Leg cramps are muscle spasms accompanied by severe pain. Most often, unpleasant sensations are felt in the calf muscles of the legs, less often in the thighs, feet, and fingers. Sometimes the pain is so severe that the muscle begins to tense quite strongly. Please note that muscle spasm is characteristic of different ages, but most of all it appears on average; it is associated with heavy physical activity, certain diseases, and lifestyle.
Most often, muscle spasms appear due to heavy load on the legs. As a rule, cramps are typical for football players, runners, loaders, postmen, and other difficult professions.
Spasm is also a consequence of:
We note that iron takes part in the formation of hemoglobin, it is he who begins to transport oxygen to muscle cells. When there is not enough iron, everything ends with oxygen starvation, and subsequently a spasm occurs.
Without calcium and magnesium, nerve impulses do not normally enter muscle cells. Only if there is a sufficient amount of vitamin D in the body, microelements will be absorbed normally.
The main cause of night cramps is a lack of nutrients. During sleep, a person breathes more slowly and the heart rate decreases. That is, the cells lack magnesium, while the nervous system and brain are actively working.
Daytime physical activity ends in night terrors. As a rule, one begins to dream of fights, falling from heights, and escapes, while the muscles actively move.
When cramps are a rare occurrence, the sharp pain that appears once does not give time to understand what happened. A person does not know how to get rid of unpleasant tension.
Are you experiencing spasms in your calves? Sit on the bed, take your toes with your hands, pull them towards you as much as possible. Of course, in the first minutes you will feel an unpleasant pain, but the tension will begin to go away over time. Legs with the other hand (provided there are no varicose veins).
You can pinch a very tense muscle as hard as you can; a prick with a sharp object also helps. It could be a pin or a needle - this will stop the spasm quickly. To prevent relapse, apply warming ointment to the affected area, then rub with alcohol.
It’s easy to get rid of cramps at home. If you are unable to get rid of unpleasant symptoms on your own, consult a doctor. Before undergoing a course of therapy, be sure to find out the reason that triggered the spasm. After eliminating unfavorable factors, night cramps will not bother you.
If you cannot find out the reason, try to saturate your body with useful minerals and trace elements. Remember, some drugs do not allow beneficial substances to be fully absorbed. Eufillin and Insulin remove magnesium from the body's cells, which is why unpleasant sensations appear in the muscles.
To get rid of unpleasant symptoms, try to follow these recommendations:
In order to get rid of an unpleasant symptom, you need to include in your menu foods that contain a lot of magnesium, calcium, vitamin D, and potassium.
There is a lot of magnesium in plant foods: parsley, dill, green onions, seaweed, wheat bran, figs, legumes, prunes, dried apricots, dates.
A sufficient amount of calcium is contained in fermented milk products: cottage cheese, milk, cheese, sesame. In addition, there is a lot of vitamin D in cod, in fish liver, as well as in egg yolk, milk, and butter. The most potassium is in avocados, fish, poultry, and bananas.
If there are not enough microelements, the nutritionist recommends taking mineral and multivitamin complexes. It is also advised to give up bad habits - smoking, not drink coffee, strong tea, otherwise seizures will become a frequent occurrence.
Thus, night cramps can bother anyone. To prevent the appearance of unpleasant symptoms, you need to reconsider your diet, lifestyle, give up bad habits, and exercise. Be healthy!
A cramp is a painful process in which one muscle or group of muscles contracts. Most people who have experienced a seizure at least once begin to look for information about why their legs are cramping. The most painful is a foot spasm, in which the toes seem to be twisted, and the foot throbs with painful sensations. Let's take a closer look at the causes of leg cramps.
When your feet cramp at night, they hurt very much, and the attack can last up to five minutes. Night cramps can affect both adults and very young children. The causes of night cramps are as follows:
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During a cramp, either one toe or several at once can be affected. Cramps in the toes always occur suddenly and unexpectedly. Why is this happening? There are the following supposed factors for the appearance of spasms in the fingers:
Before a cramp occurs, a person feels a slight tugging in the calf muscle. Then sharp painful sensations and strong tension in the area of spasm are observed. The patient cannot stand on his leg; the muscles are elastic and dense. The causes of this type of convulsion are as follows:
For the first time, convulsions in the foot may occur for no apparent reason. Typically, the first time a muscle spasm can occur is due to muscle overexertion. For example, when a person was without rest all day. Either he played a lot of sports, or he walked in uncomfortable shoes.
When blood circulation in the legs is impaired, the tendons shorten and spasms occur. You need to pay close attention to the initial manifestations of foot cramps in order to try to prevent them in the future.
Causes of secondary seizures arise due to the following situations:
Why do frequent seizures occur? They can occur due to muscle fatigue, excess weight, frequent stress and emotional overstrain, problems in the endocrine and nervous systems.
If you have frequent seizures, it is important to consult a doctor to undergo a full examination and find out the true cause of their occurrence. Since convulsive moments can be a signal of the development of a serious disease.
Very often, while carrying a child, expectant mothers complain of muscle spasms. This phenomenon disappears safely as soon as the baby is born. Frequent cramps in pregnant women occur due to excess weight, enlarged uterus and, accordingly, poor circulation, increased blood volume, high need for vitamins, and changes in hormonal levels.
In childhood, seizures occur due to the active growth and development of the whole organism. Why else do spasms occur in children's muscles? They can occur due to hypothermia of the legs, flat feet, lack of vitamins, or holding the legs for a long time in an uncomfortable position.
If your legs cramp, it is often important to conduct a diagnosis to identify the true cause of the cramps. First of all, go to the therapist and get the necessary tests. The therapist may prescribe a consultation with a neurologist, endocrinologist or cardiologist. If the doctor can determine the exact cause of the seizures, after proper treatment, the problem will disappear. If convulsive phenomena do not occur due to diseases, it is important to follow simple preventive measures.
Having figured out why your legs are cramping, it is important to learn how to act correctly during an attack. The first thing to do when a seizure occurs is not to panic. Try to remain calm. The body needs to be raised. Sitting on the bed, place your feet on the cool floor. It is the cold that will resume blood circulation. Stand up slowly. Keep your body straight, feet together. After a couple of seconds, the unpleasant tingling sensation will begin to disappear. Endure this moment. Blood will run through the limbs as usual. Its proper circulation will be restored.
To quickly relieve a cramp, pinch your leg or prick with a clean needle or pin . To help the blood flow to the right direction faster, gently pat and massage the area where the cramp has formed. Once blood circulation is restored, massage. Place your legs at a sixty-degree angle and rest.
People who swim and are prone to leg cramps pin a pin to their swimsuit, which, if necessary, is used to inject and eliminate the cramp. A simple pin in some cases saves the life of swimmers, especially when there is no one nearby who could provide the necessary help.
Having understood the reasons why your feet cramp, it is important to learn how to prevent them. Give your legs enough time and they won't suffer from cramps. Preventive measures are as follows:
In addition to the recommendations described above, there is no need to abuse diuretics. Engage in some light sports and do light exercises every day to stretch your muscles.
Now you know what causes cramps in the foot and entire lower limb. You can also easily help yourself during a seizure. If you have frequent cramps, it is important not to hesitate, but to urgently consult a doctor to carry out the necessary examination and eliminate the causes of the disease.
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Contraction of one muscle or group of muscles, which is accompanied by pain, is called a cramp. It is difficult to find a person who has not experienced this pain at least once. After such an attack, many immediately begin to study literature in search of an answer to the question: why does this happen and what to do in this situation.
This is a sharp pain that starts from the middle of the foot and covers the toes area and can last from a couple of seconds to a couple of minutes. A fleeting spasm that lasts seconds is nothing more than a simple sudden contraction of the muscles of the foot.
If the spasm lasts longer than a minute, then it is worth thinking about the seriousness of the changes that occur in the body and cause such muscle soreness.
There are different types of cramps - nighttime, spasms of the fingers, calf muscles, primary or secondary, frequent, as well as cramps in pregnant women and children. They all have a different nature of occurrence. But there is something the same between them.
There can be many reasons, the most common is a lack of vitamins. In addition to micronutrient deficiency, there are many other factors why feet become cramped:
Dehydration is also one of the likely reasons why muscles begin to contract frequently and painfully. A small amount of water in the human body contributes to a kind of tightness of the skin and muscle mass.
There are a lot of reasons, among them we can name both the main ones and the fact that a person may develop venous insufficiency or a lack of certain electrolytes in the blood.
At the first stage, it is advisable to start everything by checking the vessels and veins of the lower extremities. To do this, you need to contact a specialist in the field of veins - a phlebologist, and he will prescribe an adequate examination, ultrasound of the veins, and after all this - methods of treatment or prevention.
If your foot cramps, you must immediately relax your leg and make light massage movements.
There is also this way: strain your socks and pull them towards you, helping with your hand. If possible, place your feet on a cold surface; for some, a contrast shower or a light “prick” with a pin helps. After cramps, it is better to place your legs not on the bed, but a little higher, that is, placing a rolled up towel or pillow under them, this will prevent the cramp from reoccurring.
Every person should be able to cope with such unpleasant symptoms as leg cramps. They can also happen in the middle of the night and even during sleep:
Everything that was written about earlier is a fight against negative consequences. So why not pay attention to your feet in advance and prevent problems in the first place? Work on strengthening your ligaments before it’s too late, adjust your optimal weight, wear comfortable shoes:
According to statistics, more than 80% of people on the planet suffer from recurrent leg cramps to one degree or another. Seizures can occur in practically healthy people. This is usually due to muscle overstrain. Convulsions can be triggered by a lack of minerals in the body, primarily potassium, calcium and magnesium, as well as a number of vitamins: E, D, A, group B.
A cramp is an involuntary muscle contraction, usually accompanied by severe pain. Cramps may vary. For example, there are seizures that look like stereotypical rapid movements. For example, a nervous tic of the eyelid. This type of spasm, called clonic, is a consequence of short-term contraction and relaxation of individual muscle groups. But there are also tonic seizures, which are more familiar to many of us. This is when the muscles seem to harden for a few minutes, and this condition is accompanied by severe pain. As a rule, such involuntary contractions are local in nature. Most often, cramps occur in the legs and calves. It happens that the hip and foot suffer. Leg cramps can occur at different ages, but more often they affect people of the middle and older generations.
Perhaps one of the most common causes of leg cramps is a violation of the biochemical or electrolyte composition of the blood. Imbalances can occur due to a lack of calcium, magnesium and potassium in the body, as well as a lack of vitamin D. All of these substances help regulate muscle activity and control nerve impulses. Why do we lose essential microelements?
A simple trick to save the situation is to gently pull the toe of your foot towards you
and hold your leg in this position for a few seconds.
You can get rid of unpleasant muscle spasms only by eliminating the cause of their occurrence. If leg cramps are causing you anxiety and worry, it is best to consult your doctor. First, visit a therapist who can prescribe a general blood test to determine whether all the main indicators are normal. If leg cramps are caused by any disease, then the next visit is to a specialized specialist. But some methods for treating and preventing muscle spasms are available for home use.
Leg muscle cramps: serious and not so serious causes
Leg cramps at night (when your calves, feet, or toes cramp during sleep) can happen for a variety of reasons. These can be either congenital factors (such as serious hereditary diseases) or the most banal circumstances (incorrect sleeping position or excessive love for coffee). Among the most common reasons are the following:
The most serious causes of night leg cramps are diseases such as epilepsy, brain tumors, eclampsia, spasmophilia, as well as hidden injuries, inflammatory and infectious and neurological diseases.
Leg cramps at night: causes and treatment
It is important to understand: in case of illness, when your legs cramp at night, the causes determine the treatment, which means that in each specific case the method of getting rid of the painful syndrome will be different. And the specialist doctor is also somewhat specific.
For example, if the cause of leg muscle cramps turns out to be varicose veins, then the treatment method will be prescribed by a phlebologist. If the problem is revealed to be a deficiency or excess of any substances in the body, it means that for a while your “comrade” will be an endocrinologist. If you have flat feet or curvature of the foot, the orthopedic doctor will recommend wearing special shoes or insoles, etc...
And don't panic ahead of time! Often, leg muscle cramps occur for very ordinary reasons - for example, due to incorrect posture during sleep. In this case, an ordinary rubbing massage helps relieve muscle spasm.
regular leg exercises and massage.
Exercise 1. Stretch in bed in the morning. Stretch your legs, strongly straining your muscles, and pull your toes toward you.
Exercise 2. In a standing position, cross your legs. Stand on the outer edges of your feet, stand there for 10 seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise.
Exercise 3. Stand on your toes, stretch up and sharply fall on your heels. Repeat several times.
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Among many different diseases, there are functional and pathological forms. They are not a serious illness, but they make us feel worse. This condition includes myoclonus with characteristic painful muscle spasms. The most typical spasms of the feet and legs.
Convulsions are clonic and tonic. Clonic are characterized by alternating jerky tension in the muscles and their relaxation for several times. Tonic spasms keep muscles under prolonged tension, when the pain does not subside for some time.
The mechanism of pain is as follows: one of the muscle groups is tense and cannot completely relax. Blood stops flowing to this area, and fiber ischemia occurs. The result is pain and, as a result, muscle tension.
One of the causes of the painful condition is a deficiency of microelements in the body. These are primarily potassium, magnesium and calcium.
With varicose veins, their diameter increases and the walls become thinner. This leads to the formation of knots and painful cramps.
If the body is dehydrated, the blood becomes thick and the sodium concentration decreases, which is also the cause of foot cramps.
During menstruation, there is a sharp decrease in blood circulation. In some cases, this may be the cause of the spasm.
The modern active rhythm of life often leads to stressful situations. This leads to a deficiency of calcium, which helps relax muscles.
Cramps often occur in active athletes. Their muscles are in constant tension, and there is no way to relax them.
Hypothermia often leads to spasms and convulsions.
Improper use of diuretic drugs leads to a lack of sodium and magnesium. This increases the excitability of nerve endings and subsequently leads to seizures.
Patients with diabetes mellitus are also susceptible to this when the blood supply to blood vessels and nerve tissues is disrupted.
Due to damage to the venous artery of the legs, the ductus arteriosus is disrupted. This causes serious circulatory problems, including gangrene.
Flat feet and radiculitis are also one of the reasons.
Pregnant women often experience discomfort. This is caused by a lack of magnesium, glucose, potassium and calcium in the body.
With Raynaud's syndrome, the capillaries are affected. This causes a lack of oxygen in the muscles and the occurrence of myoclonus.
Various infectious pathologies and poisoning cause muscle and nerve disorders, which also leads to leg spasms.
Cerebrovascular accidents are often accompanied by tonic convulsions. Before their onset, there is a headache, the appearance of spots in the eyes, and loss of consciousness.
Sometimes you feel the onset of a cramp or spasm. The first thing to do is try to relax your leg. To do this, stand on a hard and cool surface. Straighten your torso, legs should be together.
If a cramp takes you by surprise, then you need to grab your toes with both hands and pull forcefully towards yourself to tense and stretch the muscle. When the pain subsides, massage your foot.
If your leg continues to cramp, pinch or inject the sore spot.
If you have varicose veins, then contrasting foot baths before bed will help. The temperature difference should be insignificant. The contrast trains blood vessels and tones the vein walls. Blood does not stagnate, as its outflow occurs, and the frequency of spasms and convulsions is significantly reduced.
To carry out the procedure, place two baths with warm and cool water. First, soak your feet in warm water. Once your feet are warm, immerse them in a bath of cool water. Repeat five to ten times. An alternative is a contrast shower.
Doctors advise doing daily morning exercises for cramps.
For the first exercise, you need to sit down and bend your toes upward for ten seconds with your hands. Then straighten for ten seconds and do four more repetitions.
The second exercise is performed standing. Taking a deep breath, stretch as high as possible on your toes and hold there for a few seconds. At the same time, the leg muscles tense. As you exhale, lower yourself sharply down. Repeat five times.
Third exercise. Stand facing a wall with your feet together. Lean forward, supporting yourself on the wall with your hands, and without lifting your feet from the floor. Once you feel tension in your legs, return to the starting position. Do the exercises for five minutes.
As with any treatment, the cause of the foot cramps must be determined. Rare manifestations should not bother you. If you experience painful conditions often, then consult a therapist or phlebologist. If the cause is a damaged artery, then you will be referred to a vascular surgeon. If you have diabetes, visit an endocrinologist.
You need to make up for the deficiency of missing microelements by changing your diet. It is necessary to add dried apricots, raisins, bran, pine nuts, and grapes. Additionally, take vitamin and mineral complexes.
Myoclonus is often treated with magnesium medications and muscle relaxants.
Uncontrolled contraction of muscle groups, which is accompanied by acute pain and numbness in certain areas of the lower extremities, is called a cramp or spastic syndrome.
Leg cramps are a problem for many people and therefore require a clear diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Muscle spasms can be caused by various reasons, but all of them are studied by medicine and can be cured fairly quickly. If you have cramps in your legs, make an appointment with a therapist and ask him to identify the cause of the disease. Most often, muscle contractions occur due to a lack of vitamins in the body; by replenishing them, you will forget about this problem for a long time.
First you need to get rid of bad habits and balance your diet, filling it with vitamins and microelements.
So what vitamins should you use for leg cramps? These are vitamin A, E, B and D. It can also be vitamin B6 and B6, magnesium, calcium and iron. All these useful substances can be purchased at the pharmacy and taken as a multivitamin complex. In nature, these substances are found in chicken meat, eggs, cereals, vegetables, fermented milk, dried fruits, potatoes, brewer's yeast, bran, seaweed and herbs. And to get a “charge” of vitamin D, you need to be in the sun more often.
To prevent spastic syndrome, monitor the water balance in the body, as if it is dehydrated, cramps may begin. To do this, it is enough to drink two to two and a half liters of liquid a day, avoiding green tea and coffee, as they have a diuretic effect and wash away beneficial substances from the body.
To avoid cramps, do yoga and Pilates; they will not only normalize blood flow in the lower extremities, but will also help you relax and relieve tension. And to prevent muscle spasms from bothering you at night, before bed, light an aroma lamp with the addition of rose, lavender and mint essential oils.
The necessary therapy and vitamins for seizures will be prescribed only after the doctor determines the cause of their occurrence and makes the correct diagnosis. Depending on what caused the unpleasant symptoms, in addition to vitamins, there will be drugs that normalize metabolic processes, blood flow and medications after injury, if any. It is important to remember one thing that all medications prescribed by a doctor must be taken strictly according to the instructions so as not to cause additional problems and complications, especially during pregnancy.
Traditional recipes also help fight the number and frequency of spasms. They help reduce pain during attacks, normalize blood flow and increase the elasticity of blood vessels. Use folk remedies both as a prophylaxis for convulsive syndrome and as an additional therapy to a doctor’s prescription.
You can treat seizures using folk remedies as follows:
Now you know what causes cramps, how to deal with them and what vitamins to take so that they never bother you again. By following the recommendations above, you can forget about muscle spasms for a long time. Be healthy.
Muscle cramps are muscle tension that occurs suddenly or lasts for some time, accompanied by unpleasant sensations and even pain. The most common muscle cramps occur in the legs. Nighttime muscle cramps usually appear as cramps in the calves and, less commonly, in the thighs and feet. They usually appear during the period of falling asleep or waking up.
The reasons for this phenomenon can be many factors. The most common are:
There are several ways to get rid of this phenomenon:
In this case, take all medications only as prescribed by your doctor, do not self-medicate. Drinking more fluids will reduce the risk of cramps.
If you think that any medication may be causing the seizures, stop taking the drug and consult your doctor as soon as possible.
To prevent seizures, it is enough to know and follow a few simple rules:
If you have muscle spasms and cramps that constantly bother you and are intense and painful, be sure to consult a good specialist. If you have frequent cramps that interfere with normal sleep, the doctor, after an examination and, if necessary, tests, will prescribe medications that reduce muscle tension. It is also worth remembering that leg cramps can be a symptom of an illness called “restless legs syndrome,” which is neurological in nature. Although most often muscle cramps are not a sign of a serious illness.
Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor. Deputy Director of the Scientific Center for Neurology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Head of the Brain Research Department
Neurologist, doctor of the first category Since 2001. Currently working in the neurology department, as a neurologist at Clinical Hospital No. 1 of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation. She worked in the emergency neurology department for more than 10 years, caring for patients with stroke and severe neurological pathology.
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