Leg Cramps

The cramps that develop in the legs affect the calf muscles. But one may experience cramps in the muscles in the feet as well as thigh muscles. A person experiences cramps while sleeping or taking rest.

The muscles of our leg contract suddenly which causes pain. This is known as spasm and the condition is called leg cramps. The cramps may last for just a few seconds or about ten minutes. One can do stretching exercises to avoid leg cramps.

Symptoms

Cramps usually affect the feet, thigh or calf muscles. A person who develops cramps can experience an uncontrollable spasm in the affected area which may disappear after few minutes. The muscle which is affected will be painful as well as very hard. The area will be tender even after twenty four hours the person developed the cramp.

Causes

The muscle will be shortened if it is tightened for a very long period of time. A person will develop cramps in his leg if he had been exercising vigorously for very long periods. Athletes normally develop cramps.

A person who has been exercising continuously will sweat profusely. This leads to losing sodium from the muscles, especially in warm weathers. This can also trigger cramps.

A person who is suffering from the conditions given below can also cause cramp:

• Motor neurone problems
• Metabolic problems like conditions of thyroid, kidney as well as liver and
• Excessive dehydration.

Use of medications which are mentioned below can also lead to development of cramps:

• Diuretics
• Use of salbutamol that is used fro the treatment of asthma as well as
• Statins which are used for lowering the lipid levels in the blood.

A person must consult a doctor if he suffers from frequent recurring of cramps.

Treatment

Usually a person suffering from cramp does not require any treatment as it happens without any particular reason. The condition becomes better on its own. In extreme cases, the doctor may advice the use of quinine for treatment of cramp.

The following self care techniques can be used to treat cramps. These are basically different types of stretching techniques.

A person can keep his leg straight and then bend his ankles backwards. This will help to ease the cramps in the calf muscle. Another thing which can be done is walking around on toe tips.

A person can lean against the wall, stretching the arms on the wall at a distance of one metre. Then he can keep the soles on the feet on the wall for a few seconds in a flat manner. This can be repeated for five to ten minutes before going to sleep. This will help in the improvement of cramps.

Prevention

Stretching exercise will help in reducing the frequency of cramps as well as in preventing the cramps from occurring.

The toes can be given proper support while sleeping which will help in the prevention of cramps.

The feet can be propped up if a person is lying on his back. If a person is lying on his from then the feet can be hung from the bed to provide relaxation to the calf muscles from tensing and contacting. The beddings as well as the blankets can be kept loose to prevent the cramps.