Cramps are a common problem that’s characterized by a sudden painful and involuntary contraction of a muscle. Such medically defined cramps, which issue from peripheral nerves, may be differentiated from spasm and other muscle pain. Muscle cramps mostly go away on their own and are seldom serious enough to need medical care. However, if the pain is persistent and severe, the patient’s medical history, a physical examination, and a laboratory screening can help to determine the exact cause out of all the potential causes of muscle cramps.
Cramps can happen in any muscle, but they are most often experienced in the:
- Thighs
- Feet
- Calves
- Abdomen
- Hands
- Arms
- Area along your ribcage
What Causes Muscle Cramps
Muscle cramps can occur anytime to anyone. Almost everyone (one estimate is about 95%) experiences a cramp at some time in their life. Though this is the case, infants, the elderly, the overweight, and athletes are at the greatest risk of getting cramps.
Many things can activate muscle cramping. The most common causes of cramps are:
- Exercising and overuse of muscles
- Insufficient stretching before exercising
- Exposure to low temperature, especially cold water
- Dehydration
- Low levels of electrolytes, such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium
- Injuries, such as spinal cord injury or a pinched nerve in the neck or back
- Pregnancy, usually in the later stage due to mineral deficiencies
- Standing or sitting for a long time
- Taking certain medications, for example, those prescribed for high blood pressure
- Medical conditions, such as blood flow problems and kidney disease
How to Stop a Muscle Cramp
The bright side is that muscle cramps mostly disappear after a few minutes and normally do not need medical attention. Here are a few recommendations if you want to know how to get rid of cramps:
1. Stretching
Most cramps can be stopped if the muscle can be stretched. If you experience them in the legs or feet, simply standing up and walking around could help relieve the pain. For a cramp located in the front of the thigh, hold on to a chair to steady yourself and pull your foot back toward your buttocks. For a calf cramp, you could use a hand to pull the foot and toes upward or do the runner’s stretch.
2. Massage
Gently massaging the cramped area should help ease the tension. Also, massaging the cramped muscle with ice may relieve pain.
3. Apply Heat or Cold
Use a heating pad or a warm towel on your tense muscles. The tightness might subside after taking a warm bath or if you direct the stream of a warm shower onto the muscle.
If your muscle cramps are occurring every night, or are a consequence of being on your period, here is some information on those painful experiences:
Nocturnal Leg Cramps
Intense cramps that appear in the legs during the night are called Nocturnal leg cramps. Nighttime leg cramps can awake you from sleep, but may also happen while you’re awake at night during longer periods of inactivity. They mostly manifest in the calves but can also occur in the feet or thighs. Apart from their nightly visits, the typical manifestations include visible muscle tightening and sudden, intense pain. Nocturnal leg cramps are different from restless leg syndrome, since that only produces the feeling of discomfort and not pain and cramping. The risk of having night leg cramps increases with age.
Your medical history is the key to identifying the possible causes of leg cramps. The cause of nocturnal leg cramps is oftentimes unknown, but some potential causes could be:
- Overexertion of the muscles
- Sitting in an awkward position for a long period of time
- Standing too long on concrete floors
- Taking diuretics
- Kidney failure and diabetic nerve damage
Treatment
There are a few methods that one can employ to relieve the pain:
- Forcefully stretching the affected muscle is usually the most effective way to relieve cramps.
- Passive stretching and deep tissue massages are harmless, patient-controlled maneuvers that may be suggested as therapeutic.
- Mild exercise, such as a few minutes on a treadmill or stationary bicycle before bedtime, can relieve night leg cramps.
- If muscle fatigue is the cause, graded exercise and physical therapy might be of benefit.
Menstrual Cramps
Menstrual cramps or dysmenorrhea are cramping and throbbing pains in the lower belly. Period pain occurs when the muscular wall of the womb tightens (contracts). A lot of women deal with menstrual cramping just before and during their menstruations. The discomfort ranges from mild and annoying to severe, which can easily interfere with everyday activities.
Symptoms of menstrual cramps include:
- Pressure in the stomach
- Aching pain in the stomach
- Pain in the hips and lower back
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
Treatment
Menstrual cramps, though very unpleasant, are easily treated at home.
- Painkillers – try and use painkillers such as ibuprofen, aspirin or acetaminophen (not as effective as the first two)
- Apply heat – putting a heating pad or hot water bottle on your stomach may help reduce pain
- Aromatherapy – a study showed that aromatherapy with lavender, clary sage, and rose could be effective at decreasing menstrual cramps.
- Yoga – yoga and other relaxation techniques may reduce menstrual cramps and menstrual distress
- Massage – a light massage around your lower abdomen may help with cramping
Prevention
Preventing cramps is the best approach. The following measures can help:
- Warming up is essential before exercising
- Gently stretch the muscles before exercising or going to bed
- Don’t exercise right after eating
- Avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of fluids
- Increase your potassium and magnesium intake, including by eating bananas and drinking orange juice
- Lower your consumption of caffeine
- Talk to your doctor if you need some additional supplements
Conclusion
Even though there are many reasons as to why you experience them, there are also many answers to how to get rid of cramps. Prevention is always the best solution, not to mention most beneficial to your overall health.
References:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mus.20341
https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/za1086
https://www.medicinenet.com/muscle_cramps/article.htm#medical_treatment_for_muscle_cramps
https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/brain,-spinal-cord,-and-nerve-disorders/symptoms-of-brain,-spinal-cord,-and-nerve-disorders/muscle-cramps
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14170-leg-cramps-at-night
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/restless-legs-syndrome
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2012/0815/p350.html
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/period-pain
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menstrual-cramps/symptoms-causes/syc-20374938
https://www.koreamed.org/SearchBasic.php?RID=0094JKAAN/2001.13.3.420&DT=1
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2016.0058
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