Muscle Cramping Reasons - Symptoms and Causes


A musclecramp is a sudden contraction of one or more muscles. If you've ever been awakened in the night, you know that muscle cramps can cause severe pain. Though generally harmless, muscle cramps can make it temporarily impossible to use the affected muscle. Long periods of exercise or physical labor, especially in hot weather, can lead to muscle cramps. Some medications and certain medical conditions also may cause muscle cramps. You usually can treat muscle cramps at home with some helpful self-care measures.


Symptoms


Usually, a cramp can be very painful, often severely so. Commonly, the sufferer must stop whatever activity is under way and seek immediatehelp from the cramp.Also, the person is unable to use the affected muscle while it is cramping. Severe cramps may be associated with soreness and swelling, which can persist up to several days after the cramp has subsided. At the time of cramping, the knotted muscle will bulge, feel very firm, and may be tender.

What Causes Muscle Cramps?

Musclecramps have several causes and some cramps result from overuse of your muscles. This usually occurs while you’re exercising.Muscle cramps are felt to be caused by excessively excited nerves that stimulate the muscles. This can occur after injury to nerve or muscle; dehydration; with low blood levels of calcium, magnesium, or potassium; from certain medications; and so on. The pain that is associated with muscle cramps caused by poor circulation to the legs that worsens with walking is referred to as claudication. Deficiencies of certain vitamins, including thiamine (B1), pantothenic acid (B5), and pyridoxine (B6), can also cause muscle cramps.

Muscle injuries and dehydration can also trigger cramps. Dehydration is the excessive loss of fluids in the body. Low levels of any of the following minerals that contribute to healthy muscle function may also cause muscle cramps:

  • calcium
  • potassium
  • sodium
  • magnesium

Low blood supply to your legs and feet can cause cramping in those areas when you exercise, walk, or participate in physical activities.In some cases, a medical condition can cause muscle cramps. These conditions include:
  • spinal nerve compression, which can cause muscle cramps in your legs when walking or standing
  • pregnancy
  • kidney failure
  • hypothyroidism
  • Inadequate blood supply. Narrowing of the arteries that deliver blood to your legs can produce cramp-like pain in your legs and feet while you're exercising.
  • Nerve compression. Compression of nerves in your spine can produce cramp-like pain in your legs. The pain usually worsens the longer you walk. Walking in a slightly flexed position such as you would use when pushing a shopping cart ahead of you may improve or delay the onset of your symptoms.
  • Mineral depletion. Too little potassium, calcium or magnesium in your diet can contribute to leg cramps.

Treatment

No medication is recommended for cramps.If a severe cramp leaves a muscle feeling tender, a painkiller may help.Quinine has been used in the past, but it is no longer recommended. The FDA issued a warning in 2010 about potentially dangerous interactions and side effects.There is limited evidence that exercise and stretching, calcium channel blockers, and vitamin B-12 may help. Multivitamins may be of some use during pregnancy.There is no evidence that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), calcium, or potassium are of any benefit.

There are no special tests for cramps. Nevertheless, the diagnosis of muscle cramps is relatively easy. Most people know what cramps are and when they have one. If present during a cramp, the doctor, or any other bystander, can feel the tense, firm bulge of the cramped muscle. 



Location: New York, NY, USA

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