Muscle Cramps–Causes And Prevention

Have you ever noticed that you suddenly experienced pain while walking or running in the calf region? If yes, then probably you may be suffering from muscle cramps. Muscles cramps are quite common and can affect any person, irrespective of age and gender. Let us check out some of the causes and preventive aspects of muscle cramps in this particular blog.

Muscle cramps are very common and they could happen when you walk, run, go to sleep or while performing any other activity. You must have experienced tightness or hardness with extreme pain in your legs (especially in calf). Yes! That is the muscle cramp. However, it may occur in other muscles of legs and hands, but calf muscles are more affected.

Muscle cramps are often caused by spasmodic contractions of one or a group of muscles, which are involuntary in nature. Sometimes, muscles cramps are called as muscle spasms or Charley Horses. As mentioned earlier, muscle spasms may also occur in other muscles viz. thigh, hands, arms, rib and abdomen muscles, so it is important seek medical help. Muscle cramps are experienced without any specific warning or signal; hence, it is imperative to known about the causes and how to stop muscle cramps.

Plausible Causes

There could be many underlying causes of muscle cramps in legs, which are as follows –

• Improper blood circulation in the extremities (especially legs)
• Dehydration
• Overexertion of thigh and calf muscles during exercise
• Inadequate stretching before starting actual workout
• Practicing exercises in hot weather
• Sudden jerk while rising, walking, running, or performing any exercise
• Muscle weakness or fatigue
• Nutritional deficiency, such as calcium, magnesium and potassium
• Nerve compression
•  Adverse effects of certain medicines

Sometimes pain in calf muscles or foot muscles cramps are due to underlying medical causes, such as varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis. Hence, it is essential to seek medical assistance to know the exact cause of muscle spasms.

Treatment And Prevention Of Muscle Cramps

Usually, muscle cramps can be treated with the help of certain self-care measures or muscle cramp remedies, such as gentle massaging, mild stretching, cold and hot applications, and warm bath with Epsom salt. Before performing massage or stretching exercise, make sure you consult your medical practitioner. In severe cases, you may require muscle relaxants to alleviate the pain and discomfort.

To stay away from muscle cramps, try these preventive measures –

• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids
• Consume foods that are rich in essential vitamins and minerals (calcium and magnesium)
• Perform mild warm-up stretching exercises before switching to actual workout

In many cases, preventive measures are quite enough to deal with muscle spasms. But if you notice that you are frequently suffering from muscle cramps without any specific reasons, then you need to see your doctor, because that could indicate a serious underlying medical problem, which requires proper management.