Are you always waking up in the middle of the night due to muscle cramps in the leg? Muscle cramps are a very normal issue that affects many people. The good news is it is easily preventable and treatable. Learn what triggers muscle cramps, treatment options, and prevention strategies in this article. Log on to www.doralhw.org for a consultation.
Causes and triggers
Many causes may trigger muscle cramps. For instance, sleeping with the foot stretched and the calf muscles shortened may trigger night cramps. Other factors include:
- Overuse of the muscles especially during workout.
- Muscle injuries.
- Pregnancy is generally in the later stage.
- Certain medications, such as statins, diuretics, birth control pills, naproxen, and albuterol.
- Liver disease particularly because of excessive alcohol drinking.
- Narrowing of the arteries can reduce the blood flow in the legs which leads to cramps, especially during exercise.
- Pressure on the nerves in the spine also causes cramping pain in the legs which gets worse with walking.
Besides these factors, certain health conditions also lead to muscle cramps, including:
- Cirrhosis
- Chronic kidney failure
- Hemodialysis
- Cancer treatment
- Vascular disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
- Restless legs syndrome
- Motor neuron disease
- Lou Gehrig’s disease
- Spinal nerve irritation or compression
- Hardening of the arteries
- Spinal stenosis
- Thyroid disease and hormonal problems
- Chronic infections
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Chronic kidney disease or kidney failure
- Diabetes
- Fibromyalgia
Other times muscle cramps’ reason can be unknown.
Treatment
Usually, muscle cramps are harmless, however, you can follow these general tips to reduce the muscle cramp pain, including:
- Stop performing the activity that triggers the cramp.
- Do some stretches or massage the muscles.
- Keep the leg in a stretched position until the cramp stops.
- Apply heat to the muscle to reduce its tightness.
- Use cold packs to reduce muscle tenderness.
If your pain doesn’t improve, then you can try an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication like ibuprofen to reduce the pain and stretch the sore muscle gently.
Muscle cramps can interrupt your sleep, if this happens, consult with a doctor to take muscle relaxant medication which relaxes your muscles and calms spasms.
Managing the underlying cause of muscle cramps can also improve symptoms and ease spasms. For instance, if you have low calcium and potassium levels that trigger your cramps, then the doctor may prescribe supplements.
Prevention
The best way to prevent a cramp is to avoid the trigger that causes cramps. Besides that, you can follow these measures to prevent leg cramps:
- Provide support to the toes when lying down or keep your feet up with the help of a pillow.
- Avoid working out immediately after eating a heavy meal.
- You should use the soft bed to prevent the feet and toes from pointing downwards during sleep.
- Wear appropriate footwear during the day, especially if you have flat feet or other foot problems.
- Always stretch or warm up before taking part in sports and workouts. Not performing stretches or warm-ups can result in muscle strain and injury.
- Limit the intake of food and drinks that may trigger your cramps, such as coffee and chocolate.
- Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration, especially when you are physically active and increase water intake when you exercise.
- Increase your calcium and potassium intake naturally by adding foods or drinks like oranges, bananas, milk, seeds, cheese, yogurt, beans, leafy greens, etc.
- Talk with your doctor about taking a vitamin supplement that is necessary to complete the requirement of nutrients and minerals.
Muscle cramps can occur suddenly without any particular reason and cause pain and tighten your muscles. Many factors can trigger muscle cramps such as exercise, pregnancy, certain medications, dehydration, severe health conditions, etc. The good thing is these are harmless and easy to treat. Treatment includes stretching, hot and cold compress, and pain relief medication. If muscle cramps affect your sleep, you can talk with your doctor and take a muscle relaxant medicine to relax your muscles and prevent cramps. You can prevent muscle cramps easily by avoiding their triggers and following the above-mentioned tips to prevent cramps.
If you need help with muscle cramps, visit our podiatry clinic in Brooklyn to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!!!!
Doral Health & Wellness employs Podiatrists with extensive education and expertise. Trauma to the tendons, muscles, and bones of the foot is quite common, as are infections secondary to systemic diseases. It’s not a promising idea to put off seeing Foot Doctor Brooklyn until you’re in a lot of pain. Our address is 1797 Pitkin Avenue, New York, NY 11212. To make an appointment, please call +1-347-384-5690 or send an email to info@mainwebsite.dialysisny.com.
