases);
    • Diseases of the cardiovascular system, accompanied by symptoms of heart failure and, as a result, impaired blood flow in the parts of the body most distant from the heart, in particular in the feet and legs.
    • Degenerative-dystrophic diseases of the spine (osteochondrosis).
    • Imbalance of female sex hormones, namely, excess estrogen in the blood.
    • Psycho-emotional stress.
    • Chronic lack of sleep.
    • Our often incorrect lifestyle leads to the fact that already at a young age, the systems of the human body fail one after another:

    • due to constant stress, blood pressure begins to rise,
    • Wearing high heels causes problems with veins,
    • due to poor nutrition, hypovitaminosis occurs or, even worse, chronic diseases of the digestive tract that disrupt the normal absorption of nutrients from the digestive organs into the blood;
    • Due to self-medication of infectious diseases (in particular, tonsillitis), complications develop in the form of steadily progressing heart disease (acquired defects) and kidney disease (glomerulonephritis).
    • Since the main cause of leg muscle cramps is magnesium deficiency, I would like to highlight this problem in more detail.

      The unbalanced diet of most of us leads to the fact that the level of magnesium in the blood gradually decreases. Our bad eating habits, such as regular consumption of coffee, alcoholic beverages, sweet and starchy foods, contribute to less absorption of this microelement from food into the blood. When hypomagnesemia occurs (low levels of magnesium in the blood), the body tries to compensate by “washing out” the trace element from the musculoskeletal system. That is why, if you take a blood test to check the level of magnesium, the results will show the norm or even an excess of this microelement.

      In addition to seizures, other symptoms may indicate a lack of magnesium in the body:

      • memory impairment, decreased concentration, fatigue, nervous tics;
      • numbness of the limbs;
      • irritability, anxiety, nightmares, profuse night sweats;
      • laryngo-, broncho-, esophageal spasms (periodically occurring spasms of the larynx, bronchi or esophagus);
      • abdominal pain, relieved by taking antispasmodics (drotaverine, or no-shpi, spasmobrew, papaverine, platifillin), constipation or diarrhea;
      • painful menstruation in women;
      • hair loss, brittle nails;
      • toothaches, caries;
      • pain in the heart area, tachycardia (increased heart rate), various types of arrhythmias.
      • If a patient, in addition to leg cramps, has several of the symptoms described above, magnesium deficiency should probably be considered one of the causes of involuntary muscle contractions.

        Leg cramps in pregnant women

        According to statistics, almost every pregnant woman experiences this very unpleasant phenomenon. Since the vast majority of pregnant women are still more or less healthy, causes of seizures such as kidney disease or chronic heart failure are unlikely in this case. More often, involuntary muscle contractions occur for special reasons related specifically to the “interesting position” of the woman.

        1. Lack of B vitamins and imbalance of microelements (excess phosphates and sodium, lack of magnesium, potassium and calcium) in the blood, caused by:
          • improper (unbalanced, irrational) nutrition of a woman associated with her dietary whims;
          • insufficient function of the parathyroid glands (occurs with repeated vomiting, mainly in the first trimester of pregnancy (during toxicosis));
          • active growth of the fetus in the second trimester (everyone knows that for growth and development the fetus uses nutrients from the mother’s body, and if a pregnant woman does not receive enough of them from food, it is during the period of intensive growth of the baby that she experiences their deficiency “on herself”);
          • excessive intake of diuretics - drugs that stimulate urine output (they are often prescribed to pregnant women with severe edema, usually at the very end of pregnancy).
          • Moderate to severe iron deficiency anemia (can occur with insufficient consumption of iron-containing foods, and due to massive blood loss).
          • Hypoglycemia. Dietary disorders in the form of late or very rare (less than 3 times a day) large meals, abuse of foods containing easily digestible carbohydrates lead to a decrease in blood sugar levels at night and in the morning and, as a result, to seizures.
          • Chronic lack of oxygen and dehydration of muscles, resulting from excess caffeine and nicotine in a woman’s body, also often cause seizures.
          • Inferior vena cava syndrome is compression of this vein by the enlarged uterus in the position of the pregnant woman on her back, leading to deterioration of blood circulation in the vessels of the lower extremities, as a result of which cramps occur.
          • Chronic venous insufficiency. Since during pregnancy a woman’s volume of blood circulating through her vessels increases and blood circulation in the pelvis becomes more intense, the vessels of the lower extremities experience severe stress. If the walls of the veins cannot cope with the increased load, they stretch, forming pouch-shaped, or varicose veins, in which blood stagnates. As a result, blood flow is disrupted, an imbalance of microelements develops, which leads to seizures.

        Separately, it is worth mentioning such a serious condition as eclampsia. This is a type of late gestosis, manifested by high blood pressure, edema, the presence of protein in the urine and, most importantly, generalized seizures. This condition usually occurs in the third trimester of pregnancy and is life-threatening for both the fetus and the expectant mother. The appearance of generalized seizures is an absolute indication for urgent delivery by cesarean section.

        Night leg cramps in children

        Often accompany a period of active growth of the baby. Since the concept of a “cramp” is unfamiliar and incomprehensible to the child, the sudden onset of muscle contractions causes significant anxiety, fear and crying. The main causes of nighttime leg cramps in a child are:

      • keeping the leg in an awkward position, in one position for a long time;
      • hypothermia of the lower extremities;
      • lack of microelements (magnesium, potassium and calcium) in the body;
      • flat feet.
      • The last 2 reasons are likely with regular, disturbing convulsions for a long time.

        What to do during a cramp

      • Pull the toe of the leg on which the cramp has developed slightly towards you, then loosen the traction, then pull as much as possible. If the muscle spasm does not go away after this procedure, you need to stand on your leg and walk a little - these simple actions will speed up the blood flow in the limb and the cramp will most likely pass.
      • Apply a light massage to the area of ​​spontaneous muscle contraction from the periphery to the center.
      • Massage your leg with warming ointment and knead it.
      • Pinch the spasmed muscle or prick it with a needle.
      • After the cramp has passed, you should lie down for a while with your legs elevated - in this position, the outflow of blood from the lower extremities will improve, which means that the likelihood of a repeat cramp will decrease.
      • Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of seizures

        If you have regular seizures that have been bothering you for a long time, do not put off visiting a doctor. First, you should visit a therapist (if seizures occur in a child, then a pediatrician), who will conduct an examination, prescribe the necessary examination and, if necessary, recommend consultations with specialists of a narrow profile - a neurologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, nephrologist and others.

        If the cause of seizures is any somatic pathology, then with adequate treatment, the problem of sudden muscle contractions will soon be resolved.

        If the results of the examination show that there are no serious diseases that could provoke seizures, the doctor will give the patient recommendations, if followed, his condition will improve in the near future.

      • Proper nutrition.
        • It is necessary to divide the daily diet into 5-6 meals, and the portions should not be voluminous.
        • The basis of the diet should be complex carbohydrates - cereals, durum wheat pasta, vegetables and fruits.
        • Fats also take part in the mechanism of proper muscle contraction - a small piece of butter or fatty red fish will enrich the body with this essential nutrient.
        • Don’t forget about foods rich in magnesium (nuts, legumes, carrots, greens, seaweed), potassium (bananas, dried apricots, melon, potatoes), calcium (milk and dairy products), B vitamins (dairy products, walnuts , red fish).
      • A healthy lifestyle (adequate physical activity, avoiding heavy loads on the legs, quitting smoking).
      • Sleep in a comfortable bed in a position with your legs slightly elevated above the axis of your torso and head.
      • Taking relaxing foot baths with sea salt - dissolve 3 tablespoons of sea salt in 5 liters of water at room temperature.
      • Massage your feet with warming ointment or cream before bed.
      • Refusal of uncomfortable shoes, high heels (shoes should be comfortable for your feet, the height of a stable heel should not exceed 4-5 cm).
      • If you have chronic venous insufficiency, wear compression stockings and tights (the degree of compression of these things can be different - to choose the right one, consult a phlebologist).
      • Treatment of flat feet, including wearing orthopedic shoes and/or special insoles.
      • Taking medications containing multivitamin and mineral complexes (calcium-D3-Nycomed, Magne-B6, asparkam).
      • Leg cramps: causes and treatment

        This acute unbearable pain in the calves, which occurs suddenly, is familiar to many. There is no need to be particularly alarmed if leg cramps are episodic. But many people suffer from frequent, spontaneous or nighttime leg cramps. What is the cause of such torment, how to deal with it and can it be prevented?

        My muscles are cramped...

        Leg cramps can occur at any age, but most often they plague middle-aged and older people. The most serious causes of seizures can be hidden injuries, inflammatory processes, diabetes, damage to the thyroid gland, neurological and other diseases. If you suspect these ailments, you must undergo examination by doctors such as a neurologist, phlebologist and endocrinologist. As a result of treatment of the underlying disease, seizures usually go away.

        Night cramps are triggered by flat feet, varicose veins, stress, and excessive muscle tension, for example, during sports. Another cause of cramps is severe hypothermia, when the leg muscles cramp in icy water or in the cold.

        But most often, the occurrence of night cramps is caused by a deficiency in the body of magnesium, which is involved in the transmission of nerve impulses to muscle cells, as well as calcium, which

        is a physiological partner of magnesium. Vitamin D rounds out the trinity of anti-cramp fighters. It is necessary for the absorption of calcium and magnesium. The lack of these minerals is further aggravated by the fact that there are many factors that contribute to their loss.

        The most common causes of mineral deficiency

        1. Taking certain medications that make it difficult for the body to absorb and absorb magnesium. For example, antacids, such as Almagel and Maalox, used to treat heartburn, envelop the gastric mucosa and protect its walls from the aggressive action of hydrochloric acid, while simultaneously slowing down the absorption of vitamins and microelements. Insulin and Euphyllin promote the removal of this mineral from cells.

        2. Pregnancy. The expectant mother needs twice the usual amount of calcium and magnesium.

        3. Stress leads to loss of calcium, and it is necessary for normal functioning of the nervous system and rapid muscle relaxation.

        4. High protein diets make it difficult to absorb calcium.

        5. Increased sweating. Together with sweat, the body loses a lot of magnesium, which is why muscle cramps occur especially often in the summer.

        How to give yourself first aid

        - If you feel a cramp starting, sit up in bed, lower your legs down and carefully stand up, not on the mat, but on the cool floor. The body position should be as straight as possible, legs together. After a few minutes, blood circulation in the legs, and therefore normal muscle tone, is restored.

        - Take a deep breath, grab your cramped toes with both hands, and, overcoming the pain, forcefully pull them towards you and up, stretching the spasmed muscle. Make rocking movements of the entire leg at the same time. When the muscle spasm subsides, lightly massage the cramped muscle.

        - If the cramp is very strong and does not go away, try pinching the sore spot several times. Then gently massage your calf and foot using rubbing and patting movements from your toes to your heel and from your heel to your knee. Then lie down with a folded blanket under your feet. This position will ensure blood flow and prevent recurrent cramps.

        — Rub the leg muscles with warming ointment, vodka or apple cider vinegar.

        — For recurring muscle cramps, apply warm, moist compresses. Heat relaxes muscles and reduces nerve sensitivity.

        - Wear only comfortable shoes.

        - Avoid prolonged stress on your legs.

        — Reduce your consumption of coffee and sugar.

        - Stop smoking.

        — Include foods rich in magnesium and calcium in your diet.

        — Regularly do leg massages (contraindicated for varicose veins!) and leg exercises.

        — In the evenings, try to do foot contrast baths. Immerse your feet in either hot or cold water for a few seconds. For varicose veins, the water temperature contrast should be small. It is useful to add decoctions of medicinal herbs that have an anticonvulsant effect (horsetail, peppermint, valerian) to the water.

        - Sleep in wool socks.

        How to replenish mineral deficiencies

        Both diet and drug therapy help restore the physiological level of minerals in the body. If leg cramps frequently bother you, then you need to change your diet by increasing your intake of foods rich in magnesium, calcium, and vitamin D.

        Magnesium is found mainly in plant foods. Fresh vegetables and fruits are especially rich in it, parsley, dill, green onions, wheat bran, cereals, legumes, seaweed, figs, dates, prunes, dried apricots.

        Don’t forget that your food should also contain vitamin B6, which promotes the absorption of magnesium. There is a lot of it in fish, meat, beef liver, buckwheat and bananas, walnuts, peanuts.

        Milk, fermented milk products, cheese, cottage cheese, cabbage, including broccoli and cauliflower, and sesame are rich in calcium. Honey retains calcium in the body. Every day, drink a glass of warm water with 1 teaspoon of honey, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

        Vitamin D is found in large quantities in the liver of fish, primarily cod, as well as butter, egg yolk, and milk. It is very important to spend enough time in the fresh air, as moderate amounts of ultraviolet rays help the skin produce its own vitamin D, which is necessary for the absorption of calcium.

        Severe mineral deficiency is quite difficult to eliminate with food alone. Additional intake of magnesium and calcium supplements is necessary, but they should be taken only on the recommendation of a doctor!

        It is important to consider that the absorption of magnesium from the digestive tract due to its biochemical characteristics decreases after 18 hours. Therefore, medications that contain magnesium are best taken in the first half of the day. Another feature is that magnesium absorption occurs more efficiently with light physical activity than with a sedentary lifestyle. It is better to take vitamin D and calcium supplements in the evening, when their absorption by bone tissue increases.

        Magnesium preparations are contraindicated in cases of renal and adrenal insufficiency, decreased thyroid function, and a tendency to thrombus formation.

        It is recommended to do the following exercises in the morning:

        1.In a standing position, place your feet crosswise and lean on their outer edges. After 10 seconds, return to the starting position.

        2.In a sitting position, vigorously bend your toes, count to 10, then straighten them and count to 10 again.

        3.In a standing position, rise on your toes so that your heels come off the floor, then sharply lower yourself.

        The exercises should be done barefoot and each exercise should be performed at least 5 times.

        In the evening, you can relieve tension in the legs, restore blood circulation and prevent night cramps with the following exercises:

        1. Sitting on a chair, raise your legs and make circular movements with your feet.

        2. Bend your toes and then sharply straighten them. Move your fingers vigorously.

        3. Take ten slow steps in place, gently extending your feet with your toes down as you lift your legs.

        4.Stand near the wall and, leaning on it with both hands, take small steps back, gradually moving away from it. The body should remain motionless. Repeat several times.

        Before going to bed, after taking a warm foot bath, it is useful to perform the following exercises:

        1. Sit comfortably on a chair and relax. Raise your legs and stretch out your toes so that the top of your foot and shin form one line. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Then pull your toes up, spreading your toes as far apart as possible. Hold this position also for 5 seconds.

        2. Sitting on a chair, step your feet, sharply placing them on your toes, on your heels.

        3. Holding the back of the chair, lift yourself onto the toe of your right leg, lift your left leg off the floor and bend it slightly. Hold this position for 5 seconds, then squat slightly on your right leg for 5 seconds. Do the same with your left foot.

        When your legs cramp at night, you can forget about proper sleep. Isn’t it better to prevent the occurrence of such painful sensations, especially since this is not at all difficult to do?

        Night cramps of the calf muscles

        Nocturnal calf muscle cramps are a common phenomenon observed in people older than middle age and occur at night during sleep, preventing proper rest.

        A cramp is a spontaneous muscle spasm accompanied by severe pain. A common location of manifestation is the legs (calves and shins). The convulsive contraction lasts for several moments or minutes, causing the muscle to harden and become deformed. The sudden onset of a convulsive contraction is accompanied by acute pain, which can only be relieved with painkillers. The pain lasts up to a day, reaching its peak at night.

        Regular nighttime seizures are a signal from the body about the presence of a serious illness or abnormality.

        Establishing the cause is the right step towards recovery. Night cramps of the calf muscles are a kind of indicator of the general condition of the body, the manifestation of which is a good reason to consult a doctor.

        The main causes of leg cramps:

      • Unsystematic intense physical activity;
      • Cold;
      • Metabolism problems;
      • Diseases of the nervous system;
      • Stress;
      • Insufficient amount of minerals in the body;
      • Alcohol abuse;
      • Excessive excitability of the neuromuscular system;
      • Epilepsy;
      • Varicose veins, thrombophlebitis;
      • Sedentary lifestyle, obesity, flat feet;
      • Side effect of taking medications (diuretics, statins);
      • Lack of potassium, magnesium and calcium in the body;
      • Diabetes mellitus, Parkinson's disease, liver cirrhosis;
      • Prolonged vomiting or diarrhea;
      • Pregnancy;
      • Poor nutrition;
      • Disturbances in the functioning of the endocrine system, hormonal imbalances;
      • Muscle strain;
      • Staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time;
      • Hidden leg injuries.
      • Often, convulsive contractions of the calf muscles appear at night. During sleep, metabolism slows down, only the heart and brain work at a normal pace. The muscles are relaxed at night, the blood supply to the extremities slows down, leading to oxygen deficiency, causing cramps.

        To alleviate the condition during convulsive contractions, a special action plan has been developed.

        1. If a cramp seizes the calf on your leg, you should squeeze it with force and press your finger into the center for half a minute. The method helps improve blood flow to the muscle.
        2. To relieve spasm, it is recommended to press firmly on the center of the lower lip for thirty seconds.
        3. It will be useful to perform a light massage in the calf area to stimulate blood circulation.
        4. Raising your legs up helps improve blood flow.
        5. Sharp acute spastic pain is relieved by a sharp injection into the affected area.
        6. To relieve convulsive symptoms - pulling, stabbing sensations - hot and cold compresses are applied alternately.
        7. For preventive purposes it is recommended:

        8. Training on sports equipment, a treadmill is suitable. Cycling in combination with gymnastic exercises for the legs will be useful.
        9. Regular muscle stretching, relaxing massage.
        10. Reduce the amount of diuretic foods in your diet, alcoholic drinks and coffee.
        11. Take medications containing magnesium and vitamin B12 in moderation.
        12. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration if strenuous physical activity is expected.
        13. Eat foods rich in potassium. These are fish, tomatoes, grapes or bananas.
        14. Keep your feet warm at all times.
        15. Maintain a normal weight; obesity is the cause of leg cramps.
        16. Control the condition that causes nighttime muscle contractions (epilepsy, varicose veins).
        17. Wear comfortable shoes so that your feet don’t hurt after wearing them.
        18. During a period of intensive growth and development, a child, like an adult, may experience nighttime cramps in the calf muscles. The phenomenon is provoked by the following conditions: flat feet in a child, hypothermia, lack of minerals and vitamins in the blood, long stay in an uncomfortable position. The cause of seizures is determined by the doctor. With regular seizures, the most likely factors are flat feet and lack of vitamins.

          If leg cramps become regular, it is recommended to consult a doctor. Convulsive phenomena are dealt with by therapists and, in some cases, neurologists.

          To determine the cause of seizures, a blood test is performed to determine whether the patient has an imbalance of hormones or minerals. The state of blood circulation is diagnosed by measuring the pulse of the leg.

          Treatment of calf muscle cramps

          The phenomenon of seizures has been well studied by medicine; the purpose and process of treatment do not cause difficulties.

          If doctors are unable to accurately determine the cause of seizures, the symptom is explained by insufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals in the person’s blood. After examinations, Magne B6, Calcium D3 Nycomed, Asparkam, Kalcemin Advance, Panangin, Mydocalm, Diphenylhydramine Hydrochloride, Aralen, Dilantin, Quinine Sulfate are prescribed. The listed drugs are indicated for use under the strict supervision of the attending physician and only after identifying the reasons that explain the cause of convulsive muscle contractions in the legs. No medicine guarantees complete relief from the syndrome; moreover, it can cause complications in the body, negatively affecting the healing process.

          Medicine allows you to treat seizures using physiotherapeutic sessions, reflexology, deep professional massage, which has a beneficial effect on blood circulation in the problem area.

          If your calves regularly cramp during sleep, in addition to drug treatment, it is strongly recommended to change your diet by adding more foods rich in vitamins: lean meat, liver, seafood, broccoli, honey, legumes, dried fruits, dairy products, nuts, herbs, bran. Please note that simply low-fat foods will not bring the desired effect; they lack a number of vitamins that help in the treatment of seizures.

          Cramps during pregnancy are caused by low hemoglobin levels. The condition is dangerous for the mother and child; to normalize the condition, appropriate medications are prescribed only by a doctor.

          An additional reason that causes cramps in pregnant women is a lack of calcium, magnesium and potassium, which are excreted from the body due to toxicosis, sometimes involving frequent vomiting. Involuntary contractions are observed in the late stages of pregnancy, which is due to the peculiarities of the exchange of vitamins and microelements between the female body and the body of the unborn child.

          The uterus, greatly increased in size, puts pressure on the inferior vena cava, the outflow of venous blood from the legs is disrupted, which causes a painful attack.

          Preventive exercises against seizures

          To get rid of night cramps, constant training and strengthening of the calf muscles is required. Exercises have been developed for this:

        19. Sitting on a chair, place your feet flat on the floor and rest on them with force from the inside, sit like this for half a minute, then pause for a few seconds, repeat again. The exercise is performed several times a day.
        20. Flexion and extension of the toes.
        21. Alternating walking on toes and heels.
        22. Night cramps of the calf muscles do not pose a threat to human life, but they cause pain and other unpleasant sensations. To treat convulsive syndrome, the causes of its occurrence are first established, and then the doctor’s instructions must be followed.

          "Your health is in your hands"

          Leg cramps. Why? What to do? How to avoid?

          Greetings to readers of the health blog aniramia.ru!

          Today we'll talk about leg cramps. Before we talk about getting help during a painful condition, we need to understand the causes of leg cramps and how to avoid them.

          It is rare to find an older or middle-aged person who does not know what a cramp is.

          Leg cramps usually occur suddenly with acute pain of varying intensity in the lower leg, calves, feet, toes, rarely in the thighs and can last from a few seconds to several hours.

          At the same time, the leg muscles involuntarily tense, contract and cannot relax. Blood stops circulating in the “jammed” muscle group - we feel a lot of pain. And this causes the body to strain the leg muscles even more. We try to relax the muscle, but the body reacts to its tension and resists. There has been a breakdown. Vicious circle.

          Leg cramp spasms vary by type:

        23. Tonic spasms are prolonged muscle tension leading to stiffening and severe pain.
        24. Clonic spasms - repeated short-term spasms of tension and relaxation of different or the same muscle groups (example: tic of the eyelid or part of the face)
        25. Tonic-clonic spasms are a mixed variant (an example of an epilepsy attack)
        26. Generalized spasms – a spasm involves many muscle groups in the human body. This type is very dangerous, accompanied by loss of consciousness and requires immediate emergency medical care (example: convulsions due to tetanus)
        27. Episodic attacks of leg cramps are usually associated with improperly selected shoes and prolonged stay in a static position. Frequent leg cramps may indicate a specific disease.

          Causes of leg cramps

          Before talking about help during leg cramps, you need to know the causes of this condition. After all, a seizure is not a separate disease, but only a consequence of some underlying disease. Knowing the true cause, you can take adequate measures to prevent the occurrence of leg cramps.

          If we talk about diseases that are accompanied by leg cramps, then these are:

        28. Brain tumor
        29. Stroke
        30. Epilepsy
        31. Spasmophilia
        32. Acute infectious diseases (influenza) accompanied by high fever
        33. Acute poisoning, including alcohol intoxication
        34. Closed injuries
        35. Neurological diseases
        36. Polyneuritis
        37. Diabetes mellitus or prediabetes
        38. Vascular diseases - venous insufficiency, thrombophlebitis, varicose veins
        39. Osteochondrosis of the spine, radiculitis
        40. Diseases of the thyroid gland (hypoparathyroidism - disease of the parathyroid gland)
        41. Anemia
        42. But at the same time, periodic leg cramps may appear if there is:

        43. Flat feet
        44. Clubfoot - the heel looks inward and thereby causes not only curvature, but also pinching of blood vessels and nerves in the ankle joint
        45. Incorrectly fitted and tight shoes
        46. Reducing the formation of adenosine triphosphoric acid ( ATP ) in the body, as a result, the ability of muscles to relax is impaired. This is more often observed in pregnant women.
        47. Muscle fatigue due to incorrect body position and poor blood circulation in the muscles (working on your feet, standing in line, squatting (working in the garden beds), sitting for long periods of time, uncomfortable sleeping position in bed).
        48. High body temperature (hyperthermic convulsion) during infectious diseases, heat stroke.
        49. Genetic predisposition - convulsive readiness is developed in relatives to the same strong stimuli.
        50. Staying in a stuffy room.
        51. Nervous stress. At this time, the hormone adrenaline increases, breathing increases, and the result is a decrease in carbon dioxide in the muscles, which means muscle spasms or cramps.
        52. Physical inactivity or sedentary lifestyle.
        53. Acidity and slagging of the body (protein diets)
        54. Heavy weight
        55. Hormonal disorders
        56. Incorrect use of contraceptive drugs
        57. Dehydration due to diuretics, heavy sweating, diarrhea
        58. Hypothermia (sudden immersion in ice water)
        59. Lack of microelements in the body: calcium (hypocalcemia), potassium (hypokalemia), magnesium (hypomagnesemia).
        60. Lack of vitamins D, E, A, B.
        61. Leg cramps. What to do?

        62. Take off your shoes and stand with your entire foot on the cool floor, transferring the weight of your body to the sore leg. Thanks to this, blood circulation in the legs will accelerate, and small nerve vessels will become more excitable from the cold - muscle tone will improve.
        63. Through the pain, try to roll your leg from heel to toe; if that doesn’t work, then pull your toes up and thereby stretch the muscle seized by the cramp.
        64. If you are able to bend down to the floor, then you can do the following exercise: squat down sharply and raise your butt, keeping your head down. This stretches the muscles of the back of the legs. Having straightened up, you need to make a twisting movement at the waist, turning your torso first in one direction, then in the other.
        65. If the spasm does not go away, then you need to pinch the sore muscle, grabbing your calves and do this for at least two minutes, even if the pain has subsided. Usually, after a short period of time, leg cramps recur, and by pinching and patting the calf muscle, we achieve better blood flow from the site of the spasm and can avoid repeated cramps.
        66. You can hold your cramped leg under a stream of warm water and at this time stretch the muscle, pulling your toes up and moving your foot “towards the nose.”
        67. Then you need to lie down with a pillow or cushion under your feet.
        68. It is good for someone to massage the feet and legs in this position, rubbing in any warming ointment, alcohol, vodka, apple cider vinegar or table vinegar diluted with water (one to one).
        69. After the massage, your feet need to be wrapped. Better relaxation can be achieved by keeping your feet warm.
        70. If convulsions recur frequently, then you need to find the reason for this. The first person you will need to contact is a therapist.

          The body lacks microelements and vitamins. What to do?

          One of the important reasons for leg cramps is a lack of vitamins and microelements. And then the question arises: What to do? Of course, take measures to replenish them with the help of a rational fortified diet, taking vitamin complexes or dietary supplements in courses. However, we must not forget that:

        71. Adsorbents and antacids, due to their properties, do not allow the absorption of magnesium and calcium
        72. Any diuretic drugs promote the active excretion of calcium, magnesium, and potassium
        73. Eufillin and insulin remove magnesium from the body
        74. The hormone cortisol, produced by the body during stress, prevents calcium from being absorbed in the intestines and at the same time actively promotes its excretion by the kidneys.
        75. Proteins actively consumed by athletes remove calcium from the body, which prevents muscle spasms.
        76. Calcium is absorbed in the body only if there is a sufficient amount of vitamin D
        77. Expectant mothers intensively lose essential microelements during pregnancy
        78. How to eat to prevent leg cramps

          Most often, leg cramps arise from a lack of vitamins D and group B in the human body, especially B6, and due to inconsistencies in the amount of microelements Mg (magnesium), Ca (calcium), K (potassium).

          A rational, balanced and fortified diet plays a major role in restoring the balance of vitamins and microelements. When creating a menu, you need to take this into account and include in your diet foods that contain essential microelements, as well as vitamins.

          I offer you a list of food products that contain the most vitamins and microelements that help cope with leg cramps.

          Causes and treatment of calf cramps in men and pregnant women, prevention

          Every man and woman can face such a problem when the leg muscles cramp. In order to establish the cause of this pathology, it is necessary to exclude provoking factors. If this happens frequently, you should immediately consult a doctor.

          Why do my calves cramp? Cause and treatment

          Scientists have identified several main reasons:

          • exercise stress. If you sharply increase the load, without preparing the muscles and warming up, then your calves may cramp. Increase loads gradually;
          • static tension can be caused by long-term stress on the legs (sedentary or standing work). In this case, blood circulation is disrupted - the muscles contract and the calves do not receive the necessary nutrients;
          • stress and poor nutrition. Long periods of time between meals and diets help lower blood sugar. A deficiency of glucose occurs, which is necessary to nourish muscles. Thus, the content of calcium and potassium (electrolytes) in the blood decreases. You can compensate for the lack of potassium by eating cabbage, greens, and seeds. Rich in calcium - honey, eggs, milk, legumes;
          • metabolic disease. This creates a deficiency of oxygen and microelements that muscles need;
          • low temperatures, why when swimming in a river or lake in cold water, vasoconstriction occurs and the leg may cramp. People who suffer most for this reason are those who have calcium deficiency and spinal problems;
          • Excessive caffeine consumption contributes to frequent muscle contractions;
          • hormonal imbalance - cramps in calves when the concentration of certain hormones is disrupted;
          • atherosclerosis of the legs - blockage of blood vessels with cholesterol, resulting in cramping of the calves;
          • Glucose deficiency in older people may occur due to a slow metabolic process or the initial stage of development of Parkinson's disease;
          • leg cramps may appear as a symptom of varicose veins;
          • flat feet promotes contraction of the calves at night;
          • shoes that are incorrectly selected contribute to the manifestation of leg cramps;
          • During pregnancy.
          • Why do my calves cramp at night during pregnancy?

            It all depends on the period of manifestation of these symptoms. If convulsions in a pregnant woman appear during the first trimester, this is due to the manifestation of the body’s reaction to the development of pregnancy. In this case, toxicosis is characteristically expressed. With toxicosis, beneficial microelements are washed out of the body, therefore, it is necessary to replenish the supply of nutrients. To do this, you need to consult your doctor.

            If, during pregnancy, your legs cramp at night during the last trimester, this means that the mother and child have a nutritional deficiency. The child grows and develops quickly, and the need for minerals and trace elements increases.

            The answer to the question: why cramps in the legs during pregnancy may be the physiological structure of the pregnant woman’s body itself.

            There is a high probability that the uterus during pregnancy is located close to the venous arteries, which are responsible for blood circulation in the calves

            During pregnancy, you should not lie down on your back or on your right side, as these positions increase the risk of squeezing the vein located in the hip joint.

            Women who smoked and drank alcohol before planning pregnancy are susceptible to leg cramps.

            When nicotine is consumed, the blood vessels in the body narrow, which reduces the supply of blood and nutrients to the leg muscles.

            Preventing seizures during pregnancy

            For pregnant women, the attending physician prescribes a course of microelements, which is aimed at replenishing the deficiency of nutrients. During pregnancy, this course must include microelements such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. They are the ones who will help a pregnant woman cope with the problem.

            Why do men get cramped calves?

            Athletes often experience this problem, especially after increased physical activity. Also, dehydration can cause cramps with increased sweating. By losing water, the body wastes the microelements it needs, so this problem worries men most often in the summer.

            With unlimited consumption of sugar and caffeine, nutritional deficiencies occur. Excessive consumption of protein in food interferes with the absorption of calcium, which means you need to take calcium in special preparations.

            If you experience acute pain in the calf area of ​​your leg, do the following:

          • Intensely pinch your calves with your fingers and rub and massage your legs well. If the pain has not gone away and you cannot move your leg, take a tablet of acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin), it will relieve pain and normalize blood circulation.
          • An exercise where you pull the toes of both feet towards you will help you relieve muscle spasms.
          • For varicose veins, use anti-varicose vein remedies and medications.
          • Treatment methods for cramped calves directly depend on the cause. Only by eliminating it will you get rid of pain and discomfort.

            To prevent illness, follow the basic rules:

          • eat right, balance your diet and eat at a strictly defined time;
          • Massage your calves daily, do exercises to stretch and relax your muscles, avoid high loads;
          • protect yourself from stress and anxiety, use soothing decoctions and mixtures, herbal teas;
          • relax your muscles with pine and salt baths;
          • use warming cream for massage;
          • eliminate bad habits;
          • if you have flat feet, purchase special orthopedic shoes and insoles;
          • Doctors recommend placing a cushion under your feet before going to bed, which is also useful for preventing varicose veins.
          • Sometimes a cramp is a symptom of a serious illness: diabetes, epilepsy, brain tumor, etc. Therefore, if a painful spasm occurs in the legs, immediately seek help from a specialist.

            A cramp is an involuntary spasmodic contraction of one muscle or group of muscles. The cramp is accompanied by sharp painful sensations, numbness and heaviness in the legs. Such sudden painful contractions are called spasms. The syndrome occurs in men and women who have undergone surgery under anesthesia and serves as an alarming signal to the body about deteriorating health. It is not difficult to diagnose seizures; it is important to consult a doctor in time.

            Medicine has already thoroughly studied most of the causes and mechanisms of the occurrence of convulsive contractions in muscle groups of the lower extremities and knee. Doctors have developed a special classification that includes the types and severity of seizures. The clinical picture, mechanism and diagnosis have been studied, and a range of methods for treating the problematic condition has been developed. Seizures are a condition of low severity and can be treated without surgery or anesthesia.

            The article discusses in detail the reasons for the development of leg seizures in the area above the knee, diagnosis of the disorder and treatment methods, and provides detailed recommendations on how to prevent seizures. The classification of seizures includes generalized and partial types, tonic and clonic.

            By nature, leg cramps are divided into tonic, in which the muscles are tense for a long time, and clonic, when muscle groups alternately contract and relax. The severity of the condition and its diagnosis depend on the nature of the disease.

            Convulsions that develop in the lower extremities in the knee area and above are classified as moderate tonic. Attacks develop in the foot and calf muscles after exposure to cold or training. The appearance of cramps causes pain and heaviness in the legs, a feeling that the affected area is petrified and is pulling strongly. The development of cramps under the knee is sudden and lasts from 2 to 15 minutes. The pain behind the knee subsides only after one of the muscles completely relaxes.

            Predisposing development factors

            The main causes of cramps in the knee area:

          • Seizures develop due to a deficiency of vitamins, minerals and trace elements in the human body, anemia. The vital elements include magnesium, calcium ions, potassium, vitamin D (cholecalciferol). The listed microelements are responsible for neuromuscular transmission. The lack of elements in the body can be caused by a violation of the diet and nature of the diet, as well as undergoing surgery under anesthesia. Diagnosis is confirmed by a biochemical blood test. Violations of vitamin metabolism are provoked by a number of harmful substances (alcohol, caffeine, tannin, nicotine, glucose) and a protein diet after surgery and anesthesia.
          • Dehydration of the body. With active sweating, beneficial microelements are washed out of the body, causing a lack of moisture in the body. You need to drink at least two liters of water every day. Increased sweating occurs during sports, during physical activity, in the hot season or after surgery and anesthesia, after childbirth.
          • Exercise stress. The load on the knees during training is distributed unevenly. Insufficient attention paid to warming up before starting the main physical activity leads to overstrain of individual muscle groups and the development of tonic cramps. A similar effect is accompanied by monotonous hard physical labor and alcohol. For proper muscle function during training, it is useful to alternately tense and relax the muscles.
          • Non-epileptic muscle cramps in the legs occur due to a disruption in the transmission of nerve impulses from the brain to muscle tissue, which sharply distinguishes the attacks from the rest. These spasms affect the main muscle groups of the legs and thighs. The strength of muscle contractions varies - from small twitches of individual muscle groups to strong and painful generalized muscle spasms. Muscles in a state of spasm pull, become numb and harden, the attack is long-lasting (in contrast to a short-term epileptic attack).

            Severe non-epileptic seizures occur at night during sleep or upon awakening, occur without loss of consciousness and are accompanied by severe pain; patients feel heaviness in the limb, which is cramped.

            Frequent attacks of leg cramps indicate serious diseases of the musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system, and endocrine disorders. Neonatal seizures can also be included in this group.

            Cramps in the toes and feet

            Clinical signs of spastic contractions in the toes are provoked by metabolic disorders and diseases (joint diseases, venous insufficiency). Partial convulsive muscle contractions in the fingers of the lower extremities are also caused by atherosclerotic lesions of the arteries and veins of the lower extremities, diabetes mellitus, heavy monotonous physical labor and improper footwear.

            Frequent non-epileptic seizures of the toes and feet during sleep is a good reason to consult a doctor for a thorough examination and treatment. Wearing comfortable shoes with low heels serves as a good prevention of convulsive tension in the lower extremities.

            Principles of treatment of seizures

            Before prescribing treatment, the causes and pathogenesis of attacks are established. Based on this information, local agents or systemic drugs are prescribed.

            If a person develops non-epileptic seizures due to muscle fatigue or wearing tight shoes, it is enough to eliminate the causes and use a special ointment or cream to relieve spasms of skeletal muscles. If a patient exhibits symptoms of seizures during sleep or awakening, a diagnosis is recommended.

            In diabetes mellitus, metabolic cramps are treated with anticonvulsants prescribed by an endocrinologist and neurologist. After completing the course of treatment, the patient is given personal recommendations on the prevention and prevention of lower extremity spasms.

            Medicinal methods of therapy

            Drug treatment for leg spasms is carried out using anticonvulsants. For spasms in the lower extremities, the anticonvulsant drug “Ortho Taurine Ergo” is recommended, which affects leg cramps due to the content of succinic acid, lipoic acid, vitamin E, and zinc. The drug is used for diabetes and hypertension.

            These drugs treat partial seizures that occur without loss of consciousness at night or in the morning before waking up.

            Preparations containing magnesium and potassium ions (asparkam, panangin, Magne B6, Magnelis, Magnerot) have a good anticonvulsant effect.

            Treatment of leg spasms due to vascular pathology is carried out with the help of the drugs Escusan, Troxevasin. Capsules are taken as prescribed by a doctor before meals. For full-blown convulsive attacks, treatment is prescribed based on the results of electroencephalography by an epileptologist and includes drugs derived from benzodiazepine, barbituric acid, valproic acid, etc.

            For pathology of the parathyroid glands in adults, replacement treatment with calcium preparations and hormonal agents is prescribed. Psychosomatics are eliminated with the help of medications and sedatives.

            Local treatment and prevention with ointments for leg spasms in adults is carried out in the evening before bedtime using heparin ointment, troxevasin gel, and ointments based on horse chestnut. Such ointments relieve attacks and pathological symptoms due to the warming effect and anti-inflammatory effect on blood vessels and eliminate convulsive contractions in the legs during sleep.

            The ointment is applied in the morning and before bedtime. This is an effective prevention of seizures at night.

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