Good afternoon, dear blog readers! Each of us, at least once in our lives, has encountered such a phenomenon as leg cramps. Most often they come at the most inopportune moment and make us feel inconvenienced.
My legs are cramped so much that it is impossible to move, and it hurts to stand up. What is the reason for this phenomenon? Is it dangerous? Is it possible to get rid of cramps forever? See the article for answers to these questions.
Statistics say that 80% of all people experience leg cramps to one degree or another. It is worth noting that convulsive muscle contraction is not an independent disease.
There are different types of muscle spasms. As for the legs, they are most often affected by conical cramps, familiar to each of us: when the leg hardens, which leads to pain and for several minutes the person cannot move.
But the most painful sensation is a cramp in the calf muscles, which takes a person by surprise. Most often, people of mature and elderly age are susceptible to convulsive conditions, although it is also not uncommon in children.
A person can predict the approach of this phenomenon. As a rule, cramps are preceded by: numbness, tingling, twitching, a feeling of “pins and needles”, fatigue.
Very often, the occurrence of leg cramps is associated with a lack of microelements in the human body, with muscle overstrain, with a lack of magnesium and potassium. Lack of vitamins A, C, E, D, B also negatively affects the muscle tone of the limbs.
In order to avoid cramps, it is necessary to regulate the functioning of muscle tissue. You should monitor your potassium and magnesium intake. If you take medications, adsorbents or diuretics, you should know that they help remove trace elements from the body. Muscle fibers become dehydrated and this leads to increased muscle contractions.
Watch the video: Leg cramps. Causes and treatment.
The cause of potassium deficiency is excessive protein intake, increased sweating, dehydration, and club feet. If desired, they can be replenished by taking vitamin complexes, a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet.
When stressed, the body produces a hormone that impairs the absorption of potassium in the intestines.
During pregnancy. Lack of microelements is also observed in pregnant women; they need to especially carefully monitor their health. During pregnancy, cramps are associated with a lack of magnesium.
In children and adolescents, legs cramp for various reasons, usually caused by:
In older people, the cause of leg cramps also lies in chronic diseases, taking diuretics and poor nutrition, and can also be caused by age-related changes.
Long-term wearing of high-heeled shoes. Women often neglect their health for the sake of beauty. And in vain. Shoes need to be chosen wisely and under no circumstances should you wear high heels every day. The best shoe option for healthy feet is low-heeled, wide-heeled shoes with a smooth instep;
Physical and psycho-emotional stress also negatively affects the health of the legs. Stress leads to disruption of the nervous system, relaxation of muscles and loss of calcium.
Muscle hypothermia . Before swimming in cold water, you need to think carefully: do you need it? Hypothermia leads to convulsive impulses of the limbs, which is very dangerous on the water.
High protein meals. Protein interferes with calcium absorption. In pursuit of a thin waist, women are ready to eat healthy protein foods every day, forgetting that their body needs nutrients. Therefore, while dieting, do not forget to provide your body with potassium, calcium and magnesium.
Leg cramps may also indicate the following diseases:
Impaired formation of nerve impulses and loss of muscle tone. As already noted, such muscle spasms are a phenomenon that occurs in 80% of the world's inhabitants. This suggests that a leg cramp can occur in absolutely healthy people. All that remains is to find out why?
Firstly , as already mentioned, in our time very few people monitor their diet and do not think at all about what medications they are taking. Many older people take pills for blood pressure and kidney disease, which are diuretics, and “with the help” of these pills, a person gets rid of phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium along with urine. Magnesium deficiency is a common cause of seizures.
Secondly, the cause of cramps may simply be the hot season or increased physical activity. When a person loses a lot of moisture due to sweat, and this loss is not replaced. As a result of dehydration, frequent contraction of muscle fibers occurs. It’s not for nothing that they say that water is life. Every day a person should drink 1.5-2 liters of water. This little trick will save you from many troubles in the future.
Thirdly, the reasons include excessive consumption of coffee, cocoa, chocolate and alcohol. Both excessively active physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle are harmful. Sedentary work helps slow blood circulation in the extremities, especially with flat feet and varicose veins.
If your job is sedentary, take a couple of minutes to stretch your body. Your feet will thank you. Uncomfortable shoes won't do you any good either. Never wear tight shoes made of cheap materials. Cramps can also occur after prolonged walking or swimming.
Leg cramps during pregnancy most often affect women who experience toxicosis in the first trimester of pregnancy. Do not forget that a woman in position needs a large amount of vitamins, and because... We have already found out that the main cause of seizures is the leaching of potassium, magnesium and calcium from the body, then these microelements simply need to be replenished.
What are the causes of cramps in pregnant women? The fact is that in pregnant women the uterus increases in size, it puts pressure on the inferior vena cava and impedes the outflow of venous blood from the legs. Cramps occur especially often when lying down. Women have lower blood glucose levels, which also affects muscle tone. That is why pregnant women must follow a daily routine and adhere to a balanced diet.
This should be discussed separately. No matter how much they say: don’t swim in cold water, there will always be brave souls who are ready to risk their health. In addition, the coolness factor of the water is individual for each person. What to do if you experience cramps in the water?
If you manage to get to land , then: grab your leg with both hands and pull the toe towards you, and stick your heel back. Despite the pain, the cramp should go away after a couple of minutes. Afterwards, stretch and massage the damaged areas. If that doesn't help, press the heel of your foot firmly against your buttock.
If you are in the water , then it is important to change your position. If you swam on your chest, then roll over onto your back and vice versa. Pull your knees towards you, grab your foot and sharply pull it towards you. If this method does not help, use the following: immerse your head in the water, grab the big toe of the cramped leg with the opposite hand and pull it towards you.
The causes of leg cramps at night are most often trivial - a change in body position. When lying in one position for a long time, the body becomes numb and with sudden movement a spasm occurs. After a cramp, a person cannot fall asleep for a long time due to painful sensations caused by lactates accumulated in the muscles.
Cramps during sleep are especially common in people suffering from osteochondrosis and in the elderly. According to doctors, frequent nighttime cramps may be a sign of incipient thrombosis. Therefore, if this problem bothers you, consult your doctor.
How to help yourself if your leg cramps at night?
You can cope with an attack on your own in the following way: relax your leg as much as possible. Pull the sock towards you. Get up and try to walk around, stretch your leg, massaging it at the same time. If the spasm does not go away, prick yourself with a needle. If you know in advance that a cramp may occur at night, then you can wrap your calf with an elastic bandage.
Yes, it is simple magnets that relieve spasms. Place magnets on the problematic part of the body and within a few minutes the cramps will go away.
Or they also say that you need to press the cramped muscle against cold metal or stand barefoot on a cold floor. My mother also had convulsions and immediately pressed her leg to the metal head of the bed on which she slept. And it helped her.
Traditional medicine is a storehouse of useful knowledge. You shouldn’t neglect folk remedies; sometimes they play a significant role in a person’s recovery. Here are some healthy recipes.
Garlic tincture. Fill a third of the jar with chopped garlic with vodka. Leave for 2 months, shaking every day. Take orally: 5 drops three times a day before meals.
Garlic oil. Crush the garlic, pour unrefined sunflower oil into the resulting pulp. Leave in the refrigerator for 1 day. Take one teaspoon of garlic oil 3 times a day, wash down with freshly squeezed lemon juice. The course of treatment is no more than 3 months.
Lemon juice . Twice a day, morning and evening, lubricate your feet with lemon juice.
Mustard ointment . Mix two teaspoons of mustard powder with a jar of Vaseline. Rub your skin when a cramp occurs. Lubricating the skin with mustard is useful when tingling occurs in the muscle and blood flow forms. This ointment is good to have in your home medicine cabinet.
Yeast . Pour boiling water over the rye bread crackers and leave for 4 hours, then strain and add yeast. The drink should ferment after 8 hours. You should drink it 100 ml. 1 time a day before meals.
Apple vinegar . Mix a spoonful of vinegar and honey in a glass of hot water. Take hot 3 times a day, but no more than a week.
Collection of herbs . Take mint, yarrow, and nettle herbs in equal proportions. Pour 100 grams of the mixture with 200 grams of water, bring to a boil, and cool. Pour the resulting broth into a bath or bucket of water and steam. Repeat 15-20 procedures. The cramps will go away.
Celandine. Squeeze the juice from the celandine and mix with Vaseline. Rub the resulting ointment onto the areas where cramps occur.
Onion peel. Pour a glass of boiled water over the chopped onion peel and let it brew for 10 minutes. You can drink it at night. Traditional recipes say that after the first dose, there will be no cramps that day.
Salt . When a cramp begins, place a pinch of salt on the tip of your tongue. After a few minutes the cramps should go away.
Honey . A good helper in the fight against cramps. Honey is tasty and healthy. It is beneficial to eat 20-25 grams of honey every day.
Horseradish. Grate 200 grams of fresh horseradish on a fine grater, add 500 grams of honey and olive oil. Stir and place in the refrigerator. You can eat 1 tablespoon once a day.
I would like to recommend you several exercises that effectively help fight cramps.
If such conditions have become a real problem for you, you should quit smoking and drinking coffee. Eat greens, cereals, dried fruits, eggs, liver, butter, milk, bananas, meat. The largest amount of potassium is found, surprisingly, in potato peels.
At the discretion of the doctor, you need to take multivitamin complexes. Choose comfortable shoes. Play sports; moderate physical activity has a positive effect on health.
A contrast shower leads to muscle tone. Regular use of such a shower strengthens muscles. You can cope with cramps yourself at home.
To minimize leg cramps, you need to see a doctor and undergo general blood and urine tests, which will show whether your vital signs are normal. Then you should adjust your diet.
Leg cramps are an unpleasant phenomenon that is familiar to everyone. The measures listed in the article will allow you to avoid this phenomenon. Watch your body, perhaps it is giving you signals. Be healthy!
Why the legs cramp - this question worries people of different ages who are faced with this problem. Night leg cramps can have different causes. Leg muscle cramps often occur in patients over 50 years of age. However, leg cramps at night can cramp muscles in people of all ages, even including children. What are the reasons for this phenomenon on the legs? Why do my legs cramp at night? And what treatment is required for patients of different ages, especially people 50 years and older?
Why do my legs cramp at night? The causes of leg cramps that cramp the muscles can vary, depending on the person's age and many other factors. The main reasons why, according to experts, the muscles in the legs of people of different ages can cramp at night are the following:
Often the causes of leg muscle cramps at night lie in a sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical activity, as well as poor nutrition, leading to a deficiency of certain vitamins and microelements. Such reasons can occur in patients of different ages, but they are especially typical for people over 50 years of age. In order to understand how to deal with this phenomenon and what treatment a patient needs if his leg often cramps at night, you need to clearly establish the causes of this problem and understand which diseases that provoke muscle spasms should be eliminated.
Leg cramps at night occur not only in people over 50 years old, but also in children of all ages. Why do the muscles of small patients cramp? Experts identify the following factors that can provoke this phenomenon:
In newborn babies, the reasons why muscle cramps may occur at night are different and are often caused by birth injuries, metabolic disorders, asphyxia, or the presence of diabetes mellitus in the mother. In children under 3 years of age, pediatricians identify the following reasons that may cause leg cramps at night:
What to do if a child has muscle cramps at night? What measures should be taken and what treatment will be required? If the appearance of a convulsive syndrome in a baby is regular and systematic, then this is a very good reason to seek professional advice and treatment from a pediatric specialist. The doctor will examine the little patient, conduct a comprehensive diagnosis and, having established the exact causes of the problem, prescribe the child the optimal, competent treatment, which will be extremely effective in a specific clinical case.
First aid, if a child’s leg cramps at night, is to give the little patient a massage - gently stretch the limb whose muscles are affected by the cramp. It is not recommended to give medications and water to your baby without permission. Make sure your child eats well and drinks enough water. The use of children's vitamin and mineral complexes often helps prevent the development of seizures. If the occurrence of muscle cramps in the lower extremities at night is due to the manifestation of various diseases, then treatment, first of all, should be aimed at eliminating the provoking factors!
Since the use of medications for children is extremely undesirable, the answer to the question of how to treat leg cramps in a child can be found in the treasury of traditional medicine. Treatment with folk remedies is a great way to help a small patient at night at home:
Contrary to popular belief, leg cramps at night occur not only in people over 50 years of age, but also in young people. Provoking factors can be very different. Often the causes of leg muscle cramps lie in insufficient physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle. Against this background, young people develop hemorrhoids, one of the main symptoms of which is contraction of the muscles of the lower extremities at night.
Why do seizures occur at a young age? Quite often, the causes of this problem lie in various kinds of diseases of a venous and vascular nature. In the modern world, such ailments as thrombophlebitis, varicose veins, etc., affect people of different age categories, not only over 50 years old, but also very young people. In this case, cramps in the calves are observed with a tendency to occur at night. In this case, treatment involves the use of phlebotonic drugs, which should be taken strictly as prescribed by the doctor in the dosage recommended by the specialist individually. For joint diseases, tablets for leg cramps - chondoprotectors - have a good effect.
Common reasons why people experience cramps are club feet, which cause twisting and deformation of the ankle joint. At the same time, the legs quickly get tired when walking, the person suffers from a feeling of heaviness and pain in the knees and ankles, and the foot often cramps. In this case, the first thing you should do is to consult an orthopedic specialist who will prescribe the appropriate treatment for you. If your leg cramps sharply at home, first aid may include traditional medicine recipes:
Leg cramps are a common occurrence that expectant mothers face. The reasons why women experience muscle cramps during pregnancy are primarily due to a deficiency of microelements such as magnesium and calcium. A pregnant woman’s body spends a huge amount of calcium on the formation of the skeletal system of the unborn baby, which causes a deficiency of this substance. In addition, the rapidly increasing weight of the expectant mother has a negative effect on the veins of the lower extremities, provoking the development of varicose veins.
Often, pregnancy becomes a factor that greatly increases the risk of diseases such as diabetes, varicose veins, arthrosis of the lumbar spine and osteochondrosis. The above ailments also cause leg cramps during pregnancy, which causes the expectant mother a lot of pain and discomfort. Also, according to experts, the following factors can provoke the development of convulsive syndrome in pregnant women of different ages:
A woman in an interesting position may suffer from leg muscle cramps even if she smokes, is overweight, or takes diuretic drugs for a long time. If you experience leg cramps, what should you do during pregnancy? First of all, the expectant mother needs to seek advice and treatment from a specialist, since seizures may indicate the presence of quite serious and dangerous diseases.
The doctor will diagnose, examine the patient and, if necessary, prescribe appropriate treatment. Often during pregnancy, for such problems, it is recommended to take magnesium supplements. Also, for leg cramps, especially if the limb hurts, the expectant mother may well use extremely safe, gentle and at the same time quite effective folk remedies:
As an emergency aid, it is recommended to massage the cramped area of the leg in order to relax the muscle groups. You can do a little exercise: slowly pull your toes towards you and then relax them. It is recommended to repeat this manipulation about 10-15 times.
According to statistics, patients over 50 are most susceptible to leg cramps. According to experts, in people over 50 years of age, leg cramps at night have the following causes:
Leg cramps in older people (over 50 years of age) can occur as a result of a cause such as restless legs syndrome. This disease is manifested by cramps, burning and other unpleasant sensations localized in the lower extremities, with a tendency to occur at night. People of all ages are susceptible to this disease, but most often this cramping syndrome is observed in patients over 50 years of age. The disease develops as a result of disruption of cellular iron metabolism and a deficiency of certain microelements.
Very often, cramps of the lower extremities occur as a manifestation of varicose veins, thrombophlebitis and other vascular diseases, which worsen over the age of 50 years. In this case, patients need competent treatment of the underlying disease, which can be recommended by the attending physician. Factors such as hypothermia, excess sugar or caffeine can also trigger seizures. Therefore, it is very important for people over 50 years of age to follow a proper diet and lead a healthy lifestyle!
How to get rid of leg cramps at night? Patients aged 50 years and older are recommended to drink magnesium complexes for seizures. If the cause of seizures lies in insufficient potassium and magnesium levels, then taking the drug Asparkam will help normalize the potassium balance, which is often disturbed in people aged 50 years and older. In the event that the cramps are too bothersome, you need to seek help from your doctor. A specialist may recommend tablets for leg cramps to patients over 50 years of age. The following drugs have proven themselves to be excellent:
Their action is aimed at restoring the tightness and elasticity of venous vessels, which is so important for people over 50 years of age. If your limbs are cramping, you can apply a hot compress or a warm heating pad to them.
The causes and treatment of muscle cramps in the lower extremities at night may vary, depending on the age category and general health of the patient. In case of seizures, it is strongly recommended to seek help from a qualified specialist, since such a manifestation may indicate the presence of serious diseases that require competent treatment. People of the older generation (50 years or more), prone to thrombophlebitis, varicose veins and other vascular pathologies, need to be especially careful.
There is probably no person who has never experienced leg cramps in the calves under the knee at night. Night leg cramps always occur suddenly, are very painful and unpleasant, any attempt to make any movement or do anything brings incredible suffering. It seems to a person that his leg veins and muscles are about to burst.
What to do if your leg cramps?
Moisten your index finger generously with saliva and apply it to the area under the knee of your cramped leg - the pain and tension will immediately go away!
But leg cramps can occur not only at night, but also during the day - in the foot on the sole - the toes begin to twist down and inward - a very painful phenomenon.
Leg cramps may occur:
Today we will talk about the causes of night and daytime leg cramps, why they occur, about the treatment of leg cramps - what to do and how to get rid of them at home using simple home folk remedies and medications, medications and exercises.
At the end of the publication, watch the video with a detailed consultation with Dr. Evdokimenko about why cramps in the legs: how to treat them correctly, available simple treatment methods.
The muscles of the calves and fingers are most susceptible to prolonged spasms. There are many reasons, and treatment is selected depending on them. Symptoms of painful muscle spasms in the lower legs are more common during sleep.
Regardless of the manifestation and type, spasms are the body’s reaction to any internal or external stimuli. Convulsions are classified according to quality:
According to the area of influence, seizures can be divided into:
The main causes of leg spasms at night:
The causes of cramps at night can be states of increased impulse activity of the brain (with head injuries, epilepsy, psychosis, a decrease in the amount of ATP (with varicose veins, diabetes, heart failure).
When spasms occur, the patient’s condition can be alleviated, pain and discomfort can be relieved. For this purpose you can:
To improve blood circulation and relieve spasm or its consequences, do light exercises for the legs in the form of natural movements of the foot, lower leg, circular movements, pulling the foot towards you - away from you, left and right. The attack will pass!
Before treating leg cramps, you need to clearly determine the reason why your legs cramp at night. As a concomitant treatment, the diet is adjusted towards greater vitamin content (groups B, D and E, can also be obtained in tablet form).
Most often, cramps appear when there is a lack of blood circulation in the muscles, during physical stress and overexertion.
Local anticonvulsants have not been developed. And those that do have a lot of side effects.
Vitamin-mineral complexes and magnesium preparations can act in a targeted manner, for example:
Among the vitamin-mineral complexes:
It is also useful for children to take them when their diet lacks nutrients.
Ointments will help relieve the pain of convulsive spasms:
You can alleviate the condition of muscle spasms and twitching using the following recommendations:
Taking contrasting foot baths (cold - hot), rubbing (pouring) the skin of the feet alternately with hot and cold water before falling asleep. The procedure very well improves blood microcirculation in the legs and reflexively has a calming effect on the central and peripheral nervous system. When taking foot baths, you can add decoctions of medicinal herbs and medicinal plants to the water: decoction of valerian root, horsetail, peppermint.
Eat more foods:
Performing a gymnastic complex of natural movements:
This will improve muscle condition and reduce the frequency of cramps.
To reduce seizures and the frequency of their occurrence, there are effective traditional medicines.
Using this set of exercises, you can reduce the frequency of painful muscle spasms. If your leg cramps, the following movements help:
To get a good stretch in your calf muscles, do the following:
When you feel a cramp approaching, immediately pull your toes towards you. This will help stop the attack.
To alleviate the condition, you can move your leg back from the bed, resting your toes on the floor. Apply pressure to the forefoot with your weight.
Regular exercise will help prevent cramps at night.
To prevent night leg cramps, you can follow some principles:
Leg cramps can disrupt sleep. But by doing simple exercises and following the recommendations described above, you can get rid of the disease. If convulsive muscle spasms are a frequent occurrence, consult with general practitioners and neurologists.
Do not be surprised by nighttime leg cramps during pregnancy; this is a common occurrence and is not dangerous, although unpleasant. Good luck and good health to you!
On Alina Kazak's video channel.
In this video I will talk about the causes of leg cramps in pregnant women and how to deal with it instantly!
On my channel you can also find topics such as pregnancy, how to dress beautifully for pregnant women, and what you need to take with you to the maternity hospital. How to give birth easily and without tearing! I'll share my tips on breastfeeding, how to teach your baby to talk, how to potty train him, and how to teach him to fall asleep on his own. And, of course, beauty and fashion theme. How to care for thin hair, medical procedures, as well as salon procedures. Hot cosmetics! I will tell you how to dress beautifully and inexpensively, how to dress stylishly.
On the Grossmann Center video channel.
The issue of nighttime leg cramps is raised by most people who are losing weight, especially those who lose a lot of weight quite quickly. The fact is that when you burn fat, consider it as if you received a lot of physical activity and the products of burning fat, the same acids create this cramp for you! By and large, it's not scary.
What to do if you have leg cramps? If leg cramps appear at night: relax, calm down, stroke your leg. Make a movement towards the body to stretch it a little and pull out this liquid with acid.
On the video channel “Health-Life!” The author gives his vision of the problem.
Leg cramps are painful muscle contractions. Many people have experienced this unpleasant sensation, and some are constantly bothered by it. What are the reasons for cramping in your legs?
On the video channel of Dr. Evdokimenko.
Most people's legs cramp most often at night.
Causes of leg cramps:
Other causes of leg cramps:
Treatment for leg cramps:
First, check the instructions for the medications you take daily for several months or years. Remember that many drugs (cholesterol, blood pressure, diuretics, hormones) have a side effect in the form of leg cramps. If your legs are cramping from medications, it is advisable to change the drug.
If the issue is not the side effects of medications, we begin step-by-step treatment of leg cramps:
1st stage of treatment : Magnelis B6, or Magne B6, or Magnesium-plus B6, in tablets. Buy from these drugs the one that will be cheaper. Adults take any of these drugs - 2 tablets 3 times a day, with meals, with a glass of water - for 1 month.
IMPORTANT! These medications should be stopped immediately if symptoms of excess magnesium in the blood appear, such as:
All this happens infrequently when taking magnesium, however, you need to remember this.
2nd stage of treatment : If after a course of treatment with magnesium preparations the cramps in the legs have not stopped, we proceed to injections with B vitamins.
Milgamma or Combilipen (which will be cheaper) - buy 10 ampoules, administer to adults , every other day, that is, 10 injections. But if 5-6 injections of Milgamma or Combilipen do not make your legs feel better, then we stop giving these injections and then move on to the 3rd stage.
3rd stage of treatment : Calcium preparations, preferably in the form of carbonate (it is believed that it is better absorbed). For example, Complivit calcium D3. Or Calcium D3 - Nycomed. We buy the one that will be cheaper.
Adults take: Complivit calcium D3 – 1 tablet 2 times a day, preferably with meals. The tablets are chewed or swallowed whole.
Or use Calcium D3 - Nycomed: take 1 tablet of calcium D3 - Nycomed - forte daily or 2 tablets of regular calcium D3 - Nycomed.
The course of treatment with calcium preparations is no longer than 1 month. Check contraindications!
4th stage of treatment : Venotonics: Detralex, Phlebodia, Diosmin, Troxevasin capsules, Troxerutin.
ATTENTION! This video is educational and informational in nature. There are contraindications. Before using the recommendations and tips from the video, ALWAYS consult your doctor!
Leg cramps at night bother not only older people and athletes, so it is necessary to know the causes of their occurrence in order to take preventive measures in a timely manner. Find out how to deal with calf cramps and what treatment you may need.
Most often, leg cramps occur at night in middle-aged people. They may be associated with the use of some kind of drug. For example, when using steroid hormones, iron supplements and diuretics. Another cause of leg cramps at night is disruption of the nervous system due to damage to nerve cells.
Many women during pregnancy face the same problem. The cause of leg cramps in their case is due to tissue swelling. In pregnant women, blood flow worsens as there is pressure on the nerve endings.
Common causes of cramps at night in people of all ages include the following:
First, determine the nature of the pain. If a cramp grips your leg strongly, then you need to start actively massaging or pinching it. A warming cream or compress helps relieve spasms. Sometimes the pain is aching and not sharp.
In this case, you need to do the following:
It is very important to determine the cause of calf cramps at night in order to choose the right treatment methods. Sometimes it is enough to reduce the load on your legs and eat well. It is believed that cramps occur due to a lack of calcium in the body, so dairy products can be added to the diet.
Vitamins play an important role in the normal functioning of the body. Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, and also take vitamins in the autumn and spring.
In some cases, it is prohibited to massage your calves during a cramp, so it is important to know the cause of the disease. If you have varicose veins, be careful. It is better to lightly bandage your leg at night than to rub it in a panic later.
Experts do not recommend excessive smoking and coffee for those who have leg cramps at night. You will also have to reduce the amount of sweet foods and sugar. You definitely need to go on a diet if you want to get rid of the problem. The diet is quite pleasant: cheeses, dried fruits, herbs, vegetables and fruits, liver, buckwheat, bananas. Don't forget to walk in the fresh air to replenish the lack of vitamin D in your body. This is especially true for pregnant women suffering from leg cramps.
Today there are many traditional methods for treating feet and getting rid of cramps at night, so you can choose the most suitable one.
The causes and treatment of leg cramps at night are important to know, as they can be a symptom of a serious illness. Do not forget to consult with your doctor, who will tell you exactly why you personally have leg cramps, taking into account the medications you are taking or the characteristics of the course of any disease. Take care of your feet and always be healthy and vigorous!
Every person at least once in his life has encountered such an unpleasant symptom as leg cramps. Usually we do not attach significance to this event if the leg cramps just once. But in cases where leg cramps bother you almost every day, you need to consult a doctor to identify the causes of this condition.
Leg cramps are a very dangerous symptom; if such a problem is not treated, it will be complicated by a number of serious pathologies. It is important to understand that only an experienced doctor can identify the cause and prescribe treatment correctly, based on tests. Self-medication in this case is dangerous.
Leg cramps are involuntary contractions of the calf muscles, during which they spasm, the foot extends, and this process is accompanied by severe pain and tingling. During an attack, and sometimes after it, a person cannot step on his foot normally, and pain appears.
Legs cramp periodically in more than 70% of the inhabitants of our entire planet, but such a symptom is not always a sign of pathology. Seizures can occur at any age, even in children, but they are most often associated with serious pathologies in older people. Also, women during pregnancy and those who spend a lot of time in heels often suffer from cramps.
Leg cramps are especially unpleasant at night. Why my legs cramp at night, what are the causes and treatment - let's figure it out.
Many patients are interested in why the leg cramps. There are a great many causes of seizures; often the symptom is provoked by several negative factors at once, for example, an unhealthy lifestyle, sedentary work, carrying heavy objects, lack of vitamins, age-related changes, etc. The following points increase the risk of leg cramps:
It is important to understand that leg muscle cramps do not occur on their own; they are usually a link in a chain of symptoms of some disorder. If a person leads an incorrect lifestyle, he has every chance of experiencing unbearable pain due to leg cramps. So, with constant stress, problems begin with the nervous and circulatory systems, blood pressure rises, and headaches appear.
When wearing high-heeled shoes, blood circulation in the legs is disrupted, the foot becomes deformed and begins to hurt. If a person, on top of everything else, eats haphazardly and does not consume fruits and vegetables, then a lack of useful microelements occurs. Also important is how a person treats infectious diseases and whether they undergo a full course of recovery of the body.
The most common cause of leg cramps is magnesium deficiency. This element is very important for the normal functioning of the body's cardiovascular system. If a magnesium deficiency occurs, in addition to seizures, the patient may experience the following unpleasant symptoms:
If the patient is bothered not only by cramps, but also by one or more of the symptoms described above, then the doctor prescribes magnesium to compensate for the deficiency of this microelement.
Sometimes convulsions can occur even in small children, in which case the baby wakes up in the middle of the night with a sharp cry. Often the child cannot explain what is happening to him, because he does not understand what seizures are. Therefore, parents should pay attention if the child wakes up in the middle of the night, cries and complains of pain in the leg.
A child may experience cramping in the following cases:
As a rule, in the first two cases no special treatment is required, since the leg usually cramps once and does not occur regularly. But if a symptom bothers your baby often, you should definitely show it to doctors, in particular pediatricians, surgeons and orthopedists.
According to statistics, almost all pregnant women around the world experience cramps in the lower extremities. Sometimes the symptom appears due to a serious pathology, but most often cramps in pregnant women appear for female reasons associated with the restructuring of the body during pregnancy.
Causes of cramps during pregnancy:
It is important to note that if cramps begin to bother you in the last weeks of pregnancy and this symptom is accompanied by edema, increased blood pressure, pain in the lower abdomen, and the presence of protein in the urine, then you need to urgently go to the hospital, sometimes in this case an emergency caesarean section is performed.
With gestosis, generalized convulsions are possible, which cover a large number of muscles and can harm both mother and child. Therefore, if such a symptom occurs, you need to urgently call an ambulance and go to the hospital so that doctors can monitor the condition of the pregnant woman.
First of all, the patient needs to consult a general practitioner (GP) with their problem. He will listen to complaints, examine the patient, change blood pressure and probably send urine and blood tests. If serious pathologies are suspected, the doctor will refer the patient to specialists.
Depending on the cause of the disease, doctors will send you for hormone tests, an ultrasound of the veins of the lower extremities, an X-ray of the spine or MRI and other studies. In some cases, treatment may be complex; the patient will have to visit several doctors, even a dentist.
Treatment primarily depends on the cause of the seizures. If your leg is cramped due to a serious disorder in the functioning of the body, you will need complex treatment, which will be recommended by a specialist based on the diagnosis.
Usually doctors always give general recommendations on what to do if your leg isn’t cramping:
Any drug treatment can be used only after consultation with a specialist. Even if the patient seems to have cramps in his legs due to a lack of magnesium, he should not take vitamins on his own. Excess magnesium can also lead to dire consequences, so you should not self-medicate, especially during pregnancy.
In addition, convulsions can also occur in case of serious disturbances in the functioning of the heart, while the patient thinks that vitamin deficiency is to blame, his body suffers and the condition worsens. Therefore, you should not neglect any disease; at the first unpleasant signs, you should immediately contact a specialist.
There are many traditional medicine recipes that help with cramps, they improve blood circulation in the legs, and reduce the risk of the problem occurring again. But it is worth understanding that such methods will not cure the true cause of leg cramps, but will only temporarily alleviate the condition, therefore, with folk remedies, convulsive syndrome is treated only in combination with therapy prescribed by a doctor.
Daily physical activity helps prevent leg cramps. Therapeutic gymnastics will help tone the body, strengthen muscles and blood vessels, improve blood circulation and microcirculation in tissues. Gymnastics is an excellent prevention of varicose veins and heals the entire body as a whole.
It is important to start training correctly; you cannot do many repetitions of each exercise on the first day. They usually start with small loads, and increase them as the body strengthens. Excessive stress can lead to injuries, pain in muscles and joints, so do not overexert yourself.
The following exercises are helpful for cramps:
Prevention of convulsive syndrome in people of any age consists of general improvement of the body. You need to exercise regularly, eat well and properly, quit smoking and alcohol. It is recommended to spend enough time in the fresh air; daily walks will strengthen your legs and saturate the body with oxygen.
A healthy lifestyle will help not only get rid of cramps and bring your body back to normal, but also reduce the risk of serious diseases such as diabetes, heart failure, obesity and even cancer. People who strengthen and temper their bodies are less likely to suffer from infectious diseases and, accordingly, complications associated with them.