Calf muscle spasms at night are one of the most common types of leg cramps. It is important to find out why calf muscle cramps appear at night - the reasons can be different: from a lack of certain vitamins to complex systemic diseases.
The spasm can last only a few seconds, and in some cases up to 15 minutes or longer. A sudden muscle spasm results in a feeling of severe pain, and the leg muscles may twitch and feel hard to the touch. Typically, cramps occur at night in the calf muscles, but sometimes they can occur in the thighs and legs.
In addition to the calf muscle, a cramp can also tighten the muscles of the foot. There are also risk factors for a certain category of people who may be more likely to experience calf muscle cramps during sleep. Most often, muscle cramps appear in middle-aged and elderly people, but they can also occur in children.
Calf muscle cramps at night can be painful and disrupt sleep at night, making it very difficult to get proper rest. Therefore, it is necessary not only to identify the causes of night cramps in the calf muscles, but also to know how they can be prevented.
We will try to look at some of the reasons why calf muscle cramps occur at night. Although the exact cause of these calf cramps is not known, they are most often associated with muscle strain, dehydration, or caused by sitting uncomfortably for long periods of time.
If you have repeatedly experienced cramps in the calf muscle during sleep, you should immediately seek help from a neurologist, since frequent cramps in the calf muscles can be a consequence of various diseases. So, why do calf muscle cramps occur at night - the reasons.
Spasm of the calf muscles - possible causes
The reasons that cause cramps in the calf muscles at night are quite varied and there can be many of them. So, for example, they can be caused by diseases of the nervous system or result from an unbalanced diet, in particular, a constant deficiency of calcium, potassium and magnesium.
To better understand this issue, let's look at why the calf muscle cramps at night - causes, treatment and prevention.
- A fairly common cause of cramps in the calf muscles at night is a lack of trace elements in the blood. Since during sleep a person’s blood circulation slows down and the delivery of necessary nutrients also occurs more slowly, the muscles suffer from a lack of them, a double load occurs, which leads to cramps.
- Some diseases can have a side effect that leads to leg cramps during sleep. Such diseases are Parkinson's and Addison's disease, type 2 diabetes, and peripheral arterial disease. Also, chronic diseases such as alcoholism and cirrhosis of the liver can cause seizures.
- Nocturnal calf muscle cramps are more common in older people due to circulatory problems or medications taken that stabilize blood pressure.
- Calf muscle cramps may be side effect serious medical conditions and complications.
- People who take diuretics or have vomiting or diarrhea may experience cramps at night due to low level calcium and phosphorus in the body. If leg cramps affect your overall muscle weakness, lead to interruption of sleep and create problems during the day, you should consult a doctor.
- Strenuous physical activity before bed can also lead to leg muscle cramps.
- Calf muscle cramps may occur during pregnancy in pregnant women.
How to Treat Calf Cramps
Recommended drink 6 to 8 glasses of water every day. Dehydration is believed to be one of the causes of nighttime calf cramps. Drinking plenty of fluids may help if leg cramps are due to dehydration from diuretics or other causes, such as excessive sweating.
Eat a variety of foods rich in potassium. For example, bananas, cabbage, apricots, grapes, corn, tomatoes, salted fish or pork. Potassium deficiency in the body can lead to leg cramps. If the cause of calf muscle spasms is a lack of potassium, then a diet high in potassium will completely eliminate the problem.
To effectively replenish potassium in the body, it is recommended to take high-quality dietary supplements. Natural Potassium Citrate can be ordered on iHerb.
To effectively maintain acid-base balance and provide muscle work heart and transmission of nerve impulses.
How to relieve cramps in the calf muscles?
In this article, we looked at why calf muscle cramps appear at night - the reasons can be different. These can be diseases of the nervous system, unhealthy diet, and physical exercise before bedtime. In any case, it is necessary to identify the exact cause and prevent it. Be healthy!
Calf muscle spasm
More than 60% of the world's population periodically experience leg muscle cramps. They can be long-term (tonic) or short-term (clonic). What reasons cause them? Why does the calf muscle cramp? More often these pains
People over 45 years of age are susceptible, although they can appear at any age, even in newborns. Leg cramps are not a disease, but a symptom. The root causes may vary. Some of the most harmless are hypothermia, bright light, loud sound, fatigue, being in an uncomfortable position for a long time or overexertion. As a rule, in these cases, the calf muscle cramps for a short time. The attacks do not recur. But if a cramp occurs regularly, the sensations are painful, other parts of the body are also involved, for example, cramps in the abdominal muscles, the process is accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms, you should urgently consult a doctor, since they may be manifestations of serious diseases of the endocrine, cardiovascular or nervous system.
Causes of seizures
If your calf muscle cramps, it means your metabolism of potassium, magnesium and sodium is impaired.
The reasons for this failure can be different, and only a specialist can diagnose them. The process itself, as scientists have discovered, occurs in the extrapyramidal system of the brain under certain external and internal changes or failures. For example, in cold water the muscles of the arms and legs cramp due to the narrowing of blood vessels under the influence of low temperature. And in women, during sleep, cramps of the lower extremities can occur due to a lack of calcium in the blood serum against the background varicose veins. Spasms can occur due to physical overload, when the body loses a lot of fluid through sweat, and along with it there is a loss of potassium and calcium. Frequent cramps and skin flushing may be symptoms of developing thrombophlebitis. Its root causes may be injury or disease, which leads to complications such as inflammation of the vessel lining, poor blood clotting and slow blood circulation. A previous traumatic brain injury, impaired blood supply to the calf muscles, diseases of the spine, and simply sudden flexion of the foot - all can cause a cramp.
If your calf muscle cramps, you should first consult a doctor. But there are cases when the cause of the spasms could not be determined. In this case, people suffering from seizures should remember that their body lacks substances and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and vitamin D. You can take dietary supplements that contain the above elements, but it is better to adjust your diet nutrition. There is a lot of calcium in dairy products, honey, eggs and legumes. Potassium in large quantities found in sauerkraut, viburnum, various greens and sunflower seeds. Magnesium is included in meat, white bread, cow's milk, cocoa and sprouted wheat grains. Also, all labeled foods contain sodium and vitamin D. Include them in your diet daily nutrition, and the result will not be long in coming.
Hello, dear readers! In the article we discuss cramps in the calf muscles - causes, treatment, prevention.
Cramps in the calf muscles
Most people have at least once experienced the “cramped leg” condition; they are familiar with the pain of a sudden cramp. Some people experience this condition more often than others. At such moments, the muscles experience an involuntary, prolonged contraction, which is accompanied by severe pain.
It happens that in a state between cramps, the calf muscle or foot muscle cannot completely relax and muscle pain does not go away for several days.
Such a cramp can occur not only while awake, but also at night during sleep.
To prevent such conditions or quickly eliminate them, it is important to know about first aid, causes, and treatment.
Causes of cramps in the calf muscles
Treatment of cramps in the leg muscles is based on the causes of their occurrence, so first we will discuss why the muscles cramp. The main causes of seizures are:
Excessive strain on the calf muscle
Often the cause of leg muscle cramps can be an unusual load for them. The gastrocnemius muscle is involved in all types of vertical movement, sports and active rest- walking, swimming, skiing, squats, volleyball, running, jumping, etc.
A long walk or an episode of intense physical activity combined with a habitual sedentary lifestyle can trigger a cramp.
Cramping during exercise can be a result of dehydration. Excessive sweating leads to loss of potassium and calcium through sweat.
Calf muscle strain
If, after unusual physical activity, the aching pain in the muscle does not go away for several days, then we can talk about a mild strain of the calf muscle.
When the calf muscle is severely stretched, acute pain immediately occurs, which significantly intensifies after the action that caused it is repeated. In this case, you need to contact a traumatologist who will prescribe conservative treatment for the sprain.
Calf muscle rupture
A rupture of the calf muscle, its tendon or ligaments is always accompanied by a characteristic sound, similar to a cracking or clicking sound. The rupture is followed by acute pain and loss of the ability to move the foot and stand on the leg. This condition requires urgent surgical traumatological care.
Uncomfortable shoes and clothes
High heels or uncomfortable shoe lasts, forcing the foot to be in an unnatural position for it for a long time, may trigger seizures.
If your legs cramp after wearing just such a pair of shoes, stop wearing them - this will eliminate the cause of the spasms.
It happens that your legs cramp due to temporary pinching of blood vessels by uncomfortable clothing: too tight elastic on socks, tight jeans, etc. Wear comfortable clothes that do not compress the body.
Hypothermia of the feet
Cold weather conditions, wet shoes from rain or snow can also cause involuntary muscle spasms.
Often cramps in legs when swimming in cold water of a pool or other body of water. Cold leads to spasm of arterial, venous and lymphatic vessels, which in turn complicates and slows down all metabolic processes in tissues.
Poor blood circulation to the leg muscles
Such disorders are caused by changes in the structure of the skeleton:
- injury,
- joint dislocation,
- flat feet,
- congenital dysplasia,
- birth trauma, etc.
In these cases, the leg joints are not in the correct physiological position. The altered position of the bones causes the incorrect position of the muscles and the vessels and nerves that feed them, which are attached to the bone base.
In more complex cases, the cause of disruption of nerve impulse transmission may be:
- traumatic brain injury;
- spinal injury;
- diseases of the central nervous system;
- congenital anomalies.
Such cases are considered individually at an appointment with a neurologist, who will select effective treatment.
The causes of blood flow disturbances can also be:
- varicose veins of the legs;
- inferior vena cava syndrome;
- chronic disorders of venous outflow caused by frostbite, thrombosis, polyneuropathy, atherosclerosis, etc.
Pressure
Pressing the calf muscle is also effective. Feel the muscle that is cramped. It will feel very dense to the touch. Press firmly on it with your thumbs, clasping your leg with your hands in a ring. Press, hold for a few seconds, release the pressure, then press again. A series of such movements will relieve the spasm.
Kneading
You can also stretch the muscle. This should be done with force, and not “stroking”. Grasp the calf with both hands, as if you want to pinch the calf muscle, from the outside or from the inside. Using pressing movements, massage the lower leg up and down until the spasm goes away.
Any of these manipulations effectively relieves cramps in the calf muscle.
Treatment of seizures with folk remedies
It is often suggested to prick the leg with a needle to create a stronger pain sensation “to switch” the nervous system. You can also “beat” a cramped muscle with the edge of your palm, but it is better to apply pinpoint pressure or knead the muscle.
Massage of calf muscles
After the spasm passes and the pain subsides, massage your legs. Massage stimulates blood circulation, promotes the removal of metabolic waste from tissues, and relaxes muscles.
It is useful to lie down for a while with your legs elevated to improve venous outflow or give your leg a little physical activity to “get the blood going.”
Warm your feet, dress warmly, wrap your feet in a blanket, take a hot foot bath.
Medicine for leg cramps
In the medicinal treatment of frequent severe seizures, doctors use magnesium and potassium preparations, and for special indications - anticonvulsants.
Do not use anti-seizure medications unless prescribed by a doctor.
Now you know about the causes and treatment of calf cramps and can easily cope with them. Good health and good health to you. Click on the social media buttons and share useful information with your friends.
Doctors are heard regularly. People of completely different categories face such discomfort. Both young and old people, children and pregnant women are susceptible to the phenomenon. At the same time, all patients note that it is at night that the sensations are so strong that they force them to wake up and experience all the unpleasantness of the moments. What is the treatment for calf muscle cramps? At night, these manifestations can seriously disrupt rest.
What is a phenomenon?
Everyone knows, this is when one or more muscles contract, that is, they contract on their own. This phenomenon is accompanied by pain. Most often, cramps appear in the legs, in the calf area, on the back of the lower leg. The spasm that suddenly seizes the muscle causes the foot to fully extend, similar to when a person stands on tiptoe. Quite strong pain accompanies cramps of the calf muscles at night. Treatment for this phenomenon even to the patient himself seems to be the only way out.
Causes of seizures
Effective treatment of any disease is possible only after identifying its sources. Thus, you should initially consider what the hidden if we're talking about about calf muscle cramps, causes. Treatment is possible only after identifying the factors that provoke unpleasant discomfort.
The main causes of this pathology are:
- unsystematic strong physical activity;
- exposure to cold;
- various changes in the functioning of the body;
- lack of minerals in the blood;
- nervous diseases;
- stressful situations;
- drinking alcohol in large quantities;
- increased neuromuscular excitability;
- epileptic syndrome;
- brain tumors and injuries;
- various inflammations;
- thrombophlebitis;
- varicose veins;
- flat feet;
- obesity;
- inactivity;
- drug therapy with diuretics or statins, taking Niacin, etc.
How to provide first aid?
The question of the need to begin treatment for calf muscle cramps at night arises quite urgently. After all, it is at this time that the power of their manifestation is maximum. Let's leave the issue of fighting the disease until the morning and consider how to give yourself first aid.
- If your calf is cramped on your leg, you need to squeeze it tightly and at the same time press with your index finger on the central area for twenty seconds. This will help improve blood circulation in the muscle. Breathing should be deep throughout the entire procedure.
- Another way to eliminate a cramp involves strong compression of the central area of the lower lip for half a minute.
- A small massage will also help, thanks to it the muscles will relax due to the flow of blood to the area in which the spasm occurred.
- A special exercise will stretch the cramped area. This will act as a pain reliever. The person should stand facing the wall, with feet positioned shoulder-width apart. The hands are at head level, resting against the wall. You need to try to move away from the wall so that you do not come off the floor, and your movements are slow. The exercise continues until calf muscles will begin to stretch, and ends when pain appears. To eliminate it, you should rub the area affected by the spasm. This treatment for calf muscle cramps at night will effectively relieve discomfort.
Drug therapy
It is important enough to remember the promise that was made at night and go to see a doctor. Until the appropriate treatment for calf cramps is found, medications and certain procedures can help relieve the discomfort.
So, you can use several ways to solve this problem:
- You can do some exercise on an exercise bike or treadmill.
- Do a stretching routine followed by a massage a couple of minutes before bed.
- Avoid drinks and foods that have a diuretic effect, as well as foods that contain caffeine and alcohol (to avoid dehydration).
- Take magnesium in moderation.
- Taking vitamin B12 will help, but only if there is not enough of it in the body.
- You can try taking medications that reduce muscle tone, accompanying cramps of the calf muscles. It is better to initially discuss treatment (drugs and procedures) with your doctor. Enough effective means is "Mydocalm".
- Medicines that eliminate character help. For example, the drug "Gabapentin".
- Take medications that block calcium channels with caution. These are medications used for migraines and hypertension. However, the insidiousness of these drugs lies in the risk of hypotension.
- If physical activity is intense, then additional intake is necessary. large quantity water. If there is a lack of calcium, you can include appropriate medications in your intake. For supporters of everything natural, sesame oil and any dairy products are suitable.
However, compliance with all these rules does not replace consultation with a specialist.
Convulsions in children at night
During the period when the child is growing especially rapidly, he may experience the above-mentioned spasms at night. Of course, the baby does not understand what is happening to him, why these things happen. involuntary contractions in the muscles. Often he begins to behave very restlessly, be afraid and cry. Why do these phenomena arise?
Night cramps in a child are caused by the following factors:
- the baby’s leg was in one uncomfortable position for a long time;
- the child is hypothermic;
- the body lacks vital elements;
- The baby suffers from flat feet.
If seizures occur regularly and for quite a long time, then, most likely, they were caused by the last two factors.
Additional intake of macronutrients
It is very important to understand what causes calf muscle cramps at night. Treatment, if the body needs macronutrients, may involve proper diet.
- Potassium is easily replenished by including more fruits in your diet, such as grapes or prunes, apricots, bananas and cherries. Legumes are rich in it, especially beans and lentils. And also cereals, such as oatmeal. Sources of potassium include fish, meat and dairy products.
- Everyone knows that calcium is found to a greater extent in all kinds of fermented milk products, such as cheese, cottage cheese and kefir. In addition, there is a lot of it in nuts, cabbage, watercress, soybeans and sesame seeds.
- Sources of magnesium are various greens, cereals, such as oatmeal, buckwheat, barley. There is a lot of it in bran and legumes, in seaweed and all kinds of dried fruits.
Establishing diagnosis
If seizures become a frequent occurrence and continue for quite a long time, you should seek help from a doctor.
The first specialist should be a therapist or pediatrician if a child is sick. The doctor will perform a preliminary examination and, if necessary, prescribe an examination. If necessary, he will refer you to another more specialized specialist, for example a neurologist.
Remember that the cause of unpleasant discomfort may be a serious illness. For example, treatment of calf muscle cramps due to varicose veins should only be carried out by an experienced specialist. No homemade or self-prescribed medications will get rid of the source of the disease. And, therefore, the relief you receive will not last long.
If the disease is caused by problems with somatic nervous system, then with proper foot therapy they will soon stop.
If, based on the results of the examination, it turns out that the cause of the disease was not any serious pathology, then the doctor will give advice that will help improve the patient’s condition in the very near future.
Nutrition
Treatment for calf muscle cramps at home begins with changing your diet.
The basic rules are:
- You need to eat small portions up to six times a day.
- At the heart of your daily diet, priority should be given to complex carbohydrates, such as various cereals, whole grain pasta, as well as fruits and vegetables.
- You can’t do without fats; they are also responsible for muscle contractions. Daily norm contained in a small piece of sausage or red fish, as well as butter.
- The daily diet cannot do without those already listed above. It is better to combine them with those that contain B vitamins.
How to prevent seizures?
There is a set of measures, the observance of which will prevent the development of this disease:
- Required to enter healthy habits and give up harmful ones. For example, moderate physical activity, excluding too intense leg exercises.
- You need to sleep on a comfortable bed, with your limbs elevated in relation to your entire body.
- Foot baths are another one effective method avoid seizures. A few tablespoons of sea salt are dissolved in five liters of warm water.
- The feet are massaged using ointments that improve blood circulation in the tissues.
- The heel height in everyday shoes should not exceed 5 cm. Shoes in which the patient feels uncomfortable should also be excluded.
- If there are problems with the veins in the legs, then wearing special compression garments - stockings or tights - is recommended.
- It is necessary to eliminate flat feet, if any.
- You need to take vitamin and mineral complexes.
Such simple measures will allow you to effectively complement the treatment prescribed by your doctor for calf muscle cramps that occur at night.
Sometimes a person may feel sudden muscle spasms that cause severe pain. Some people experience convulsions on a daily basis. Home remedies can help cope with this phenomenon. But in order to prevent recurrence of seizures, it is important to completely change your lifestyle. Let's take a closer look at what calf muscle cramps are, why they appear, and what to do when they make themselves felt.
Cramps in the calves have the following symptoms:
- During tonic-clonic spasms, the person suddenly loses consciousness and the pupils become dilated. The convulsions last 10 seconds, the skeleton is tense, the eyes roll up. Then, for another 40 seconds, the muscles of the torso sharply contract and relax. At the end of the attack, the person falls asleep or feels briefly stunned. You may also experience bloody foam coming from the mouth, excessive salivation, and tongue biting;
- Myoclonic spasms affect the entire skeleton, facial muscles or fingers. Most often they affect children and adolescents. During an attack, a person may be injured by falling;
- With partial convulsive seizures, a person does not lose consciousness. During such cramps, the calves, hands and face cramp. A person feels pain and severe tension in the muscles.
Factors that cause seizures
If you have experienced calf cramps at least once, it is important to visit a neurologist, as they can indicate various serious and not so serious diseases.
The main causes of seizures:
- Lack of vitamin D, magnesium and calcium;
- Hypothermia of the legs or whole body;
- Stressful situations;
- Getting injured;
- Inflammation in the body;
- Varicose veins;
- Neurological problems;
- Thyroid diseases;
- Diabetes.
In addition to the listed factors, there are also such reasons for the development of seizures as too much excitement, stressful situations, and disturbances in electrolyte metabolism.
Having experienced the symptoms of seizures, you should immediately consult a doctor to determine the exact causes of this defect in the body.
An experienced specialist will find out why convulsions occur and promptly prescribe correct and effective treatment.
Muscle spasms in children
- You can drink thyme infusion for 30 days. A tablespoon of herb should be poured with a glass of boiling water. Leave for a couple of hours and strain. Drink 15 grams three times a day;
- After a month of taking thyme infusion, you can drink linden blossom tincture. Fill a glass jar with linden flowers and fill it with vodka. Leave for 21 days, shaking occasionally. When the tincture is ready, you need to strain and drink a teaspoon twice a day. Before going to bed, you need to drink another 15 grams of infusion;
- To rub your feet, you can prepare this warming rub. Mix camphor oil with grated garlic in a 1:2 ratio. Let it brew for at least ten days. The garlic should be removed and the resulting product should be rubbed onto the calves as needed;
- Mix barley (20 grams) with oats (10 grams), peeled acorns (30 grams) and rye (30 grams). Then add chicory root (15 grams) and dandelions (15 grams). The resulting herbal mixture is prepared like natural coffee. Honey is added to the drink instead of sugar. Tasty and healthy!
Identifying the causes of seizures
To diagnose serious diseases that cause cramps in your calves, it is enough to check your blood pressure and take a blood test. In serious cases, the doctor may order a full examination of all organs, which will accurately tell why seizures occur.
Treating seizures
Having determined why calf muscle cramps occur, it is important to begin treatment. It is necessary not only to train the calf muscles, but also to eliminate the causes that cause convulsions.
Treatment for calf muscle cramps:
- If the cause of seizures is impaired mineral metabolism, treatment will consist of changing the diet. That is, the patient should consume more foods rich in vitamins and minerals. In serious situations, the doctor is forced to resort to introducing special drugs into the body;
- If the cause of seizures is varicose veins, it is important to treat the vessels of the venous bed;
- If the cause of seizures is epilepsy, anticonvulsant medications are taken. For example, a doctor may prescribe a course of phenobarbital, phenytoin, valproic acid or lamotrigine;
- If the body does not receive enough oxygen to relieve the spasm, you need to saturate the blood with oxygen by inhaling it through a special mask;
- If spasms are caused by brain developmental defects, anticonvulsants are used;
- If the patient has suffered due to meningitis, antibacterial therapy is carried out to prevent the development of seizures;
- To cope with febrile vascular spasms, it is necessary to take an antipyretic drug, which will lower high body temperature and normalize breathing;
- When dehydrated, convulsions are eliminated by infusion of fluid through the veins. It is important to normalize the volume of circulating blood;
- In some situations, an experienced specialist resorts to acupuncture to relieve leg spasms. During this procedure, all needles must be carefully cleaned, and the doctor must know how and where to inject with a needle.
Treatment and prevention of calf muscle cramps also include special massages that warm up the muscles and increase blood flow in them. To strengthen your leg muscles, it is useful to do gymnastics.
If necessary, the doctor may prescribe additional medications that contain calcium and vitamin D.
Preventive measures
To prevent the recurrence of calf muscle cramps, it is important to carry out prevention, which consists of the following:
- Change your menu. Eat fresh fruits and greens. To enrich the body with calcium, it is useful to enjoy cottage cheese, cheese, other dairy products, and almonds. To replenish the loss of magnesium, walnuts, legumes and buckwheat are recommended for consumption. Potassium can be found in dried fruits, dried apricots, seeds, beets and garlic;
- In addition to a proper and balanced diet, you can drink a vitamin-mineral complex;
- In order to prevent leg cramps, special exercises are recommended on the doctor’s recommendation;
- To relieve pain and discomfort in the legs, you can resort to massage, which you can do yourself or visit a massage therapist;
- It is beneficial to walk on your heels for a couple of minutes every day.
Leg cramps are not dangerous. But, if spasms are repeated systematically, they can signal some serious illness. In this case, the doctor must figure out why convulsive attacks occur.
Now you know why cramps occur in the calves, what they are and how they are treated.
The main thing is to promptly seek help from experienced specialists in order to alleviate the condition and begin proper treatment, which will help prevent further recurrent seizures.
