Pain in the calf muscles is a fairly common occurrence. The factors causing them are numerous and varied. The degree of pain, its duration and frequency also varies depending on the cause of such pain.
Let's look at the reasons why your calves hurt when walking:
- increased load on the calf muscles, which is often experienced by athletes or amateurs starting to play sports. After the muscles get used to the increased loads, the pain disappears;
- sedentary (sedentary or standing) work. In this case, blood flow in the vessels is obstructed, which causes oxygen deficiency and the formation of toxins that cause inflammation of the nerve muscle endings;
- varicose veins, resulting in obstructed outflow of venous blood. Blood stagnation occurs and pressure increases in the vessels, which affects the nerve endings of the muscles and causes pain;
- thrombophlebitis. Vascular disease has different causes, but in any case leads to throbbing pain and a burning sensation. Such pain is constant;
- vascular atherosclerosis. In this case, inflammation and thickening of the walls of blood vessels occurs, even to the point of blockage. Painful sensations appear while walking - a feeling of tightening and squeezing of the muscles is felt. A distinctive feature of this disease is the occurrence of a feeling of cold in the feet, regardless of the ambient temperature;
- diseases of the spine, for example, inflammation of the sciatic ending. With this disease, there is no unpleasant sensation in the spine, but along the course of the sciatic nerve it radiates to the legs, including the calf muscles;
- muscular neuralgia. Inflammatory process of nerve endings. The cause of this disease can be an ordinary draft, awkward and sudden movement, as well as a consequence of previously suffered diseases. The pain is short-term and intermittent;
- myositis (inflammation of skeletal muscles). There is myositis caused by previous illnesses, such as influenza. Myositis may occur with serious injuries and strains of the calf muscles, as well as with parasites. All these cases are characterized by the most intense pain, which intensifies over time and can lead to atrophy of the affected muscles;
- osteomyelitis, mainly occurring in children under 1 year of age. The disease is characterized by infectious processes in bone tissue;
- fibromyalgia (musculoskeletal pain). A common disease, mainly in women. Is chronic;
- metabolic and inflammatory myopathies, which are divided into three types: infectious, hereditary inflammation caused by drugs and toxins;
- cramps, the cause of which may be overwork of the calf muscle group.
If you have pain in your calves, you should consult a doctor who will recommend the specific specialist you need.
Convulsive contraction of muscles, when the calves of the legs are literally pulled together, is familiar to many firsthand. Moreover, the pain occurs suddenly, literally knocking you down as you go. This disease transcends age; it affects adults, children, and adolescents. Gender doesn't matter either. Seizures affect men and women equally. Most often, an attack occurs at night, when the body is relaxed or during physical activity, when the muscles are as tense as possible.
When a problem arises while swimming in the water, it is important to lie on your back, in this position you can quickly move to the shore. There is no need to panic, the main thing is to get to land and have a relaxing massage at the location.
With careful attention to the body, seizures can be minimized or eliminated completely. Only a thorough study of the nuances of your own body and the help of a qualified doctor will help solve the problem.
If one or more muscles contract involuntarily and pain is felt, then this is a cramp. Most often, cramps appear in the lower extremities, and more specifically, when walking, the calves of the legs cramp. There are some reasons why the muscles in the calf contract, which subsequently leads to the extension of the foot, as if a person is rising on his toes. Cramps in the calf muscles when walking naturally intersect with sharp and acute pain.
The reasons why calf cramps can be different - from poor nutrition to serious illnesses:
There are quite a number of reasons why calf muscle cramps can occur when walking, but the main one remains a deficiency of magnesium in the body, so this issue should be considered in more detail. Most people do not monitor their diet and therefore a failure occurs, and this leads to a decrease in magnesium levels . The substance is poorly absorbed into the blood due to bad habits, such as coffee drinks, alcohol, smoking, abuse of sweets and flour products.
With a reduced amount of magnesium , the body tries to replace it, and therefore the necessary substances are sucked out of the musculoskeletal structure. Because of this process, when taking tests in a hospital, one can mistakenly assume that there is enough magnesium in the body or even a lot of it, but this is not the case.
Also, a lack of magnesium leads to consequences in other areas: pain during menstruation, weakening of hair follicles and loss, fragility of nails and tooth enamel, and subsequently caries appears, periodic discomfort in the heart muscle, rapid breathing.
If your calves are cramping, but you notice some of the symptoms that were listed above, then rest assured that this relates specifically to a lack of magnesium in the body, but additional tests and consultation with a doctor will not hurt.
If your calves cramp when walking, you need to pull your toes towards you, while trying to relax the pull, and then pull hard . It happens that after this procedure the cramp does not go away, so you need to do the following - just get on your feet and walk carefully, because of which the blood will begin to circulate faster and the pain will ease. It will be useful to do a simple massage , light massaging movements, using a warming cream, will improve blood circulation. If you don’t want to do a massage, you can simply pinch the area of your leg where the pain appears or lightly prick it with a needle .
It is known that muscle spasms and severe pain often make themselves felt by chance. The condition when a leg cramps cannot be called glorious, and some people happen to encounter such a phenomenon in a dream. This happens until the cause is discovered and the right method of treatment is selected. So why does the calf muscle cramp at night?
Muscle spasms can have a different origin, but their origin should definitely be alarming and cause concern. Adolescents and adults are at risk, but the reasons why the calf muscles cramp can certainly be different, depending on the nature of their origin: internal (disorder within the body) or external (exposure to the environment).
Physiologically, a cramp is an uncontrolled contraction accompanied by severe pain. In terms of intensity, nature of manifestation and location, a spasm can take the form of an annoying rapid movement caused by a short-term contraction, say, a tick of a century. If the muscles harden, the pain syndrome is clearly expressed, and involuntary contractions are observed, then this is a tonic spasm. This type of spasm is local in nature and often manifests itself in the calves, lower legs, and less often in the thighs and feet.
Various factors can provoke the occurrence of unpleasant sensations. Diseases of the nervous system, excessive physical activity, unbalanced nutrition, lack of vitamins - this is what causes cramps in the calves at night and more. A predisposition to painful spasms can be inherited. Among the unforeseen factors that explain why the calf muscles cramp, there are such as a loud sound or a brilliant light. Among the traditional causes of cramping in the calves at night, the following are most often monitored:
A similar form of unpleasant sensation occurs for unknown reasons. As the most primitive and possible interpretation: a spasm occurs as a result of a push, one that causes a contraction in a muscle that was previously tense. The primary (idiopathic) type includes night cramps, and more often athletes and elderly people suffer from them. Due to the fact that this type of spasm is of an unexpected nature, the following may be the possible causes:
Disturbances in the main balances in the human body lead to failure and cause muscle spasms. Typical human body processes do not cause painful contractions. Developing diseases, tumors, lack of suitable substances - all this serves as an explanation for why the calf muscles cramp at night. Secondary causes of spasms accompanied by severe pain include:
A cramp in the calf muscle at night or under other circumstances in children often occurs during the vigorous growth of a young body, and the second reason that provokes this problem is the energetic lifestyle of a fidget. Along with these main reasons, the list of reasons why the calf muscles in children cramp at night includes the following:
Find out in more detail what flat feet in children are and how to treat them.
When a woman’s calf muscle cramps in a fascinating position in a dream, this does not invariably indicate important problems with her health. Rarely, special treatment is required to eliminate this unpleasant symptom, but the occurrence of muscle spasms should not be ignored. Decreased appetite, toxicosis, vomiting are phenomena characteristic of the first trimester, which explain why the calf muscle cramps at night.
Carrying a child is accompanied by an enormous load on the body and, in order to prevent an unpleasant feeling and relieve spasms, you need to take vitamins in a timely manner, do a massage, apply ointment, avoid sharp stretching, and walk, but not for long. Pregnancy aggravates the situation when, before its onset, the woman had chronic diseases, say, varicose veins, which requires a slightly different approach to solving the problem of calf muscle cramps with the use of medications.
Frequent reasons why expectant mothers may drag eggs may be the following:
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:
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.
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. Because magnesium helps potassium to be absorbed well. You can add foods high in this microelement to your diet.
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.
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:
If you are interested in prevention, adhere to the following rules:
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!
The reasons why cramps in the calves can be varied, however, the main ones are: diseases of the nervous system and nutritional disorders. Undoubtedly, for both reasons, consultation with doctors is necessary. But, if diseases of the nervous system require treatment from a specialist in nervous diseases, then everyone can normalize nutrition.
The reason why cramps in the calves (especially in the morning, after sleep) may be a lack of trace elements calcium and magnesium in the body. This condition may be due to the poverty of the daily diet in products containing these microelements.
Another cause of calcium and magnesium (and potassium) deficiency can be excessive sweating. With sweat, our body loses not only a large amount of water, but also a huge amount of the listed minerals. If their deficiency is not replenished, the body will experience fatigue, cramps, and interruptions in the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Another reason for the lack of calcium and magnesium already in the morning, which can lead to cramps in the calves, is a general slowdown in blood flow at night. As a result, the muscles are not sufficiently supplied with the necessary microelements, which is the result of the fact that it is in the morning hours that cramps in the calves most often occur.
First of all, consultation with doctors is necessary to find out the causes of seizures. If no diseases are identified, simple stretching exercises for the cramped muscle will help cope with the situation. A relaxing massage of the cramped muscle also helps a lot.
The simplest exercise that anyone can do is the following:
Stand against a wall with your hands on it. One leg is in front, on a full foot, the other is laid back and stands on the toe. Move your back leg, trying to lower it onto your heel. After stretching one calf, switch legs.
Stretching your muscles after cramps will help prevent them from appearing later in the day. And if you ensure the constant presence of sufficient amounts of calcium and magnesium in your diet, then cramps in your calves will be less likely.
The tone of the calves is directly responsible for the proper functioning of the hormonal system; perhaps the pain may be partly due to disruptions in the hormonal system.
Thank you for the informative article. She helped me understand the reason for the painful contraction of my calves in the morning, which caused anxiety. I am an athlete myself and eat only protein several days a week. But by coincidence, over the past 5 days I had to take a break from food as such. And this morning the body made known the consequences of this event.
Now I have realized everything, accepted it and have already embarked on the path of correction!
For me, large portions of protein led to serious problems with my kidneys. Be careful.
There are several versions that explain the sudden convulsive contraction of the calf muscles. The conclusions are made on the basis of research by scientists and the practice of athletes of various categories.
To get rid of the problem, you need to approach it comprehensively. Here you need to combine several areas: a visit to the doctor, individual control over your own body, disease prevention. The treatment process includes several areas:
My calves are cramped, what should I do?
Many people, regardless of age, experience spasms in the lower extremities at night or during the day. You can easily cope with spasms if you know the reasons why your legs cramp at night and there is a treatment for it. In order to get rid of this condition, it sometimes takes even a few minutes. To prevent this from happening again, you should consult a doctor.
Involuntary contractions that affect the muscles of the legs, as well as the feet of the lower extremities, are nothing more than tonic convulsions or spasms. This condition is accompanied by a strong, acute pain sensation. It can last up to five minutes. There is an impressive amount of tension. The muscles seem to turn to stone. Cramps in the lower extremities are possible regardless of age, but they are more often observed over the age of fifty.
Absolutely healthy people, as well as those who suffer from any chronic illness, may well experience conditions accompanied by leg cramps. The sharp pain just drives me crazy. What are the main causes of such conditions? Why do such attacks occur, especially at night? If everything is fine with your health, seizures are possible for the following reasons:
Of the most dangerous causes of night cramps, the following are worth highlighting:
In order to independently understand the causes of muscle contractions, a person spends a lot of time and effort, most often without finding an answer. To make the correct diagnosis, you need to consult a specialist, explaining in detail the clinical manifestations that accompany seizures, and passing the necessary tests. This is the only way to get the expected result - the cause will be established. This means you can start treating her.
If spastic contractions occur, you should use emergency methods to stop such an attack. For this:
Quite often it is possible to prevent seizures. When tension appears in the legs, numbness is felt, a nagging pain that gradually increases, such symptoms may indicate that cramps will soon begin. In this case, you should:
The fastest method that is effective in combating spasms is stretching the muscle. In order to eliminate night cramps in the lower extremities, you need to pull your toes towards you with your hands. At the same time, you should try to fully straighten the knee - the soft tissues should relax.
If you experience frequent cramps at night, do the following:
If you sharply pinch a limb that is tense, bite or prick, a reflex switching of activated nerve endings to another stimulus occurs. As a result, the muscle relaxes at lightning speed.
In the case of daily spasms of the legs and feet, an integrated approach to treatment is important. Constantly using the above-described methods of emergency control, it is impossible to achieve the complete disappearance of attacks; to do this, it is necessary to completely eliminate the cause of their occurrence. To do this, you need to undergo diagnostics. Consultation with a doctor is necessary.
There is no specific treatment regimen for tonic spasms. In order to choose the most optimal method of treating leg cramps in each specific case, it is necessary to find out all the factors that provoke this pathology. First, the therapist will order a general blood test to assess the overall health of the body, muscles and circulatory systems. When a diagnosis is made and the cause of the seizures is identified, you will be referred for consultation to a specialized specialist. Treatment can be carried out by a cardiologist or neurologist, phlebologist or endocrinologist - it all depends on the cause of the attacks.
As for home therapy for leg cramps using folk remedies, it is important to follow the following rules:
In case of night cramps, you should contact a cardiologist or vascular surgeon. Doppler ultrasound is also appropriate. As a result, it is possible to identify and therefore eliminate the causes of stagnation of venous blood and deterioration of blood circulation in the arteries. In order to ease cramps and prevent them at night, you need to:
Most often, involuntary contractions of the lower leg are experienced. The thing is that they have a heavy load throughout the day. Tonic convulsions in the lower extremities are possible for the following reasons:
Epileptic seizures accompanied by convulsions should definitely be added to the list. Also, osteochondrosis may well be a significant reason. The same applies to injuries to knee joints and bone fractures. Heavy bleeding is another reason that the muscle contracts involuntarily.
There are no special medications for the treatment of sharp and sudden muscle contractions. The doctor selects any medications individually, after making a diagnosis and performing the necessary studies. The only common medicine is tablets containing mineral and vitamin complexes. Additionally, it is possible to prescribe medications that contain magnesium and muscle relaxants that can relax muscles.
Endocrine pathologies often lead to similar manifestations. The second trimester of pregnancy, as well as the third, can sometimes be accompanied by attacks of spasms of the lower extremities - short-lived. But, as a rule, everything passes quickly, so there is no need to worry. If attacks occur frequently and are prolonged, you should consult a doctor.
Quite often, leg cramps are possible in older people. In this case, the treatment is exactly the same as at any other age. The cause of discomfort in the limbs in old age is most often age-related changes.
Against the background of improper blood circulation in small arteries and capillaries, contraction of the muscles of the feet is possible. Leg cramps can also occur due to abnormalities of the ligaments and joints. Factors leading to foot and toe cramps are: