What Are the Most Common Causes of Foot and Leg Cramps?

Cramps are scientifically called "muscle cramps" and refer to the sudden, involuntary forced contraction of muscles, which can cause muscle stiffness, pain, and difficulty moving. Cramps often occur after exercise, and frequent sore foot cramps are most likely the cause of varicose veins in the lower limbs.

Foot cramps

Cramps are scientifically called "muscle cramps" and refer to the sudden, involuntary forced contraction of muscles, which can cause muscle stiffness, pain, and difficulty moving. Cramps often occur after exercise, and often sore feet cramps are most likely

Heat stroke cramps

This type of cramps is related to dehydration and imbalance of electrolytes in the body. This kind of cramps most often occur in athletes, especially in hot weather, exercise is most likely to occur. A typical heatstroke spasm occurs after working for one or two hours in a hot environment; a heatstroke spasm may occur even within 18 hours after the end of the activity, and muscles may be abnormal for a few days The phenomenon. Heatstroke spasms are more common in the large muscles of the palms, arms, and legs. Sometimes female sprinters also have heatstroke spasms in the abdominal wall.

The actual mechanism of cramps is not yet known. Most research results suggest that muscle cramps are caused by a decrease in the threshold of nerve or neuromuscular stress, which causes a sudden increase in the frequency of nerve action in muscles, resulting in muscle rigidity contraction.

1. When muscle fatigue develops after prolonged exercise, exercise continues.

2. Poor local circulation.

3. Excessive water and salt loss.

4. Severe diarrhea, vomiting, and insufficient minerals (such as magnesium and calcium) in the diet.

5. The ambient temperature changes suddenly.

6. Mild lacerations to muscles or tendons.

7. Emotional tension.

8. Engage in exercise or poor muscle coordination in inappropriate postures.

9. Some causes that have not yet been identified or identified.

10. Some chronic diseases and the incidence of cramps in pregnant women will also increase. Be careful.

For patients with leg varicose veins or deep venous thrombosis, if they stay in a certain position for a long time while sleeping, the leg veins are compressed and the return flow is blocked, resulting in blood stasis. When the blood stasis reaches a certain level, it will cause leg muscles to stagnate. Cramps.

When hypocalcemia occurs in the body, the excitability threshold of the neuromuscular junction is lowered. Exciting the intensity of the stimulus under normal circumstances can excite the neuromuscular, so it is easy to cause abnormal contraction and cause calf cramps. This condition is more common in pregnant women and the elderly who are deficient in calcium.

During the day, too much exercise of the legs or excessive force will cause fatigue. At night, the state of muscle tension is not improved. Excessive metabolites are not metabolized in time. Its stimulation can cause calf cramps.

For example, if you lie on your back for a long time, press the quilt on your feet, or lay your face on the bed for a long time, forcing certain muscles of your calves to be absolutely relaxed for a long time, causing the muscles to "passively contract".

When sleeping at night, cold feet and legs can cause leg muscle spasms.

1. Avoid prolonged or intense exercise in poorly ventilated or confined spaces.

2. Before, during and after prolonged exercise, you must have sufficient water and electrolytes.

3. Get enough minerals (such as calcium and magnesium) and electrolytes (such as potassium and sodium) in your daily diet. Minerals can be taken from milk, yogurt, green leafy vegetables and other foods, and electrolytes can be obtained from bananas, oranges, celery, natural foods, etc. or some low-sugar beverages.

4. Do not wear tight or heavy clothing for sports or work.

5. Check if the protective banding, sheath, shoes and socks are too tight before exercise.

6. Make adequate preparations and stretching exercises before exercise.

7. Appropriate thermal insulation must be done after exercise on a cold day. If you swim, change your swimsuit immediately and wear warm clothing.

8. Engage in exercise or work in a relaxed mood.

9. Those who tend to have cramps when going to bed at night need to do some stretching exercises before going to bed, especially the stretches of the parts that tend to have cramps.

10. Don't do excessive exercises.

11. Massage the muscles that tend to cramp before exercise.

The treatment of cramps can be divided into two parts, one is the treatment of the acute phase, and the other is the treatment of the root cause. In the acute phase, which is the treatment of cramps, patients need to rest immediately, gently massage the cramps, and gently stretch the muscles in the cramps, because when you stretch the muscles, it will make the tendon tension Increase. When the tension reaches a certain intensity, the nerve will transmit the impulse to the brain. In order to avoid the injury of the tendon, the brain will release the message to relax the cramped muscles. Do not stretch the muscles too hard to avoid straining the muscles and causing secondary injuries. A short period of muscle cramps can continue to work after treatment, but the possibility of recurrence is still high.

If the muscles have cramps for a long time, you can use hot or cold compresses to reduce the pain, or spray or rub some pain-relieving lotions or ointments locally is also effective. If it is easy to have cramps again, you need to consider whether the muscles are over fatigued or dehydrated. The former must stop activities and rest, and the latter need to replenish water and electrolytes.

Those who have cramps must first understand some of their "history", such as understanding dietary habits, the amount of stress they exert on themselves during weekly exercise (work), the location of cramps, the weather conditions when cramps occur, wrestling, freeride, or The causes of cramps in swordsman athletes may be completely different, so the type of exercise you are engaged in is also an item you need to know to find out the cause of cramps. After synthesizing all the knowledge, find out the cause of cramps, and prevent and improve the causes to solve the problem of cramps. If you often have cramps and can't find the cause, then you must handle it carefully and ask your doctor for a thorough examination. The foot muscles are often sore and cramps, which is likely to be the cause of varicose veins. Numbness and cramps in the feet caused by poor blood flow due to sitting and working.