Almost everyone faces this problem.
Moreover, it manifests itself regardless of age, and although the problem itself is not dangerous to health, its manifestation must be dealt with.
What is a cramp and why does it occur?
A cramp is a painful, involuntary, and most importantly, sharp contraction of muscles, in which tension or frequent contraction affects the calves, feet or thighs.
The attack itself lasts a maximum of a few minutes, but the pain after it can persist for almost the entire day (especially if there are any problems with the legs).
Another serious problem is that the attacks happen suddenly and do not depend at all on the position of the body, the level of stress on the legs, etc., which makes it impossible to prepare for them.
It is worth noting that a cramp differs from restless legs syndrome, because the latter is accompanied by simply unpleasant sensations, while a cramp always provokes acute pain.
In addition, restless legs syndrome most often occurs at night, and cramps are not restrained by the time of day.
Why do cramps make muscles cramp?
Even though every second person suffers from seizures, most people have no idea why they experience these acute sensations at all, but behind each attack there is a specific reason.
Most often, the following reasons are the culprits of cramps.
• Excessive physical activity (especially on the legs) in people who often lead a sedentary lifestyle. Simply put, the muscles are unprepared, and as a result, they are cramped. A similar effect is provoked by an unnatural position of the muscles, which persists for a long time.
• Lack of certain vitamins and elements in the muscles, which is why the legs will regularly be subject to spasms.
• Thyroid problems and hormonal imbalances.
• Decrease or increase in blood sugar.
• Serious diseases such as tetanus, liver cirrhosis and kidney failure.
• Some types of pathologies.
If you delve deeper into this issue, the list of possible reasons will become much longer, but to check them you will need to undergo a full examination in order to at least roughly know the current state of the body.
Some problems may be quite harmless, while others may be so serious that they cannot be treated.
It wouldn’t hurt to undergo an examination if leg cramps started to torment you too suddenly, without any specific or clearly expressed reason.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to treat such attacks, so the only thing left to do is to get rid of the cause that provokes them and learn to dull the pain when a cramp does strike.
Massage, ice or a warm foot bath will help. Additionally, it is recommended to derive statistics on what provokes the cramp and, accordingly, try to avoid such situations.
Previously we talked about the causes of hair loss in women .
Expert: Elena Gutyro
