Each of us knows the feeling of muscle cramps. Most often reduces the muscles of the legs, especially the calves. Physiologically, a cramp is a sharp contraction of muscle fibers, which can be caused by a variety of reasons.
Athletes know that a cramp during exercise can occur in poorly warmed muscles. Swimmers and swimmers are also familiar with severe muscle pain. In water, a cramp occurs from hypothermia.
Pregnant women and people taking diuretics, as well as high-heeled shoe lovers, are hit. Of course, in each case, the answer to the question of why it reduces the muscles of the legs will be different.
For example, in pregnant women, seizures occur due to a lack of calcium and magnesium in the body or exacerbation of varicose veins. As regards the health of the expectant mother, the only advice is not to self-medicate. If it reduces the muscles of the legs during pregnancy, be sure to consult a doctor who is watching you so that he picks up the necessary drugs. Of course, in this case we are talking about periodically recurring convulsions. After all, it is possible to reduce the muscles of the legs simply from an uncomfortable position during sleep.
A sharp pain in the calves often occurs in ladies who like to flaunt in high-heeled shoes. In this case, a cramp reduces the muscles of the legs due to circulatory disorders.
If you are forced to take diuretic drugs, keep in mind that most of these drugs flush calcium out of the body. This also applies to all kinds of drugs and teas for weight loss, the main effect of which is reduced to a laxative effect. In this case, nutritional supplements containing calcium and vitamin D (for example, Calcemin), as well as dairy and sour-milk products, dried apricots, honey, will help. But green tea and coffee is better to limit in use.
If your muscles in your legs are reduced during strength training, it is likely that your diet lacks carbohydrates, and as a result, dehydration may occur .
The reasons why seizures occur can be even more serious, for example, vascular diseases or pathologies of the nervous system. Often they occur against the background of developing thrombophlebitis or are a consequence of nervous diseases.
Severe cramps in the leg muscles occur in both adults and children. For parents, this should be the reason for an urgent appeal to a therapist and a neurologist. Do not engage in treatment yourself, since in children the cause of seizures may be not a lack of calcium, but serious pathologies of the nervous system or severe flat feet.
Seizures in the muscles of the legs also affect heavy smokers and beer lovers. In the first case, this is due to a violation of the general blood circulation, in the second case, again, the lack of calcium is to blame.
How to get rid of cramps
When it reduces the muscles of the legs, the only desire is to quickly get rid of the sharp pain. Therefore, first aid in this condition will, of course, stretching and massage. If a cramp reduces the back of the thigh, just make a few slow forward bends, and then actively rub this area.
The cramp of the front of the thigh is removed in this way. Bend the leg at the knee, trying to reach the buttocks with the heel. Grasp the ankle with your hand and pull your leg up until you feel a stretch in the muscle. Massage your thigh if necessary.
Most often, cramps occur in the calf muscles. To ease the pain, stand on the floor, put your foot forward, leaning on your heel and pull the toe toward you.
Toes also sometimes cramp. The reasons are hypothermia and too tight shoes. In this case, foot massage, a hot bath and a light workout will come to the rescue. Make a few rotational movements in both directions to increase blood circulation.
These methods will help you get rid of the pain, but so that the cramps do not recur, massage with chamomile, mustard or clove oil. It helps in such cases, honey and tea from chamomile or birch buds.
You can eliminate the consequences, that is, muscle cramps, yourself, but in order to establish the causes and get rid of them for good, consult a doctor.