Leg cramps torment me at night what to do. Leg cramps - causes and effective treatment

Update: October 2018

Among a large number of various diseases, there are also pathological functional conditions that, while not being a disease, nevertheless violate the normal well-being of a person. A typical example is myoclonus or clonic spasms of the calf muscles.

This is a symptom characterized by painful spasm of various muscle groups. The most typical myoclonus of the feet or legs. Such spastic contractions are subconsciously associated with the name of the famous rock band "Nogu Svelo".

Clonic convulsions are short-lived. In addition to them, there may be tonic involuntary contractions of the striated oh skeletal muscles, which are stronger and longer lasting and can last more than three minutes.

Causes of leg cramps

The reasons why leg muscle cramps develop lie in electrolyte imbalances in muscle cells, inadequate blood supply to soft tissues, or neurological problems. These three groups of causes can occur both in isolation and in various combinations, accompanying congenital anomalies or acquired diseases. It is not so important what the age of the patient is, since the mechanisms of myoclonus development are almost identical for children, adults and the elderly.

Violations of water and electrolyte balance

Electrolyte disturbances are the most large group conditions leading to leg cramps. Fine muscle contraction possible when creating a potential difference between the cell and the extracellular space, which is determined by the current of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and chlorine ions in different directions. With any pathologies that lead to an imbalance of these substances, muscle contraction is disturbed. In this case, the most important deficiency of sodium and calcium, leading to muscle spasm. Here is a list of some of the conditions that lead to leg cramps.

When dehydrated

(from the second degree and above) there is a thickening of the blood, a drop in the concentration of sodium in the plasma, and leg cramps develop. The causes and mechanism of development of myoclonus from bleeding are similar to dehydration, convulsions develop with a sharp drop in the volume of circulating blood, for example, with heavy bleeding (see).

With inadequate diuretic therapy

especially loop diuretics (furosemide, lasix, torasemide, bumetanide, ethacrynic acid) and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (diacarbom), which predominantly excrete sodium and magnesium. A decrease in the concentration of these ions increases the excitability of nerve endings, which leads to convulsions. This is a very characteristic condition for elderly patients and those who lose weight with the use of diuretics. For them, cramps in the legs at night and muscle twitches are frequent, which are provoked even by a simple change in the position of the limb.

With inadequate rehydration therapy

and plasma transfusions sudden jump oncotic pressure leads to electrolyte disturbances and convulsions.

Pregnancy

often accompanied by calcium deficiency, which is consumed by the needs of the growing fetus, and may be accompanied by myoclonus of the feet or legs.

Cirrhosis of the liver

Hemodialysis

with chronic kidney failure also often complicated by myoclonus.

Tissue ischemia

Tissue hypoxia leads to the accumulation of underoxidized metabolic products, such as lactic acid and inflammatory mediators. Tissue ischemia is manifested by spastic muscle contraction and pain syndrome. This mechanism can develop with insufficient blood flow in the foot or lower leg, or with metabolic disorders that reduce the flow of glucose into the tissues (see).

Varicose veins of the lower extremities

the most typical pathology in which cramps of individual leg muscles occur after a long walk or static load (see). This trouble haunts hairdressers, sellers. teachers, as well as pregnant women in whom increased intra-abdominal pressure provokes the development or. In addition to spasticity and pain, patients may experience swelling and heaviness in the legs, on which an enhanced venous pattern appears and even nodes where blood stagnates, which can cause secondary inflammation of the vein (phlebitis) or even thrombosis.

Damage to small arteries

this is the fate of patients with diabetes mellitus and smokers who are pursued by obliterating endarteritis, also called intermittent claudication. At the same time, disorders of arterial blood flow take the first place, to which, in diabetes, there is also a violation of tissue glucose utilization and a state of hypoglycemia during starvation or inadequately high doses of insulin. Characteristic features there are pains when walking, the impossibility of walking long distances, pallor and coldness of the legs, trophic skin disorders in the form of chronic ulcers and erosions. Diabetes is characterized even by necrotic processes, which are called diabetic foot. Obliterating endarteritis and diabetic foot are the most common causes of amputation. lower extremities.

Transverse flatfoot

and other similar anomalies of the foot, leading to disturbances in the distribution of the load on the ligamentous-articular and muscular apparatus of the leg, can also become a reason for convulsive contractions of the muscles of the foot or lower leg. Both worsening blood flow conditions and compression of small nerve trunks play a role here. It is interesting that a similar situation may arise among lovers of model narrow shoes or female fans. high heels when an excessive load falls on the toes.

Hyperthermia in children

(high temperature) with high cortical spasm can also lead to leg cramps.

With osteochondrosis of the lumbar

or sacral departments of the spine, the development of intervertebral hernias due to compression of the motor roots of the spinal cord also often causes leg cramps.

Other causes of leg cramps

In case of joint injuries or leg fractures, muscle spasticity is a protective mechanism that allows you to limit the mobility of the injured area. However, muscle spasm in response to pain impulses is the main cause of fractures. tubular bones when falling from a height.

Hypoparathyroidism or a decrease in the production of parathyroid hormones due to their radiation damage, trauma or surgical removal can also be manifested by leg cramps. But at the same time, convulsions also affect the face and upper limbs, and weakness and fatigue, a tendency to depression, and bronchospasm are also observed.

Why does he cramp his legs at night?

At night, muscle activity is reduced, however, when sleeping in a stuffy room, lactic acid can accumulate in the tissues of the legs, which causes spasm and pain. Also, after a significant load on the legs during the day in people with vascular problems, the venous outflow from the extremities is insufficient, and the inflow of arterial blood is slowed down, which provokes tissue ischemia and spastic phenomena in the muscles of the foot and lower leg.

Causes of leg cramps in healthy people

Perfectly healthy people can also be prone to cramps in the calf muscles. The reasons for this phenomenon lie in strong or prolonged muscle tension, they occur with a long forced position. It can be both household and professional loads, for example:

Ballerinas or circus performers often face a similar problem. Such changes are due to the fact that at the moment of overstrain, the impulse from the neuromuscular spindles increases and the alpha motor neuron of the pyramidal pathways is secondarily overexcited, which causes muscle spasm.
Professional athletes or track and field athletes and amateur skiers who have had to train in low air temperatures are also at risk of developing leg cramps.

Cramps of the calf muscles are not a harmless phenomenon, but the most common cause death on the water.

Swimming coaches often tell their students about this phenomenon at the earliest stages of training. Convulsions occur with a significant load on this group muscles while swimming. It also strongly depends on the temperature of the water (the colder, the faster the cramp occurs).

Another factor is the degree of training and calf muscles. In untrained people, muscle spasm can occur within a few minutes. We can safely say that this phenomenon is often the main cause of deaths among swimmers. Young, healthy and self-confident people are the main risk group. Many of them had never experienced the phenomenon described above before the tragic moment. Therefore, the first feelings experienced when cramping the calves of the legs:

There is a very simple way to save yourself in such a situation. It must be remembered at that moment that you can unlock the calf muscle by pulling the toe of this leg strongly to the lower leg. In this case, the foot works like a lever, stretching the muscles and forcibly bringing them into working condition.

So, the correct algorithm of actions will be as follows:

breathe in as much air as possible
plunge headlong into the water and press your knees to your stomach,
grasp with both hands thumbs of the reduced leg and pull very strongly to the lower leg.

What to do if your legs cramp

If a problem such as leg cramps recurs, you should consult a doctor and undergo an examination. The main directions of this exception are:

electrolyte disorders
endocrine disorders
vascular diseases
neurological pathologies

With classical myoclonus, when there are no generalized convulsive seizures and, it is worth paying attention to the level of fluid intake.

In hot weather or when the air is extremely dry, it is worth increasing the drinking load due to mineral water.
In case of loss of fluid with vomiting or diarrhea, it is worth rehydrating with Regidron, Hydrovit or similar solutions at the rate of 200 ml for each stool or vomiting.
It is important not to take various uncontrolled medicines especially diuretics.
In children taking vitamin D, dosages should be strictly monitored and their timely correction should be carried out.
In persons prone to convulsions against the background of an increase in temperature, it should be brought down on time and adequately.
Pregnant women should take prophylactic doses of calcium supplements.

First Aid for a Seizure

To interrupt the convulsive contraction of the muscles of the leg, you can carry out the following simple activities.

Gently stretch the muscles of the lower leg and foot: stand on your toes, walk. You can also straighten your foot with your hands in a prone position.
Massaging the muscles allows them to relax. The most effective are shaking the limb and stroking with careful kneading of the muscles.
Myoclonus is most often treated with magnesium preparations (Magnerot, Solgar Magnesium Citrate, Natural Calm, Magnesium Diasporal) magneB6 (Magnistad, Magnelis B6) and muscle relaxants (a, tolperisone, sirdo luta, baclofen).

Night. You lie on a soft pillow and see a sweet dream, for no apparent reason you wake up from a terrible pain in your leg that pierces your whole body, from such severe pain you want to scream, relatives come running to the rescue and begin to stretch your leg, after a few minutes the acute pain disappears, but post-shock syndrome and echoes of this can be felt not a single day after this ill-fated night. As you probably already guessed, today's article will focus on leg cramps.

Unfortunately, and this is probably a real disaster, almost all people who suffer from convulsions do not know why they occur and let this problem on its own, thereby causing indignation of doctors. This situation does not even fit in my head - how can one suffer from pain, and not know anything about it, much less treat it.

If you are concerned about the problem of leg cramps, and you want to study the causes of its origin, then this is very commendable. Let's first find out: what are leg cramps and why they occur, how to act with cramps and how to get rid of them.

In order to treat a particular ailment, it is necessary to collect as much as possible more information about this: what is it, and why is it happening, because treating something without knowing what is stupid, and the worst thing is that this happens very often, since people, especially those of mature age, having seen enough medical programs, having listened to the advice of friends and neighbors, they immediately begin "treatment". We want to warn you right away that no self-treatment, and especially self-prescription of various kinds of drugs - only a doctor should supervise the treatment of seizures.

What is a spasm

A cramp is an attack of involuntary muscle contraction, which is accompanied by sharp pain, aching in nature.

Why do legs cramp

The mechanism of convulsions has the following picture: one or a group of muscles are in tension and cannot relax, as it is jammed. As a result, blood stops flowing into the muscle, ischemia of muscle fibers occurs, we begin to feel pain, and this causes our body to strain the muscle. As a result, it turns out that we cannot relax the muscle, since it is tense by the body, and the body does not relax it, since it is tense. Therefore, with convulsions, it is very difficult to break this vicious circle and the pain may last for several minutes.

Causes of cramps

Let's look at the most common causes of seizures.

Micronutrient deficiency

It is not without reason that we put micronutrient deficiencies in the first place as the reasons why convulsions occur. Micronutrient deficiency is primarily a lack of: potassium, magnesium and calcium.

Phlebeurysm

Surely those who have varicose veins know what it is, but nevertheless we will tell a few words about it. So, varicose veins is a process of damage to the veins, characteristic feature which is an increase in diameter, thinning of the walls or the formation of so-called nodes on the veins. Varicose veins can usually be identified visually when the veins are very close or protrude from the surface of the skin of the legs.

stress

Another ailment that provokes cramps is stress. Probably stress, in the causes of this or that ailment, we mentioned in 80% of articles about medicine. How are stress and seizures related? - Everything is explained quite simply. Under stress, calcium deficiency appears in our body, which in turn contributes to the rapid relaxation of muscles. Therefore, with a lack of calcium, our muscles cannot quickly relax and cramps occur.

Sports

Athletes and those involved in active sports are often prone to seizures. This is due to constant and excessive muscle tension and insufficient relaxation.

hypothermia

Also, cramps can be caused by hypothermia, when it reduces the muscles of the legs.

If you have a predisposition or have already been diagnosed with diabetes, then it can provoke micro disturbances in the vessels and nerve tissues of the feet, which leads to convulsions.

artery damage

The cause of seizures may be damage to the venous arteries in the legs, which worsens the flow of arterial blood. This is one of the most serious causes of seizures, which can have very serious consequences, up to circulatory disorders and even gangrene.

Other possible causes

Other causes of cramps are sciatica and flat feet. The instigator of cramps can be previously hidden injuries of the legs, as well as directly injuries to the muscles themselves.

Seizures during pregnancy

Often, expectant mothers experience cramps, even though they did not exist at all before pregnancy. The reason for this is probably a deficiency: glucose, sodium, potassium, calcium or magnesium.

What are convulsions

Convulsive spasms are of two types: tonic and clonic. Tonic spasms are accompanied by prolonged muscle tension, this is when it “grabs” and does not let go. Clonic spasms are characterized by jerky muscle tension alternating with relaxation, that is, when it hurts, and then it lets go - and this is repeated several times.

What to do with seizures

Sometimes people can identify the possible onset of convulsive spasms, if you feel in your leg that a muscle cramp may now occur - relax your leg. Calmly stand on your feet, but not on the carpet, but on the floor, it is desirable that your feet are bare and the floor is cool. In this case, the legs should be together, and the torso should be straightened.

If a cramp caught you for no reason, then with both hands grab your toes, and overcoming the pain, pull them towards you as much as possible to strain and stretch the muscle. After that, when the convulsive pain subsides, massage the place of the reduced muscle.

If the convulsive pain does not recede, try to pinch the place where you experience pain and massage it. Then put a pillow under your feet to ensure the outflow of blood.

How to treat leg cramps

To treat seizures, you must first identify the cause of their occurrence, and then neutralize it.

If convulsions do not bother you much, and occur no more than once every few months, then there is no particular cause for concern, but if your convulsions occur quite often and painfully, then be sure to consult a doctor, as the reasons for this can be different, from simple to very serious, and it may be that convulsions are a signal from your body about the need for immediate treatment. The sooner you start treatment, the more likely you are to prevent seizures and save yourself.

Surely, every reader will have a question, which doctor should be consulted for leg cramps. But here is just a dilemma, since there is no specialized doctor who specializes in seizures. Therefore, with this problem, you need to contact a therapist who, after examination, will refer you to a specialized doctor. If you have varicose veins, you will be referred to a phlebologist who specializes in vein diseases. If the cause of seizures lies in damage to the arteries, then you need to contact a vascular surgeon. At diabetes you will most likely be referred to an endocrinologist, and in case of lumbar sciatica, to a neurologist.

Thus, you see that it is not without reason that convulsions do not have their own doctor, since their causes are the prerogative of absolutely different categories doctors and each of the causes must be studied with a profile approach. In addition, we can conclude that a cramp is not an independent ailment, but just a sign of a large list of various ailments.

How to get rid of micronutrient deficiency

To compensate for the lack of trace elements in the body (calcium, magnesium and potassium), you need

Raisin;

Grape;

Dried apricots;

Pine nuts;

Bran.

In addition, you can make up for the lack of these macronutrients with the help of vitamin tablets.

How to get rid of cramps with varicose veins

With varicose veins, which cause convulsions, the following should be done. First of all, before going to bed, make contrast foot baths, but keep in mind that the temperature difference should be insignificant.

Thanks to this contrast: the alternation of cooling and heating, the vessels are trained, thus the walls of the veins are toned. With contrast baths, there is an outflow of blood from the lower extremities, and therefore there is no stagnation of blood, therefore the frequency and strength of seizures are reduced several times, and even after a couple of procedures.

It is very easy and simple to make such baths, for this you need two small bowls, into one of which we pour lightly hot water, and in another cool. First, we dip our feet in a bowl of warm water, as soon as you feel that your feet are warm, immerse your feet in a bowl of cool water. Alternate produce from 5 to 10 times, for the so-called session. An alternative to baths can be a contrast shower for the legs.

Prevention of seizures

In order to prevent night cramps in the legs, it is recommended to perform the following actions.

What is a cramp and what can it be?

Cramps are the result of a sharp uncontrolled muscle contraction, so most often they disturb a person unexpectedly and cause acute and severe pain.

The only consolation for those who suffer is the short duration of the attack, usually within five minutes. But even in this short time, a person manages to experience intense, tingling pain in hardened muscles, when it gets dark in the eyes and it is impossible to move the “reduced” part of the body.

Sometimes, redness or swelling appears at the site of pain, and the muscles continue to hurt for several hours or days. A painful spasm of one or several muscle groups at once can disturb at any time of the day, in any position of the body and at any age.

The most vulnerable to cramps are the muscles involved in the movement of the joints:

calf muscle,
leg muscles,
feet,
hips,
hands.

Job internal organs can also be affected by involuntary contraction of the smooth muscles of the vascular wall. Most often, the elderly and newborn children, athletes and people experiencing long time significant physical stress.

Muscle contractions are different. Leg cramps, characterized by prolonged, pulling pain and petrified muscles, refer to tonic spasms. Clonic convulsions or convulsions occur in the form of seizures, when painful spasms alternate with periods of relaxation.

Causes of seizures

Medicine knows hundreds of factors that provoke muscles into active and uncontrolled contraction, even in healthy people. Basically, the problem arises for reasons that are easy to identify and eliminate in time. Conventionally, they can be divided into the following groups.

Lack of minerals and vitamins

For normal functioning, muscles need a balanced diet: water, proteins, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, B and D vitamins. These substances are involved in cellular processes in muscle tissue, are responsible for the supply of a sufficient amount of fluid and oxygen, and regulate muscle activity.

They determine the speed of assimilation by the body of microelements supplied with food and the coherence of the interaction of all systems of human vital activity with the central nervous system. Deficiency in the intake of essential nutrients leads to painful muscle agitation.

In what cases can there be a threat of an imbalance in the electrolyte composition of the blood?

With long-term use of drugs (diuretics, psychotropic, contraceptives, pills to lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure) potassium, calcium and magnesium are excreted from the body, their full assimilation does not occur.
During pregnancy, the need for calcium and magnesium doubles. The lack of these trace elements especially makes itself felt at night, cramping the calves of the legs and disturbing expectant mothers with terrible thoughts about unknown diseases.
Stress causes the body to defend itself by actively producing the hormone cortisol. The negative role of this dual hormone is that it is not friendly with calcium, preventing its absorption into the intestines and helping the kidneys to remove it from the body.
Poisoning, including alcohol, accompanied by severe vomiting and diarrhea, leads to dehydration of the muscles and loss of electrolytes.
Excessive consumption of coffee, strong tea, energy drinks and a biological supplement for muscle growth - protein, provoke the appearance of a lack of calcium due to its active excretion through the urine.
In old age, a slowdown in metabolic processes leads to a decrease in the levels of calcium and potassium ions in the muscles. Most of all, older people suffer from cramps in the calves and feet at night, when the blood flow is weakened, and the amount of elements needed by the muscles does not correspond to the norm.

Physical activity and external stimuli

According to statistics, periodic leg muscle cramps occur in 80% of all people living on Earth. Entering this number is especially at risk for athletes and people who, by virtue of their professional activity forced to spend most of the time on their feet.

Overstressed muscles, forced to constantly be in good shape, will relieve their excitement with a cramp, which will make you wake up at night from pain in your legs when muscle tissues relaxed and not ready to "attack".

Intensive training in the gym, physical activity or active movement in hot weather accompanied by increased sweating, especially in people who are overweight. In this case, the body sharply loses potassium salts and extracellular fluid, which can become a factor in the development of seizures.

Muscle spasms resulting from hypothermia are the cause of many bathing accidents. cold water. The low temperature of the water sharply narrows the blood vessels, and the muscles, without getting the right nutrition, are reduced. As a result, convulsions occur that can cause a tragedy.

Seizures as a manifestation of the disease

If you do not stop your attention on rare genetic and autoimmune diseases(epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's), the causes of convulsive spasm can be:

problems with the musculoskeletal system (osteochondrosis, arthritis, lumbar sciatica) - pathological processes in the spine disrupt the blood supply to the muscles;
varicose veins - stagnation of blood in the veins makes it difficult to nourish the muscles, the disease is often complicated during pregnancy;
neurological diseases - damaged nerve fibers are not able to conduct nerve impulses from the central nervous system to muscle tissues;
liver disease - toxic substances unprocessed by the diseased organ accumulate in the blood and cause spasms;
endocrinological diseases - dehydration, electrolyte deficiency, impaired nerve conduction and poor blood circulation create an imbalance in the mechanism of muscle contraction and relaxation;
flat feet - a deformed arch of the foot creates tension in the muscles of the lower leg and interferes with normal blood circulation.

In addition, convulsions can be overcome with leg injuries and muscle damage, a sharp increase in blood pressure and body temperature.

In newborns, the appearance of seizures is due to the nervous system that has not been fully formed and the factors affecting it (infections, maternal diseases, drug intoxication).

What to do if a seizure occurs? How to reduce pain?

The actions aimed at relaxing them and restoring blood microcirculation will help to relax the excited muscles compressed into a painful lump:

First of all, you should stop the movement that caused the spasm, stretch the spasmed muscle and stretch it. To enhance the effect of massage, you can use a warming and anesthetic ointment, aroma oils of lavender, juniper, rosemary.
Alternating cold and hot compresses, as well as a tight bandage applied to the site of hardening, will improve and accelerate blood circulation in the affected muscle.
If there are cramps in the lower extremities, which often happens at night, you should stand up, take a vertical position and strongly pull the toes of the foot of the “flattened” leg or tap the heel on the floor.
At the same time, pinching, patting and tingling of the muscle will help to establish blood flow.
After stopping the attack, it is recommended to lie down calmly with raised legs so as not to cause its recurrence.

Prevention of recurrence of seizures

To the question of what to do in order to prevent the recurrence of seizures, everyone must answer, based on the characteristics of their body, lifestyle and concomitant diseases.

If you notice frequent and prolonged seizures in yourself or your child, make an appointment with your GP or pediatrician as soon as possible. It is likely that recurring cramps in the legs or other parts of the body are caused by the presence of some kind of disease that requires treatment and medication.

If you experience involuntary contractions and muscle spasms infrequently, try to eliminate the factors provoking them.

This will require:

Balance your daily menu by including foods rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamins B and D: greens, dried fruits, whole grains, seafood, milk, poultry meat. Having received the substances necessary for nutrition, the muscles will “calm down” and stop waking up at night.

Exclude or limit the use of coffee, strong black tea, alcoholic beverages, but at the same time monitor the intake of a sufficient amount of water to ensure a normal content of electrolytes in the blood.
Control the load, gradually strengthening the muscles and ligaments. Before training, perform exercises that warm up the muscles and accelerate the delivery of blood and oxygen to them.
To give the muscles the opportunity to fully relax and relieve tension during sleep in a comfortable position and comfortable temperature conditions.
Carry out procedures that activate blood circulation and metabolism: gymnastics for the legs, massage, apparatus physiotherapy, contrast showers, foot baths with decoctions of medicinal herbs (mint, horsetail, valerian).

If the above measures do not help get rid of the problem, be sure to seek help from a doctor. No need to put up with pain that reduces the quality of your life, performance and mood. Find time and energy to pay attention to yourself and find out what prevents you from sleeping peacefully at night or worries you during the working day.

You can get rid of unpleasant moments. Take action and stay healthy!

Video: what causes cramps and what to do with them?

Cramps are muscle spasms that most commonly occur in the legs.

Studies show that these conditions occur in almost 75% of all people.

Night cramps are considered more dangerous and uncomfortable than those that occur during the day.

Let us consider in more detail what needs to be done with convulsions at night, and what factors can provoke this unpleasant phenomenon.

What to do with cramps at night: the causes of their occurrence

Most often, night cramps develop for the following reasons:

1. Excessive exercise stress on the legs, which was transferred during the day (too active training in the gym, lifting weights, walking long distances, etc.) This could cause muscle fatigue and cramps.

2. Sedentary work, in which blood circulation in the lower body is disturbed, which provokes convulsions.

3. Previous leg injuries (fracture, sprain, bruise), which make themselves felt in the form of aching pains, burning sensations and periodic cramps.

4. Acute deficiency in the body useful substances(calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron) can also cause this manifestation.

5. Progressive diabetes.

6. Pregnancy, especially in the third trimester, can provoke sudden convulsions. This is explained by the fact that during such a period the fetus is already quite large and can squeeze some of the vessels to lead to numbness of the legs (or one leg) and the occurrence of convulsions in it.

7. Cirrhosis of the liver.

8. Progressive atherosclerosis.

9. Varicose veins, especially if left untreated.

10. Various pathologies in the work of the thyroid gland.

11. The development of seizures due to stress.

12. Violation of blood circulation during sleep, which leads to a lack of necessary trace elements in the muscles and their cramps.

13. Acute infectious diseases, especially tetanus, can provoke this condition.

14. Diseases of a neurological nature, as a result of which nerve cells are affected in a person. This leads to the fact that such cells cease to perform their functions correctly and provoke the development of night cramps.

15. Also, seizures can develop as a side effect of taking medications. Most often, this condition is provoked by such medicinal substances: diuretics, nicotinic acid, raloxifene.

16. Parkinson's disease.

17. Lack of vitamin D.

18. Severe dehydration (may be with the wrong diet).

19. Hypoglycemia (a condition in which a person's blood sugar level drops).

20. Vascular diseases.

Additional factors that can trigger night cramps include:

Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages;

The presence of an inflammatory process in the body;

flat feet;

Severe hypothermia;

Stroke;

Hypertension.

What to do with cramps at night: first aid

When a seizure occurs for the first time, a person may not even immediately understand what happened, because he had not experienced such pain before. In this state, the main thing is to remain calm and follow the recommendations.

As a rule, with convulsions, a person feels a burning, pulling or aching pain. There may also be numbness of the limb, a feeling of "running goosebumps" on the skin, as well as a complete loss of sensation in some areas of the legs (feet, calves, fingers). At the same time, it is important to know that an attack of seizures in itself does not cause serious harm to the body's systems, that is, it is not life-threatening.

Typically, such attacks last from two to eight minutes, after which the functions of the legs are restored.

So, in the event of seizures at night, it is necessary:

1. Sit on the bed and examine the leg.

2. Pinch a tense muscle to relieve spasm.

3. Intensively rub the area covered by the cramp to increase blood flow to it. You can do this using alcohol, which will also help warm the limb.

5. Without bending your knees, try to touch the floor with your fingers in order to stretch the reduced muscles of the legs in this way.

6. If it is difficult for a person to get out of bed, then the same exercise can be done lying down, the main thing is to make your body “work” and relieve spasm.

8. To the place where there was a cramp, it is allowed to apply a warming compress.

9. After doing the exercises, you should lie down in bed and put your legs in such a way that they are above the level of the pelvis. To do this, elastic pillows or fabric rollers can be placed under the knees and feet. This action will ensure normal blood circulation and relieve pain.

10. With severe pain, you can drink a mild analgesic (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, etc.).

It is important to know that if a cramp does not go away for a long time, then this can be a serious signal, because sometimes it can be confused with the development of paralysis, which is a very dangerous condition. As a result, if after ten minutes the cramp has not let go, then you need to urgently consult a doctor.

What to do with cramps at night: treatment methods

Before starting to treat seizures, it is very important to correctly determine the root cause, due to which they began to occur. This will greatly speed up and simplify the overall treatment process.

Drug therapy involves taking the following groups of drugs:

1. Painkillers.

2. Anti-inflammatory drugs.

3. Anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants (if the cramps were caused by stress)

4. Vitamin complexes and calcium (with a deficiency of nutrients).

5. Drugs for inciting blood.

6. Vascular drugs (prescribed for suspected vascular atherosclerosis).

7. Apply ointments for varicose veins.

8. Applying warm compresses to the legs.

As an additional treatment, the patient may be prescribed a course of massage, therapeutic exercises and swimming lessons.

For preventive measures for convulsions, it is recommended to follow the following rules:

1. Wear comfortable shoes (preferably flat shoes with orthopedic notches for the foot).

2. When sedentary work, do self-massage several times a day. You also need to get up every hour and just stretch your legs so that blood circulation improves in them.

3. Lead an active lifestyle.

4. Apply therapeutic ointments to the legs (for pain in the veins).

5. Stop smoking and drinking alcohol.

6. Avoid nervous strain and stress.

7. Exercise regularly.

8. Take contrast foot baths.

9. Review your diet. It is best to enrich the menu with such products:

Sour-milk products (cottage cheese, all kinds of cheeses, kefir), as they contain calcium;

Fresh vegetables and fruits, especially apples, carrots, beets, cabbage and pomegranates, as they contain magnesium, iron and other useful trace elements;

Drink freshly squeezed juices;

At least twice a week, eat dishes from the liver, fish, buckwheat and boiled meat;

Eat bread with bran;

Often use dried fruits and decoctions from them;

Eat nuts, especially walnuts and almonds.

What to do with cramps at night: folk remedies

The most effective folk remedies for seizures are:

1. Decoctions of herbs:

birch buds;

walnut;

Valerian.

They need to be rubbed on the feet daily for two weeks. It is best to do this before bed.

2. Lubricate the feet with lemon juice and honey (in equal proportions). After that, you need to wrap your legs with a warm blanket and leave it like that for a couple of hours.

3. A warm compress can be applied immediately after a leg cramp. It is prepared in this way:

Mix half a glass of alcohol and a pinch of black pepper;

Soak the bandage with the finished liquid and apply to the leg;

Wrap the leg with a towel on top and put it on a high pillow;

Wait two hours, after which you can remove the compress.

4. Warm compress (option 2):

Mix two tablespoons olive oil with a spoonful of mustard powder;

Lubricate with prepared solution sore spot on the foot;

Repeat the procedure every day for a month.

Before using traditional medicine recipes, it is recommended to consult a doctor.

Instruction

Make a complex simple exercises. Stand facing the wall, put your palms above your head, put your feet shoulder-width apart. Then take small steps back without leaving the floor until a slight stretch appears. Then stop for 30 seconds. Keep your breathing even and deep. This will stretch the tense calf muscle.

If the cramps are so strong that you get up, then do the following exercise without getting up from a prone position. Pull your toes towards you and hold them in this position for a couple of seconds. Repeat 3-5 times, and then twist your legs in the air as if riding a bicycle.

If possible, do a foot bath or take a contrast shower. Please note that in the presence of varicose veins, the water temperature contrast should not be sharp. For a foot bath, add peppermint or raspberry leaves to the water, as well as a decoction of roots with rhizomes of valerian, elderberry. These plants have a pronounced anticonvulsant effect.

Additionally, to improve blood circulation in the leg, apply and actively rub a warming ointment into the muscle. At the same time, massage your legs from the toes to the heel, and then from the calf to the knee. After massaging and warming up the muscles, be sure to take a horizontal position, slightly raising your legs with a thick blanket.

If you are prone to nighttime, use laurel oil as well as mustard oil.

note

To relieve muscle cramps, you need to sit in bed, lower your legs down or pinch the sore spot several times or stand up carefully. Then massage the calves and feet with light patting and stroking, starting from the tips of the fingers to the heels, and then from the heels, along the calf muscles to the knees. How to get rid of leg cramps.

Helpful advice

Varicose veins, lack of calcium, flat feet, pregnancy - and this is not the whole list of what can cause leg cramps. Only an experienced doctor can determine why this is happening specifically in your case. He will prescribe the appropriate treatment for you. In this article, we will look at various means traditional and alternative medicine that will help us, if not completely get rid of seizures ...

Sources:

how to relieve leg pain

Cramping of the toes is a rather unpleasant phenomenon that causes significant discomfort. Especially in cases where convulsions occur frequently. It is best to consult a doctor to find out the cause of their occurrence and get recommendations for treatment. And how can you get rid of cramps at home?

How to relieve pain from cramps

Such a phenomenon as may be a sign of a disease, as well as a consequence of a lack of certain vitamins, trace elements in the body. You can quickly reduce the discomfort of toe cramps by standing on a cool surface or placing a cold object on your toes. At home, you can dip your feet in a container of cool water. After 1-2 minutes, you should lie down with your legs slightly raised. Due to the cold and the outflow of blood from the toes, the pain should noticeably decrease.

You can reduce cramps if you vigorously massage your toes, pull them towards you. Sometimes pinching or superficial sharp objects - for example, a needle (of course, disinfected). It is necessary to increase in your diet the proportion of products such as cottage cheese, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, honey.

To reduce seizures, it is necessary to consume 2-3 teaspoons of a mixture of finely chopped walnuts with liquid daily.

Often, toes are caused by wearing tight, uncomfortable shoes. This is especially true for women who love stilettos. And if such a fashionista is forced to stand on her feet for a long time, the likelihood of seizures will increase many times over. Therefore, you should abandon such shoes (even if they are very beautiful, elegant) in favor of more comfortable ones that reduce the load on the legs.

Finally, the cause of cramps in the toes can be overweight. Then it is necessary to take all measures to get rid of extra pounds. Either way, it will be good for your health.

What diseases can cause cramps in the toes

Cramps, accompanied by numbness and pain in the toes, are symptoms of diseases such as flat feet, arthrosis of the feet, arthritis of the joints of the fingers. In addition, such convulsions can be caused by varicose veins of the lower extremities, impaired blood supply to the toes, various infectious diseases.

In the most severe cases, cramps in the toes are one of the symptoms of poisoning in the body.

Make the correct diagnosis and choose the best effective treatment only a doctor can. Therefore, it is necessary to apply for medical care rather than self-medicate. Remember that you can get rid of seizures by following the doctor's instructions. hope for traditional medicine not worth it.