What causes calf muscle contraction

Many people may have experienced this situation. The calf muscles suddenly contract and feel pain. In fact, this is just a cramp phenomenon. Generally speaking, it is related to the individual's physique or exercise method. If you want to avoid this muscle contraction phenomenon, you must first understand the causes of this phenomenon so that you can prescribe the right remedy to solve the problem. There are many reasons for muscle contraction, most of which are caused by external stimuli. For example, cold or fatigue may cause muscle contraction.

1. Cold stimulation

Exercising in a cold environment in winter without sufficient warm-up, or swimming in low water temperatures in summer can easily cause leg cramps. If you don’t cover yourself with a blanket when you sleep at night, your calf muscles will be stimulated by the cold and will cramp so much that you will wake up in pain.

2. Muscles contract too quickly and continuously

During strenuous exercise, the whole body is in a state of tension, the leg muscles contract too quickly and the relaxation time is too short, the local metabolic product lactic acid increases, and the contraction and relaxation of the muscles are difficult to coordinate, thus causing calf muscle cramps.

3. Excessive sweating

If you exercise for a long time, in large amounts, and sweat a lot without replenishing salt in time, you will lose a large amount of fluid and electrolytes in the body and accumulate metabolic waste. Poor local blood circulation in muscles can also lead to cramps.

4. Excessive fatigue

The calf muscles are most susceptible to fatigue when traveling long distances, climbing mountains, or climbing heights. Because every time you climb up, one foot supports the weight of the whole body. The strength required for the muscles of this leg to lift the foot will be six times the body weight of the person. When it is fatigued to a certain extent, cramps will occur.