Painful leg cramps are an extremely common problem that every person encounters at least occasionally.

Especially often cramps the legs in elderly and debilitated people, pregnant women and athletes after intense stress.

What is cramps in the legs causes and types ^

Leg cramps are a sudden sharp pain, which sometimes is simply unbearable.

With cramps, the muscles are often so spasmodic and tense that they feel tight and tight, like a basketball, and it seems that they are about to burst.
This happens, as a rule, unexpectedly, while a person may even fall down, as he can not rest on his foot.

Spasm can reduce any part of the foot - the foot, fingers or thigh, but the most common and painful are cramps calf muscles.

If such occurrences occur occasionally, then there is no particular worry, it is probably the long uncomfortable posture that caused the nerve to clench and the muscles are simply "numb".In this case, it is enough to change the position to a more comfortable one, relax the stiff muscles and make a light massage.

If you have frequent cramps in your legs, you need to seriously understand the reasons for their appearance.

The main causes of seizures:

Dehydration

• Even with mild dehydration, convulsions in the legs may start, because, along with loss of water, the electrolytes necessary for maintaining muscle health( calcium, potassium and sodium) and vital microelements( copper, chromium, zinc).
• This is why most frequent seizures on hot days, with increased sweating.
• Often leg cramps are the first symptom of dangerous dehydration and a deficiency of electrolytes, that is, thus our body tries to warn about impending danger.

Deficiency in the body of vitamins and minerals

• First of all, calcium, vitamin D and magnesium, responsible for the transmission of muscle nerve impulses.
• Vitamin deficiency can be caused by unbalanced diet, excessive intake of nicotine, caffeine and sugar, and by taking certain medications that interfere with the absorption and absorption of vitamins.
• The intake of such medicines must be diluted in time with the intake of magnesium and calcium-containing products for their better absorption.

Nutrition with an increased amount of protein

• Increased protein content in the diet prevents calcium absorption.
• Therefore, if you decide to sit on popular protein diets( Dukan diet, Atkins, Kremlevskaya diet, Maggi diet, curd, Montignac diet) or diets that include protein days( blood group diet, 6 petals diet, beloved), take care ofsufficient intake of calcium in the form of multivitamins, so as not to harm your health in pursuit of a thin waist.

Abrupt temperature changes

• Often leg cramps occur when swimming in cold water or overcooling in the cold.

Excessive muscle strain

• Occurs with excessive strain on a particular muscle group, inadequate warm-up for sports, hard physical work.

Some diseases of

• These include thyroid disease, diabetes, varicose veins, trauma or brain tumors and flat feet.
• Therefore, with frequent convulsions it will be useful to get advice from an endocrinologist, phlebologist and neurologist.

Stresses

• According to physicians, frequent stresses lead to a severe loss of calcium, which is necessary for relaxation of muscle muscles and normal functioning of the nervous system.

Nocturnal leg cramps: causes and symptoms ^

Sleep cramps occur mainly when the body changes from one position to another - this causes an overload of one muscle group, which leads to spasm. Most often, leg cramps occur at night in the morning, accompanied by a strong pain syndrome and deprive a person of adequate sleep, causing a prolonged insomnia.

As a rule, for a long time after the spasm the leg hurts - this is due to accumulation in the muscle at the time of lactate spasm( an incomplete glucose oxidation product), and a person can not fall asleep.

Cramps during sleep are especially worrisome for older people, since, with age, there is an increase in the sensitivity of nerve muscle ends, especially in metabolic disorders and the presence of osteochondrosis.

In addition, according to physicians, frequent leg cramps in sleep and at rest can be the first sign of developing thrombosis of the lower extremities, so require compulsory medical advice.

Leg cramps in pregnant women ^

Cramps in the legs during pregnancy are quite common, due to the additional pressure of the growing uterus on the blood vessels and nerve endings of the lower limbs. This prevents normal blood flow in the lower extremities of the pregnant and causes muscle spasm.

Unfortunately, cramping calf muscles during pregnancy is not the only type of spasm in a future mother. Quite often there are spasms of the upper thighs, which are due to the pressure of the enlarged uterus, strong pulsating pain in the feet and the feeling of "twisting" the back of the shin.

Well relieves leg cramps during pregnancy, and also helps prevent their appearance by a warm bath, maximally relaxing muscles and blood vessels. In the bath you can add decoctions of medicinal herbs( mint, valerian, horsetail), which have a soothing and anticonvulsant effect.

As the future mother doubles the need for magnesium, calcium and potassium, the nutrition of the pregnant woman should be adjusted in such a way as to prevent their deficiency. To do this, you must include in your daily diet in sufficient quantities of dairy products, meat, fish, poultry, greens, vegetables and fruits.

In addition, for the prevention of seizures, a pregnant woman should wear comfortable shoes on a low heel and rest more, lifting her legs to the elevation.

Treatment and first aid for leg cramps ^

If you often get your legs cramped, you need to know the simple ways how to restore the normal muscle tone as quickly as possible and get rid of the pain. First of all, do not panic, sit upright on a bed or on a chair and put your legs together on the cold floor - in a few minutes the circulation of blood will be restored and the spasm will pass.

In addition, it is recommended several times to pinch the spasmed place, and then make a light massage with rubbing and patting movements - under the influence of massage the muscles will warm up and normal blood flow will be restored. Massage the movements strictly from the bottom up - from the fingers to the heel, and then from the heel to the knee. After the massage, lie down with your feet on the hill.

When spasms of the calf muscles are well helped by pricking the needle in a sore spot, but it should be done only by a professional who knows the right acupuncture points. Therefore, do not try to do this procedure yourself, so as not to damage closely located vessels and nerves.

There are also folk remedies for cramps:

• It is very effective to lubricate the soles of your feet with fresh lemon juice for two weeks, in the morning and in the evening. After completely absorbing and drying the mixture, do not wipe your feet, wear socks or shoes from above.
• In case of muscle spasms, it is also useful to grate the area with mustard oil - mustard, as is known, has an excellent warming and restoring blood circulation property.
• With the same effect, vodka, apple cider vinegar( in the form of moist warm compresses) or warming ointment from seizures are used.

Prophylaxis and therapeutic exercises ^

Treatment of leg cramps should be started not with pills, but with adjusting the diet:

• First of all, you need to increase the intake of food products with potassium, magnesium and calcium - these trace elements are responsible for the circulation of liquids.
• For calcium supplementation, use more dairy products, but note that the lower the fat content of the product, the less calcium in it - so do not overdo the fat-free yogurt and cottage cheese.
• Potassium can be replenished with potassium, avocados, meat, fish, poultry.
• Magnesium is found in nuts, beans, bran, cheese, herring, spinach, rye bread, oatmeal.
• If deficiency of minerals by means of food correction is not possible, it will be necessary to resort to help of vitaminized supplements.

The muscle groups most prone to spasms need to be strengthened with special physical exercises and preventive massage. In the complex of daily therapeutic exercises include an exercise to relax the calf muscles - grasp the fingertips of the toes and forcefully pull them toward you.

In addition, during the day, after a long sitting or being in a monotonous pose, perform a mini-gymnastics for the feet: rise high on the socks and drop sharply onto the heel, turn the feet in different directions, bend and unbend the fingers.

Every evening, make contrasting foot baths - for a few seconds alternately lower your legs into cold and hot water, you can with broths of herbs( horsetail, nettle, yarrow, lungwort, cudweed).

Do not make the temperature difference too great, the procedure should be comfortable, especially with varicose veins of the lower extremities. After the baths, do a relaxing massage in the direction from the feet to the knees and go to sleep in woolen socks.

For the prevention of cramps and spasms, wear comfortable shoes, give up high heels and avoid excessive stress on your legs. In addition, stop smoking, limit the consumption of coffee and sugar as much as possible and protect yourself from stress.