Cramps are uncontrollable contractions of the muscle system, which are often accompanied by pain. A muscle in a convulsive state becomes dense and hard, its shape may also change, and twitching is noted. If the attack is severe, muscle pain often persists for several days. When faced with such inexplicable pain for the first time, a person often experiences fear: what to do to prevent the pain from happening again. Some people are familiar with cramps from childhood, others experience this disease in adolescence or even adulthood, and they often bother pregnant women. At any age, it is necessary to get rid of them - after all, they significantly worsen the quality of life.
What causes spontaneous seizures? If there are no deviations in health in the body, then this phenomenon can be encountered in the following cases:
There are cramps that cover most of the body, cramps of the upper limbs and cramps of the legs (calf muscles). Let's take a closer look at each of these types.
The causes of painful muscle contractions throughout the body often include serious hidden diseases:
In these cases, it is necessary to consult a specialist - a neurologist. After identifying the cause and adequate treatment of the disease, seizures usually disappear.
Seizures begin to develop based on the extreme degree of excitation of nerve cells in the brain, which usually accumulates in a certain part of the brain. Such accumulation is diagnosed using electroencephalography and according to certain manifestations (special sensations before the onset of an attack).
Let's consider the most common type of whole body seizures - epilepsy. The main manifestation is an epileptic attack, the clinical symptoms of which are extremely specific: a moment before the onset of the attack, the patient feels a change in the perception of taste, sounds, and aroma. As a rule, one person experiences the same sensations before each attack, which is used to judge the onset of epilepsy. Immediately, the patient experiences strong tension in the muscles of the whole body, after which the muscles of the limbs regularly contract and tremors are felt in the body. The attack may be accompanied by a transient cessation of the breathing process. After a seizure, the patient usually falls asleep and then cannot remember what happened to him.
Treatment must begin as early as possible to stop the progression of the disease and changes in the psyche. After the first manifestation, you need to undergo electroencephalography and, if a cluster of nerve cells is established, treatment is prescribed, which is carried out for a long time. The drugs are discontinued after two to three years of use - only then can a complete cure be said.
It is important to know how to help a person with body convulsions - an epilepsy attack. The fact is that the patient must always be among people - he will not be able to help himself, which can end quite disastrously.
Those around you should place the patient in the “rescue position” - on his side, face down. Then unfasten all constrictive clothing and provide access to fresh air.
There is no need to try to insert anything between the teeth, or perform artificial respiration. Just be there until the doctors arrive.
The first medicine that is usually used in the treatment of epilepsy is phenobarbital , which is dispensed strictly by prescription, as it is a mild narcotic substance. Pharmacological group - barbiturates, has anticonvulsant, hypnotic and sedative effects.
An effective antiepileptic drug is carbamazepine . A very popular drug in the treatment and prevention of epileptic seizures, it can have a strong anticonvulsant effect and stabilizes the mental state of patients. Dispensed from pharmacies only by prescription.
This problem affects many people; hand cramps become especially important with age. Frequent manifestations of seizures indicate a deviation in health and that consultation with a doctor and treatment are necessary.
The most common cause of hand cramps is a lack of important chemical elements in the body: magnesium, potassium and calcium. These substances ensure the transmission of nerve impulses to muscle fibers. Also the causes of this disease are:
Sometimes cramps cause sleep disturbances. Learn all about the types of sleep problems.
Pain and muscle contractions in the limbs can be a manifestation of polyneuropathy. Read more here.
The patient is always conscious during hand cramps, even if the muscle tension is very painful, so he can help himself: vigorous stroking with pinching, rubbing the area of stiffness. Of course, you don’t have to refuse outside help—a loved one present nearby will do the same.
If cramps often occur in the same area, you can prevent attacks by regularly massaging the problem area. You can help in the disappearance of symptoms by regularly consuming vitamin and mineral complexes.
To determine the exact cause and select individual treatment, a consultation with a neurologist is necessary.
Leg cramps are uncontrollable painful contractions of muscles (usually the calf muscles). Many people have experienced this unpleasant sensation, and some are constantly bothered by it. What are the reasons for cramping in your legs?
Treatment consists of getting rid of the cause of the seizures. During an attack, a person can help himself by rubbing and massaging the area of the spasm.
The video discusses treatment options:
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Leg cramps occur in older people for various reasons; their treatment requires an integrated approach. This condition is nothing more than an involuntary contraction of individual muscle fibers. The duration of the convulsions is several seconds or minutes.
During a convulsive spasm, a person experiences sharp pain. Night leg cramps can occur in any age group, but are more common in older people. They occur in 50% of elderly people and are persistent. The pathological process most often involves the calf muscles of the legs, less often the muscles of the foot and thighs.
The causes of seizures lie in disturbances in the ion exchange of muscle cells, their insufficient blood supply, neurological pathologies, and age-related changes in muscle fibers. With age, muscles atrophy and shorten, which creates the preconditions for their spasms when exposed to unfavorable factors.
Factors contributing to the occurrence of seizures:
Diseases manifested by the appearance of night cramps:
The appearance of seizures in the elderly is most often associated with the presence of chronic diseases and age-related changes in the body
If cramps occur at night, you should:
Exercise and cycling help prevent seizures
Recommendations for treating leg cramps at home:
For varicose veins, wearing compression stockings, tights, performing exercises that strengthen the muscles of the legs, medications (Phlebodia, Venorus, Detralex, Troxevasin, Heparin, Trombless ointments), physiotherapeutic procedures, contrast showers are prescribed. Normalizing body weight is of no small importance. If these methods are ineffective, surgical treatment is performed.
For restless legs, sedatives, benzodiazepines, and dopaminergic drugs are prescribed.
First, they undergo an examination, including determining the level of microelements in the blood. Magnesium deficiency is compensated for by introducing whole grain bread, legumes, nuts, herbs, buckwheat, and fish into the diet. If necessary, medications containing magnesium are prescribed: Magnelis B6, Magne B6, Magnerot.
The lack of potassium is compensated by eating dried apricots, bananas, baked potatoes, and taking the drugs Panangin, Asparkam.
Replenishing the deficiency of microelements and vitamins is possible with the help of diet
Normalization of calcium levels can be achieved by consuming cottage cheese, hard cheeses, and fermented milk products.
As prescribed by your doctor, take medications that relieve seizures: muscle relaxants (mydocalm), drugs that relieve pain in neuropathy, calcium channel blockers.
Treatment for leg cramps takes a long time. For this reason, it is most important to take preventive measures to prevent them.
Walking in the fresh air, proper rest, a balanced diet - all this helps improve overall well-being and reduces the likelihood of seizures.
Generalized convulsive contractions (involving different muscle groups) can be slow, lasting a relatively long period of time (tonic), or fast, often alternating between states of contraction and relaxation (clonic). Mixed tonic-clonic seizures are also possible.
Localized seizures (involving one muscle group) can be tonic or clonic . Convulsive contractions develop as a result of dysfunction of the central nervous system caused by neurological diseases, infectious or toxic processes, as well as disorders of water-salt metabolism.
The causes of seizures vary. The occurrence of seizures in newborns may be a consequence of birth trauma to the head. A common cause of seizures is metabolic disorders and congenital abnormalities of brain development. In older children, seizures can be caused by trauma or brain infections, but most often the cause is unknown.
The causes of seizures in adults are tumors, blood vessel diseases, trauma and inflammation. However, convulsions can also begin due to excessive physical exertion, blockage of the urinary tract and bile ducts, poisoning, and pregnancy. Seizures may be a symptom of a disturbance in the bioelectrical activity of the brain or a reaction of the brain to disturbances in the body.
Possible causes of seizures:
In addition, seizures may be a symptom of the following diseases:
In most cases, you can cope with leg cramps on your own. To do this, you need to thoroughly stretch and massage the tense muscle. If your hand muscles spasm, you must immediately stop the work that caused the spasm and, if possible, massage your fingers or ask someone to do it.
During a seizure, it is necessary to place a cushion or pillow under the person’s head. To avoid tongue sticking, saliva, foam getting into the respiratory tract and suffocation as a result, you need to turn your head to the side . If a person has an open mouth, then it is necessary to place between the teeth , this will help prevent tongue biting. There is no need to forcefully unclench your jaw during a seizure.
Leg cramps, the causes and treatment of which we will discuss in this article, can be annoying at any age, but most often they occur in middle-aged and older . The most serious reasons for this phenomenon may be the following:
If you suspect these ailments, you should be examined by a neurologist, phlebologist and endocrinologist. As a result of treatment of the underlying disease, seizures usually disappear.
The following factors can cause leg cramps at night:
But most often, the appearance of night cramps occurs due to 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, and vitamin D, necessary for the absorption of magnesium and calcium.
Many people often experience leg cramps at night. However, not everyone considers it necessary to see a doctor. Some believe that the main cause of the malaise is overwork, an uncomfortable sleeping position or tight shoes. And they are not mistaken, since impaired blood supply is the main factor of the disease, which can be associated with various diseases.
They can be caused by diseases of the peripheral nervous system, which result in damage to nerve cells and disruption of their functions.
Seizures may occur as a side effect in response to medications . Muscle spasms are provoked by steroid hormones, diuretics and products containing iron.
Cramps often bother pregnant women . Due to increased pressure on nerve endings and blood vessels from the growing uterus, blood flow worsens. Also, during pregnancy, blood volume increases, resulting in swelling in the tissues, which can trigger cramps.
The most serious causes of seizures are:
In this case, contacting an endocrinologist and neurologist will help determine the diagnosis. As a rule, after the start of treatment for the disease, symptoms in the form of seizures disappear.
It happens that your legs cramp at night due to a deficiency of microelements. An unpleasant symptom may be caused by a lack of the following substances:
Often the situation is aggravated by factors leading to deficiency of substances. These include:
If the answer to the question why leg cramps appear at night is a lack of microelements, then the doctor recommends giving up coffee and alcohol and including in your diet:
Following several recommendations is also effective:
The causes of hand cramps are very numerous and varied. Any cramps, including those in the hands, are involuntary muscle contractions. A person cannot control them, but he can provide himself with first aid, which does not require special skills.
Why do my hands cramp? There are many reasons for this problem, but they are all a consequence of a person’s incorrect attitude towards his body. Quite often, finger cramps bother those who work a lot at the computer . Their hands are tense and remain in the same position for a long time, making the same type of movements. The result of such work is chronic “numbness” of the fingers and hands.
Among the causes of spasms in the hands, the main ones are:
Only a doctor can find out the cause of seizures after receiving the results of a complete examination of the person. When choosing therapeutic measures and medications, it is necessary to take into account the patient’s age, his general condition, life history and illness, the presence of concomitant pathologies and diseases that he has suffered.
The causes and treatment of hand cramps are in a close interdependent relationship: once the specific cause of this pathology is identified, it is easy to select a treatment that will give the expected result in the shortest possible time. In general, stopping an attack of cramps in the hands is quite simple, regardless of the time of day at which it began: at night, during the day, at the height of working hours.
If there are no results from self-treatment, you can seek help from a reflexologist . Sometimes the cause of spasms in the arm muscles is the regular impact on active points of the body, which causes increased blood flow in the tissues and leads to the formation of cramps. Only a specialist will be able to determine such a cause and find the optimal method to get rid of seizures forever .
Question: Hello. At times it cramps the legs, usually starting from the toes, then to the arch of the foot, sometimes moving to the calf muscle. I don’t see any connection with loads or time of day. It can begin while walking, or while resting, during the day or at night. Usually, if it starts, it will happen many times over the course of one or two days. Either with the slightest movement, or just in general, it starts to cramp, it’s very, very painful. Then it usually subsides on its own, either for one day or for several months - until the next time. What is the possible reason? I read that this is possible with flat feet, but I don’t have flat feet. And most importantly, what can be done? The pain is so bad you could climb the wall. Thank you.
Question: Hello. During pregnancy (third trimester), leg cramps appear at night, especially if you try to straighten them (you have to sleep with them bent). I think it needs magnesium, but I'm not sure. I periodically take spirulina and chitosan in a weak dose for general strengthening of the body. What can you take to relieve cramps? Thank you.
Question: Hello, my toes cramp when I swim in the sea, or when I walk on high soles. I would like to know what it is from and how it can be treated, or at least what to do in the first minutes when the fingers cramp, the pain is severe. Thank you in advance.
Question: Hello, leg cramps usually appear in the morning, before waking up, it is very painful. Then my leg hurts for 4-5 days. The cramps are not constant and may not bother you for months.
Question: Hello. My son is 14 years old. The second time the seizure occurred in a dream: convulsive movements, no breathing, mouth full of drool. Having cleared his mouth, he begins to breathe, his eyes are open, but he does not see or understand what is happening. Then he continues to sleep.
Question: Good afternoon! I am 67 years old. For several years now I have been suffering from periodic cramps in the calves of my legs and feet. I can only save myself by taking magnesium in dietary supplements. It helps, but very slowly. But I don’t know the most important thing (and the family doctor doesn’t say): after relief of the condition, do I need to continue taking magnesium - constantly or in periodic courses, even in the absence of seizures?
A mild attack has minimal symptoms, while a severe attack may result in loss of consciousness as well as sudden and acute muscle spasms caused by electrical activity in the brain. Typically the cramp lasts from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. If the seizures last longer, or repeated seizures occur without the patient regaining consciousness, this condition is called status epilepticus. If this happens, the patient should be immediately taken to the hospital. It is impossible to stop a seizure once the seizure has already begun. All that can be done is to protect the patient from bodily harm and injury that he may inflict on himself, and to provide medical attention as quickly as possible. Information about the number and duration of epileptic seizures will be very useful for doctors.
Any mild or severe seizure is caused by a malfunction of the brain.
Possible darkening of the eyes, confusion, snorting and puffing;
Tingling and convulsive twitching in parts of the body; urinary and/or fecal incontinence; short-term loss of consciousness; A special condition preceding epileptic attacks, which has various manifestations: a sudden feeling of fear, nausea, a feeling of numbness, dizziness. If severe salivation, foaming from the mouth, sudden fainting, loss of consciousness, sharp muscle spasms with twitching of the legs, deviation in the direction of the eyes and head (eye deviation) occur, urgent medical attention is required.
If you witness a seizure, the main strategy is to try to prevent the patient from getting injured; try to keep him from falling, place the patient on the ground in a safe place, remove all sharp objects and furniture. If necessary, the patient should be restrained (straitjacket). Without restricting the patient's movements, loosen tightly fastened clothing, especially around the neck. If vomiting begins, try to turn your head so that the vomit pours out and does not fall into the lungs and trachea.
In infants and young children, cramping may be the result of extreme heat; use cool compresses and cool water, but do not immerse your child in a bath of cold water.
After convulsions, many patients fall asleep soundly; do not interfere with their sleep. At the time of awakening, the patient will most likely be disoriented in space; stay nearby until consciousness is restored or until the doctors arrive. In the meantime, vital signs (pulse, respiratory rate) should be checked.
When the patient wakes up, ask him if he has ever had seizures before, and if he is currently undergoing examination as indicated. Recommend that the patient take the prescribed medication. If the patient has diabetes mellitus or is suspected of having diabetes mellitus, then sugar can be given (if the patient is unconscious, then granulated sugar or liquid glucose).
The doctor will take a medical history and conduct an examination, and if necessary, also refer for special studies, for example, a CT scan or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), EEG (electroencephalogram), lumbar puncture, blood test, X-ray examination. Prescribe the necessary medications.
Epileptics should always wear a medical alert tag or tag. Increased body temperature during fever should be monitored, especially in children.