Nocturnal foot cramps. Why do my legs cramp? Cramps at night, risk factors

Often people in their sleep experience a condition where their calves cramp. When sleeping, the body is relaxed, muscle tissue reduces activity, and lactic acid accumulates in the calves of the muscles, which contributes to the appearance of cramps.

An unpleasant phenomenon that occurs more often than other convulsions is called cramps. They are usually accompanied by pain and numbness in the calf muscle, which interferes with restful sleep. For proper treatment of night cramps, it is necessary to analyze the provoking factors and establish their cause. If attacks recur frequently, you should consult a doctor.

Causes of night cramps

The reasons are very different.

• Lack of mobility. Due to lack of physical activity, the muscles gradually atrophy, resulting in pain in the legs. Office workers and drivers are especially susceptible to this problem.
• Failure to comply with training techniques. A serious mistake is placing all the weight on one part of the foot. People involved in athletics and strength sports should analyze their activities.
• Lack of nutrients.
• Diseases liver, diabetes mellitus, thyroid dysfunction, anemia, varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, heart failure, flat feet.

Cramps during pregnancy

During pregnancy, various types of disruptions in the body's functioning are possible. Some of them provoke the occurrence of cramping in the calf muscles. They come suddenly and often at night. Let's look at the reasons for the violations.

• Deficiency of vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, calcium. In the early stages of pregnancy, toxicosis occurs, which removes microelements from the body.
• Reduced percentage of glucose in the blood. To maintain glucose levels, pregnant women are advised to split their meals into small portions.
• Phlebeurysm. In the last period of pregnancy, the increased load does not allow the veins to cope with their work. Blood stagnates, circulatory problems occur, which makes it difficult for the required amount of essential substances to enter the muscles. Metabolic products are not excreted, creating a favorable background for the appearance of seizures.
• Inferior vena cava syndrome. In a horizontal position, the pregnant woman’s uterus presses on the lower vein, which reduces the outflow of blood and leads to calf cramps.
• Use of diuretics in excess quantities may cause leaching of minerals.

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Among women

New-fangled diets advise limiting the consumption of certain foods, which threatens a deficiency of important substances. A lack of magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium promotes the formation of ionic compounds in the intercellular spaces, which have a stimulating effect on nerve endings, thereby causing painful muscle contractions at night. Mono-diets are considered especially dangerous in this regard.

The use of diuretic and choleretic foods and drinks contributes to disruption of the water balance in the metabolic process of muscle tissue. Important microelements are excreted along with the liquid.

If your calves cramp at night, your shoes may be to blame. Women often wear high-heeled shoes, so during the day their legs become tired from long-term incorrect positioning of the foot, and at night fatigue and relaxed muscles manifest themselves in the form of reflex contractions.

A woman’s body experiences serious stress during the menstrual period due to impaired peripheral circulation.

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Women are prone to cramps due to stress. Minor disturbances often result in nighttime calf cramps.

Cramps in men

The peculiarity of spasms in men is that they are more painful, since the muscles are denser than women’s. The causes of seizures are considered to be:

• Forced inactivity, increased loads. Men engaged in professional activities suffer from this: truck drivers, tractor drivers, bulldozer drivers, athletes.
• Muscle hypothermia. Many men allow themselves to be in the cold water of reservoirs and neglect warm underwear, which leads to hypothermia of the muscles.
• Overweight. Body parameters and a huge belly lead to the fact that the inferior vena cava is compressed, as in pregnant women.
• Smoking and alcohol. They negatively affect peripheral blood supply: they spasm blood vessels, stimulate nerve endings, which provokes convulsions.
• Dehydration. Heavy sweating removes a significant portion of microelements from the body.

Treatment is acceptable both with folk remedies at home and with medications.

Treatment of seizures with folk remedies

In rare cases, you can avoid medical attention by using home remedies. Traditional medicine offers many recipes to help with cramps in the calves.

• Fast method. Hold a pinch of salt in your mouth for up to 2 minutes and the cramp will go away.
• Lemon juice. Take a spoonful of salted lemon juice under your tongue. The disease can be eliminated by lubricating the area of ​​spasm with juice.
• Kvass mixture. Add a teaspoon of yeast to a glass of bread kvass, leave for 6 hours, divide into equal parts according to the number of meals. Take before meals for a month. Improves the taste of the honey mixture.
• Wormwood tincture. Pour vodka into a container filled with wormwood herb and leave for 2-3 weeks. Rub your feet every evening until the cramps disappear completely.
• Chamomile mixture. Brew two tablespoons of chamomile like tea with a liter of boiling water. Drink after meals, last time before bed.
• Celandine ointment. Mix freshly squeezed celandine juice with medical Vaseline 1:2. Rub problem areas for 2 weeks.

To ease pain and spasms, it is recommended to pull your toes towards you. Then restore blood circulation by doing a massage. You can pinch or prick the muscle. After relief, you need to lie down with your legs elevated. This method will speed up blood circulation and relax spasms.

If effectiveness cannot be achieved with folk remedies, you should definitely consult a doctor who will prescribe additional tests.

Store-bought anti-seizure medications

In accordance with the identified cause and correct diagnosis, drugs of different effects are prescribed. In this case, therapy is aimed at eliminating the cause itself. The treatment complex includes vitamins and microelements.

Vitamins

Ointments

For local treatment, heparin ointment, troxevasin gel, ointments based on horse chestnut, and finalgon are used. With anti-inflammatory and warming properties, they relieve seizures and symptoms of pathologies. Ointments are used before bedtime, applied to the problem area.

Pills

There are no pills that will completely eliminate cramps without identifying the underlying cause. But these anticonvulsants are recommended more often than others:

For convulsions provoked by varicose veins, popular drugs that relieve inflammation, improve the walls of blood vessels, and accelerate blood circulation are: “Venoturon 300”, “Antistax”, “Venarus”, “Anavenol”.

IMPORTANT! Most drugs used in the treatment of seizures have many contraindications, so self-medication is unsafe for health.

Preventing seizures

Compliance with the following preventive rules will help prevent a condition where your calves cramp at night.

• The diet must fully meet the body's needs for vitamins and microelements.
• Minimize heavy and prolonged stress on the legs.
• Wear comfortable shoes if possible.
• Before going to bed, massage your feet to normalize blood circulation and relieve tension.
• Reduce your consumption of junk food and drinks to a minimum.
• Get rid of bad habits.
• Protect yourself from unnecessary worries.

In order not to remove water from muscle tissue, after a cup of strong coffee or tea, it is good to replenish the body with 200 milligrams of liquid.

In most cases, calf muscle cramps are not life-threatening. However, frequent repetitions create significant discomfort, so it is necessary to immediately identify the causes of calf spasms and get rid of them using traditional medicine recipes or drug treatment. Don't forget about prevention to eliminate this problem forever.

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There is probably not a person in the world who does not know what a calf muscle cramp is. Everyone knows this feeling, regardless of age, skin color or occupation. Of course, sometimes this condition occurs when swimming in cold water, and then there is nothing unusual about it. Once a person is on solid shore, he can limp for a few minutes, and then everything returns to normal. But what causes nighttime leg cramps? After all, at night there is no muscle work, they should not experience overload, and they should not consume oxygen in increased quantities.

In this case, why do cramps occur in the leg muscles? Perhaps these are vascular or metabolic disorders? Or maybe this simply indicates a person’s increased nervousness? How to cope with this unpleasant symptom? I will try to answer these and other questions.

What it is?

Leg cramps are nothing more than a painful spasm of the calf muscles. A spasm differs from a purposeful, conscious movement in that it is a very strong contraction and it involves the entire muscle. In this case, sharp pain occurs, and the muscle itself becomes rocky.

• The cramp usually lasts several tens of seconds, rarely minutes, and after it passes, local soreness and even lameness often remain.

The real name for nighttime leg cramps is myoclonus, since it is a tonic spasm. There is a special term - crumpy. Crampy is a syndrome of increased convulsive readiness in the calf muscles, which usually occurs at night.

Causes of leg muscle cramps

Why do seizures occur at night?

Why do leg cramps occur more often than in other muscle groups? This is due to the special structure of the human calf muscles. They are classified as “long-lasting” and can be under prolonged stress, for example, while walking or running. For example, we can run several kilometers, taking several thousand steps with alternating load on the calf muscles. But we are unable to do several thousand pull-ups on the horizontal bar, even at an arbitrary pace.

The fact is that the calf muscles are specially designed to be so resilient. They are designed for monotonous work, exist on the “edge” of the body, sometimes work at a lower temperature, but do not have a good blood supply to instantly increase blood flow to the muscles. They have few reserves. Recall that the white meat of chicken breast is a strong fly muscle that produces great force of contraction, but works for a short period of time. At the same time, the red meat of chicken legs is a muscle that is under constant but low load throughout the day.

It is these structural features and blood supply to the calf muscles that sometimes lead to crampy syndrome. The most common causes of seizures are:

• Hypothermia.

This is the most common type of seizure in a healthy person. Of course, most often it is caused by prolonged exposure to cold water - it conducts heat well, taking it away from the body, and muscle spasm occurs as a physiological reaction to the cold: the skin becomes “goosey” and the muscles contract, approaching a spherical shape. This minimizes further heat loss;

• Chronic venous disease (insufficiency) of the lower extremities, or cvn. The most common cause of this condition is varicose veins. If we talk about the early stages, then you may not observe pain, heaviness in the legs and swelling, but CVI is one of the common causes of leg cramps at night, as well as during exertion.

The load leads to an increase in the volume of blood flowing, since the muscles need a large amount of oxygen, but the outflow of venous blood cannot be performed in an increased volume. The result is an overload of plethora, and a convulsive contraction occurs;

• Endocrine disorders (diabetes, thyrotoxicosis, diseases of the adrenal glands and parathyroid glands). It must be remembered that the parathyroid glands, by synthesizing parathyroid hormone, regulate calcium metabolism in the body, which plays a key role in the mechanism of muscle contraction. Endocrine pathology is a common cause of leg cramps in aged patients.
• Chronic pain syndromes that often occur in neurology, for example, with chronic lumbar radiculopathy, sciatica, after nerve injuries, plexopathies. In this case, a muscle cramp is simply a reaction to pain.
• In some cases, the appearance of cramps is caused by a pronounced abnormal load on the arch of the foot, which occurs with various types of flat feet. The muscles of the foot are in a state of chronic ischemia because they are overstrained. As a result, cramps of the fingers and then the calf muscles occur first;
• Sports loads. Often among adherents of “big sports” and advanced amateurs, a significant load is placed on the calves. This occurs more often than others in track and field athletes and cyclists, weightlifters and powerlifters.

Other reasons for the appearance of leg cramps include a state of constant stress, in which there is an excess production of cortisol in the adrenal glands, as a result of which the level of calcium in the blood serum drops, and this leads to increased convulsive readiness.

Various bad habits also contribute to the appearance of cramps - smoking, drinking stimulants, for example, large quantities of strong coffee, as well as staying in a monotonous position for a long time. Physical inactivity contributes to the occurrence of cramps in the leg muscles. In some cases, compression of individual nerve roots, thrombotic processes in blood vessels, and spinal stenosis can lead to increased convulsive readiness.

Vitamin deficiencies also contribute to the appearance of these unpleasant symptoms. More often than others, this occurs with a deficiency of vitamin D, the metabolism of which is associated with the circulation of calcium in the body. With rickets and lack of sunlight, an increase in convulsive muscle readiness is possible.

Cause of leg cramps in the elderly

Most often, elderly people experience night cramps in the legs due to an imbalance of ions in the blood plasma. We are talking about magnesium, potassium and calcium. This is one of the most common causes of muscle cramps, especially in old age, and especially at night.

Here, three options for creating a deficiency are possible: lack of dietary intake, accelerated excretion, and a combination of these reasons. Thus, with a poor and monotonous diet, ion deficiency may occur. If you abuse antacid drugs, you can get a situation in which potassium and magnesium are poorly absorbed in the intestines, and their deficiency occurs. Taking enterosorbents, especially for a long time, can also lead to ion deficiency.

Accelerated removal of ions from the human body is possible through the sweat glands, as well as during urination. In the first case, cramps in the leg muscles occur in the heat, when traveling to the tropics and subtropics, as well as during a long stay in the sauna.

In the second case, we get the usual side effect from taking diuretics. For example, furosemide, or Lasix, is considered a rather “rough” drug, which is widely used in outpatient and inpatient practice due to its rapid action and relative cheapness. Therefore, the use of diuretics must be combined with the replenishment of potassium, calcium and magnesium, taken in the form of soluble salts.

In addition, furosemide can be dangerous in elderly patients with cardiac dysfunction; it can provoke the occurrence of atrial fibrillation, which also occurs as a myocardial reaction to potassium deficiency.

Of course, there are also special groups of potassium-sparing diuretics, for example, Veroshpiron, from the spironolactone group, but they have much lower activity and are not able to quickly remove large amounts of urine.

Crumpy and pregnancy

In late pregnancy, cramps may also occur, especially if the pregnancy is multiple. After all, all the “building substances” that make up the baby are taken from the mother’s body.

Therefore, it is during pregnancy that relative and absolute vitamin deficiency can occur, and a deficiency of those elements from which the baby’s skeleton is then built - calcium, magnesium, as well as potassium, which plays an important role in conducting impulses in cells and the central nervous system.

Causes of cramps in the legs and arms

In some cases, cramps occur not only in the legs, so to speak, in the “typical place”, but also in the arms. In this case, you need to visit a neurologist. Some neuromuscular diseases, myasthenia gravis and myasthenic-like syndromes, the onset of multiple sclerosis, can lead to cramps in the legs and arms. Of course, all of the above reasons can also contribute to the appearance of seizures.

Sometimes such symptoms occur in patients with certain mental illnesses, with hysteria, hysterical psychopathy, with conversion states, as well as with panic attacks.

First aid to yourself

First of all, you need to try to interrupt the cramp. There are some techniques that will allow you to “bring the muscle back to life” relatively quickly. Here are some of them:

• You need to grab your toes with your hands and forcefully pull your own toe towards you. This lengthens the muscle, the direction of movement prevents cramping and allows you to relieve muscle spasm. In addition, you can perform this movement in the form of a smooth rocking motion, and at the same time breathe deeply and measuredly;
• Vigorous massage of the calf muscle helps relieve cramps, often in combination with the previous treatment.

Attention! You cannot massage your calves in the presence of pronounced varicose changes (nodes, signs of varicose dermatitis), with thrombophlebitis, obliterating endarteritis, as well as in the presence of trophic disorders and ulcers;

• For some, simply getting out of bed and trying to walk helps. Also, if you place your feet on a cold floor, it distracts you and helps you cope with cramps. Sometimes you can prick or pinch the muscle.

All these are “first aid” methods - emergency folk treatment for leg cramps. What medications can be used?

About proper nutrition, medications and techniques

All medications are not intended to treat leg cramps, but to prevent their occurrence. Some medications can be replaced with proper nutrition; sources of potassium include dried apricots, raisins, dried fruits, and jacket potatoes. In order for food to be rich in magnesium, you must not forget about seafood, cereals, legumes, and buckwheat.

If you consume whole milk, lemons, honey more often, and also take mumiyo prophylactically, which is a valuable source of microelements, then crampy may stop bothering you completely.

For preventive purposes, you can take a warm shower or a relaxing bath in the evening, walk for half an hour in the evening, or perform a set of gymnastic exercises, for example, on the correct breathing rhythm and stretching.

Medicines that help restore mineral balance in the body are as follows:

• “Panangin” and “Asparkam” are a source of organic potassium and magnesium;
• "Mydocalm" and "Sirdalud" help reduce muscle tone and prevent spasms. These are centrally acting muscle relaxants, which are also indicated for neurological disorders, spastic conditions, diabetes mellitus;
• “Berlition”, “Tioctacid” are alpha-lipoic acid preparations that improve nerve conduction. They are used in patients with polyneuropathy, for example, with long-term diabetes.

Of course, all medications must be prescribed by a doctor. You can purchase vitamin and mineral complexes yourself. For the purpose of prevention, it is necessary to combat flat feet, for example, by selecting individual orthopedic insoles. You should not gain excess weight, you should stop taking various stimulants. You should spend more time in the fresh air, avoid stress, and especially strictly monitor the intake of diuretics, especially in old age. Then leg cramps, the causes and treatment of which I discussed above, will not bother you at all.

Prognosis and complications

In conclusion, a few words need to be said about the forecast. In the event that there are no visible causes, and convulsions appear frequently, then it is necessary to conduct a series of studies, and you need to start with an ultrasound scan of the vessels of the extremities. You need to be sure that there are no initial stages of varicose veins, no venous reflux and obstruction, no symptoms of thrombophlebitis and deep venous and arterial thrombosis.

After all, it is these complications that lead to the fact that not only the progression of venous insufficiency occurs, but other, more severe conditions may also appear. For example, pulmonary embolism, which can be fatal. But this could have been avoided if, several years before the occurrence of a vascular accident, one simply paid close attention to the increasingly frequent attacks of night cramps in the legs.

Of course, in most cases this does not happen, and after some time, muscle cramps in the legs stop bothering the person. But there are other conditions, for example, in which there is no pain or cramps at all, but a person cannot find a place for himself at night, or rather, for his legs. This interesting phenomenon is called “restless legs syndrome.” But this is a completely different story, and we will definitely tell you about it in the near future.

Recently, more and more often, completely healthy people suffer from such an unpleasant manifestation as convulsive muscle contractions at night, which interferes with normal sleep.

Cramps are usually accompanied by numbness and pain.

Unfortunately, it is observed not only in older people, but also in children and the younger generation.

The cause and root of the problem may be different, and in order to understand their nature and exclude the development of serious diseases, you should contact a qualified specialist.

Only he will help you figure out what can affect the convulsive contractions of the leg muscles and prescribe treatment.

Types of leg cramps.

Leg cramps during sleep are a very unpleasant phenomenon. During sleep, the whole body weakens, the activity of muscle tissue decreases and lactic acid accumulates in the calf muscles, which contributes to the occurrence of cramps.

A person is forced to wake up from sharp pain and take action to eliminate the disorder. The following types of leg cramps are distinguished, depending on the location of the pain.

Toe cramps

When the toes cramp, the pain manifests itself sharply and intensely, and it can tighten one toe or all at once. Why does my legs cramp:

• uncomfortable, tight shoes,
• cold feet,
• limited content of vital vitamins and microelements,
• impaired blood circulation.

Calf muscle cramps

Calf cramp is the most unpleasant phenomenon, which causes maximum discomfort and occurs more often than other types of cramps.

In this case, ankle pain is accompanied by: excessive tension and “petrification” of the calf muscle, and the inability to stand on the foot.

Causes of the problem

The calf muscles are subjected to incredible stress every day, which leads to muscle clogging and cramps.

Cramps usually occur at night. The reasons can be very diverse, and in order to determine them, you need to think about which of the daily procedures can provoke an unpleasant manifestation and eliminate their negative impact.

However, if leg cramps interfere with your normal life and occur too often, you should find out why your calves cramp at night. Let us highlight the main reasons leading to night cramps:

• Physical fatigue and frequent exercise. As a result of increased physical activity during the day, muscles become clogged, tired, and in most cases make themselves felt at night.
• Constant standing or sitting position associated with the type of activity. In this case, a disruption of blood flow occurs. As a result, poor circulation accompanies poor nutrition and blood flow to the lower extremities.
• Deficiency of nutrients in the body that are involved in conducting nerve impulses to the muscles.
• When hemoglobin decreases, the body's nutrition with useful substances is disrupted, as a result of which muscle spasms are possible.
• Varicose veins cause leg spasms.
• Pressure shoes and clothing are one of the causes of seizures.
• Taking medications with a diuretic effect contributes to cramping of the legs at night. When taking these medications, fluids and nutrients are washed out of the body and mineral metabolism is disrupted.
• Convulsive manifestations due to poor nutrition are also possible.
• Body posture in sleep, leading to discomfort in the limbs.
• Improper metabolism and, as a result, oxygen starvation of the muscle tissue of the legs.
• Temperature changes due to excessive overheating or hypothermia can trigger short-term seizures.
• With obesity, body weight puts a lot of stress on the lower limbs, which leads to great muscle tension and clogging.
• Vascular diseases. As a result, blood flow is impaired, oxygen is poorly supplied to the tissues and convulsive manifestations appear.
• For women, seizures can be caused by taking oral contraceptives.
• Frequent stressful situations and emotional shocks can provoke leg cramps at night.
• Protein diets. If a large amount of proteins enters the body, the absorption of calcium by our body is blocked.
• Alcohol intoxication contributes to excessive leaching of calcium from the body.
• Elderly age. The body ages, blood vessels wear out, metabolism slows down, a lack of sugar in the blood appears - all this leads to convulsive manifestations.

Sometimes cramps are one of the many symptoms of progressive pathologies and disorders in the body; here it is important not to ignore the manifestations that bother you, but to seek help for a comprehensive medical diagnosis of the body in order to find out why your calves cramp at night.

Possible diseases that are characterized by this symptom include the following:

• . There is an imbalance between the components of the blood, as a result of which fluid accumulates in the tissues of the abdominal cavity, which can cause seizures.
• Pregnancy. In position, a woman is most susceptible to convulsive manifestations. This occurs due to a lack of calcium, magnesium, iron in the pregnant woman’s body, a large body weight, which puts additional stress on the lower extremities, and also cramps can occur during sleep due to compression of the vena cava due to an incorrectly chosen sleeping position.
• . Incorrect foot placement leads to additional stress on the muscles, and this can cause convulsive spasms.
• Lumbar osteochondrosis. When the intervertebral discs are compressed, the nerve roots of the spinal cord are compressed, and the legs cramp at night.
• Low blood sugar or diabetes contributes to cramps due to poor circulation in the extremities.
• . Impaired functioning of the capillaries causes a decrease in muscle tone, resulting in the occurrence of cramps.

Diagnostics

Diagnostic measures in this case will consist of a thorough examination, questioning for additional complaints other than night cramps, and testing.

If the presence of any disease is detected, treatment measures will be aimed at eliminating the root cause, after which the seizures should disappear.

If everything is not as serious as it seemed to you at first glance, and seizures occur for less compelling reasons, it is enough to simply follow preventive measures.

What to do about night cramps

What to do if you are faced with this unpleasant problem? First of all, if you experience a cramp at night, do not panic, relax and breathe deeply to improve air flow to the muscle tissue. Follow these steps:

• Stretch the muscle, pull the toe towards you or shift the center of gravity to the full foot;
• Give your calves a massage or ask people around you to do so. With massage and rubbing, blood circulation is normalized and pain subsides;
• Prick the muscle with something sharp, pinch yourself, rub the calf muscle;
• A warm compress can also help relieve muscle spasms, as the warmth increases blood flow. You can insulate the sore spot with a warm shower or heating pad;
• Lie down so that your limbs are higher than your head.

Medication methods to eliminate the problem

To eliminate the symptoms of convulsive manifestations, the therapist may prescribe the following medications:

• Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs;
• Drugs that relax muscles;
• Anticonvulsants;
• Sleeping pills;
• and minerals containing iron, ;
• Also highly effective are ointments and gels that eliminate muscle cramps. They are applied and rubbed into the area of ​​pain several times a day.

If leg cramps do not go away for a long time and are accompanied by additional dangerous symptoms, you need to call an ambulance in order to prevent dangerous complications if something happens.

Traditional methods for eliminating muscle spasms in the legs

The most effective folk methods are:

• A cold cabbage leaf restores metabolic processes well.
• Consuming cucumber pickle helps relax muscles.
• An effective method in preventing muscle spasms is rubbing the calves with soap containing glycerin.
• To eliminate muscle spasms, use warm honey, which should be applied to the calves and wrapped around the ankles, and then rinsed thoroughly.
• Rub lemon juice into your feet overnight until completely absorbed, then rinse.
• If the factor that provokes cramps is varicose veins, an effective folk remedy is apple cider vinegar, which you need to rub on the affected vessels, or take 2 tablespoons per glass of clean water daily.
• You can also prevent convulsive manifestations by making the following mixture for rubbing into the limbs: Egg yolk, a spoonful of turpentine, a spoonful of apple cider vinegar.
• Mustard powder is good for eliminating muscle spasms, which also needs to be rubbed into the calves.
• Celandine and Vaseline are an excellent remedy for combating cramps.

Preventive measures to prevent seizures

To eliminate unpleasant manifestations, you should first of all find out the reasons that led to them.

Many people try to relieve pain on their own, but this does not lead to the desired effect.

What to do to prevent calf cramps?

In this case, it is best to identify the original cause of the disease and prescribe appropriate treatment.

The main procedures for the prevention of convulsive manifestations are:

• Ensure proper nutrition, exclude unhealthy foods: caffeine-containing drinks, soda, spicy, fatty and other foods that do not bring any benefit. Eat fruits and vegetables in large quantities;
• Take vitamin complexes that contain elements necessary to strengthen muscles and bone tissue.
• Walk in the fresh air more often; sunlight helps saturate the body with vitamin D;
• Treat your feet with care, do not overload them, give your feet a rest;
• Take time to care for your feet: use warm baths, rub your ankles, massage;
• Clothes and shoes should be comfortable and not constrict the limbs;
• Gymnastics in this case is very useful; exercise moderately, without putting unnecessary stress on the body;
• Before going to bed, briefly raise your legs as high as possible, this will normalize blood flow;
• You should choose the sleeping position that is most comfortable for you;
• Drink more fluids;
• Minimize the impact of stressful situations;
• Avoid poses that promote blood stagnation;
• Prevent hypothermia of your extremities by warming your legs.

Frequent leg cramps at night in most cases are one of the symptoms of some disease. There is no disease that they specifically point to.

Determining the disease and undergoing treatment is the first and main task of the patient.

Content

Only a specialist can understand the causes of night cramps and select adequate treatment based on the data of a general comprehensive examination. Therapy is based on the fight against a systemic provoking disease and auxiliary measures that relieve pain (baths, exercises, massage, etc.). Particular attention should be paid to a special diet to compensate for possible deficiencies of vitamins and other important microelements.

Causes of leg cramps at night

Involuntary contractions of the striated muscles of the legs at night, when the body is at rest, are paroxysmal in nature and are accompanied by severe acute pain. The causes of this phenomenon can be divided into three large groups - disorders of blood supply to tissues, electrolyte balance, or neurological pathologies. The factors that provoke muscle cramps are the following:

• Overvoltage due to increased load.
• Increased body temperature (during heat stroke and against the background of intoxication of the body due to systemic infection).
• Dehydration, for example, due to intense sweating (a number of essential microelements are washed out of the body).
• Local tissue hypoxia (oxygen deficiency).
• Varicose veins
• Osteochondrosis.
• Hypokalemia while taking diuretics or hormonal drugs.
• Neurological diseases (hernias, poliomyelitis, radiculitis, amyotrophic sclerosis, etc.).
• Stress.
• An aggressive diet that provokes a deficiency of vitamins and microelements.
• Hypomagnesia (magnesium deficiency).
• Pregnancy (if the recommended diet is not followed).
• Traumatic brain injuries.
• Epilepsy.
• Iron-deficiency anemia.
• Heart failure.
• Diabetes.

First aid

During an attack of leg cramps at night, it is necessary to quickly provide the patient with first aid to relieve pain and allow him to continue resting. General recommendations boil down to the following activities:

• massage of the cramped muscle area;
• walking on a cold floor barefoot for 2-3 minutes;
• taking an aspirin tablet;
• When a calf muscle cramps, a needle injection into the spasm area helps.

• From a horizontal lying position, stretch your legs, pull your socks all the way, and hold the position for a few seconds.
• From a lying or sitting position, rotate your feet, bend them in different directions.
• Lying on your back, raise your legs at an angle of 45 degrees and perform an exercise that simulates riding a bicycle.
• From a lying position, with your arms extended along your body, alternately lift your legs up.
• From a standing position, rise/lower on your toes several times.

Treatment methods

You can begin treatment for leg cramps only after undergoing an examination to identify the causes of muscle spasms at night. Complex therapy includes a conservative effect on the cause of the pathology (including medication), and restoration of the normal balance of vitamins and minerals (through diet and taking multivitamin complexes). Depending on the identified type of micronutrient deficiency, the following medications may be prescribed:

1. Mydocalm: 100-150 mg per day, divided into two doses, after meals. The duration of the course is 10-14 days, the price for 30 tablets is 230-290 rubles.
2. Magnerot: the first 7 days - 1 tablet 3 times a day, an hour before meals, then - 1 tablet per day. Duration of treatment – ​​14-21 days, price for 20 pcs. – 260 rubles.
3. Complivit: after meals, 1 tablet 2 times a day. Course duration – from 30 days. The cost of 30 tablets is from 220 rubles.
4. Alphabet: course duration - 1 month, take according to instructions (one tablet of different colors at specified intervals). The cost of 60 tablets is 290-350 rubles.
5. Calcium D3: one tablet, with meals, 3 times a day, for a month. Price per package 50 pcs. – 285-390 rubles.

Home Remedies

Not only medication for leg cramps at night will help relieve muscle spasms. Following the following recommendations will help reduce the frequency and pain of attacks when treating the underlying disease:

• Contrast baths or foot rubs before bed with plain water or herbal decoctions (infusions) of mint, horsetail, valerian. They normalize blood circulation and relieve causes such as tissue hypoxia and overexertion.
• Compliance with the recommended diet. If the reason is a lack of vitamins and microelements, you need to introduce foods rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamins B and D into your daily diet. Eat more dairy products, cod liver, legumes and cereals, herbs, vegetables, and dried fruits.
• Performing special gymnastic complexes.

Exercises to strengthen the leg muscles are recommended during the treatment of nighttime seizures, regardless of the causes of the spasms. You can perform special exercises before bed or at any other convenient time. The physical therapy program includes:

• Stand on your heels for 10-20 seconds in the positions “feet straight”, “heels together - toes apart”, “heels apart - toes together”. Repeat in cycles of 5-7 times, after a pause for relaxation, lasting 30-40 seconds.
• Walking on the outside and inside of the foot, 2-3 minutes.
• From a sitting position: stretch the calf muscle by pulling your toes towards you. 7-10 seconds, 5-6 repetitions.
• From a standing position: rise onto your toes with your arms reaching up. 3-6 repetitions for 15-30 seconds.
• Bend forward towards your toes without lifting your heels from the floor: 6-10 repetitions, 7-15 seconds each.

ethnoscience

Medicines for leg cramps at night during treatment of the causes of their occurrence are supplemented with the use of local and systemic traditional medicine. Some recipes have a number of contraindications, so their use should be discussed with your doctor. Possible treatment options:

• Rubbing your feet with concentrated lemon juice. Before going to bed, the squeezed juice is rubbed into the feet for 1-2 weeks.
• Rubbing with apple cider vinegar. If cramps occur due to varicose veins, the damaged vessels are rubbed with diluted vinegar (2 tablespoons per glass of water) twice a day for a month.
• Mustard powder or turpentine mixed with yolk and apple cider vinegar. The mixture is applied to the feet before bed and left overnight.
• Vaseline ointment with celandine juice (proportion 2 to 1). Apply during muscle spasm.
• Decoction of goose cinquefoil: 4 tbsp. dry herbs per 1 liter of boiling water. The mixture is boiled over low heat for 12-20 minutes. Drink 0.5 cups before main meals. The second preparation option is 0.5 tsp. vegetable raw materials are infused in a glass of hot milk. This decoction is drunk hot, 2 times a day.

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