What are the causes and treatments for leg cramps

Nowadays, everyone is very busy at work and does not have much time for exercise. Even when resting at home, they just want to have a good rest and do not want to go out to exercise. This leads to the physical fitness becoming worse and worse, and various diseases appear. Leg cramps are one of them. There are many reasons for leg cramps, and there are also various methods to treat them. Everyone should understand the relevant knowledge and do a good job of prevention in daily life.

Cold stimulation

Cold stimulation from the external environment, such as low room temperature at night in winter, using a quilt that is too thin or exposing legs and feet outside the quilt when sleeping, and low swimming water temperature in summer can easily cause leg cramps.

Excessive fatigue

Fatigue, lack of sleep, rest or excessive rest can lead to accumulation of local acidic metabolic products and cause muscle cramps. When traveling long distances, climbing mountains, or walking or exercising for too long, excessive fatigue in the lower limbs or lack of rest and sleep can cause lactic acid accumulation, and the calf muscles are most likely to become fatigued. When fatigue reaches a certain level, cramps will occur.

Osteoporosis

The decline of estrogen and osteoporosis in elderly women can cause low blood calcium levels, increased muscle irritability, and frequent cramps.

Sleeping position

Bad sleeping posture, such as lying on your back for a long time with the quilt pressing on your feet, or lying on your stomach for a long time with your feet against the bed, forcing certain calf muscles to be in an absolutely relaxed state for a long time, causing passive muscle contracture.

Treatment

Pay attention to preventing cramps and keep warm. Pay attention to your sleeping posture. Appropriate calcium supplementation, dairy products, lean meat and other foods containing lactic acid and amino acids can promote the dissolution of calcium salts and aid absorption. Do not walk or exercise for too long. Participate in physical exercise appropriately, and do sufficient warm-up exercises before exercising to make the body move. This will improve the blood circulation in the lower limbs, and you can avoid leg cramps when participating in various intense sports or competitions.

When cramps occur, do the opposite and bend your toes in the direction opposite to the force and persist for more than 1 to 2 minutes, and you will get results. Specifically, if the muscles in the back of the calf are cramping, you can bend your foot so that the sole of your foot is lifted up, and at the same time try to straighten your knee joint. When the muscles in the front of your calf cramp, you can press down on the sole of your foot and flex your toes forcefully.