Almost everyone has experienced convulsions at least once in their lives. Most often reduces the calf muscles, and such a spasm may appear at the most inopportune moment, for example, during sleep or physical activity.
The cramp can be quite painful, sometimes the pain persists for several days after that. Cramps occur for various reasons, they can cause a person serious discomfort. Therefore, the question is so relevant: what to do if it brings the foot in the calf. There are some simple tips that will help you quickly get rid of a painful spasm and prevent its complications. But first of all, it is necessary to eliminate the causes of seizures so that they do not recur in the future.
What is a cramp?
A cramp is an involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscle group. Such a spasm is unexpected and very painful. Unlike convulsive syndrome, which occurs with epilepsy and some other diseases, cramps, which are common among healthy people, usually affect one muscle. Most often, the calf or foot muscles. This phenomenon is quite common among older people and among young people. Even children often experience such cramps.
This is due to the features of the mechanism of muscle contraction. For its normal operation, the presence in the body of a sufficient amount of magnesium, potassium, iron and some vitamins is necessary. If the mineral balance in the blood is disturbed, the conduction of nerve impulses from the brain to the muscles is disturbed, and they begin to contract involuntarily.
Such cramps are often painful; they can last from a few seconds to several minutes. Usually appear at night, but sometimes calves the legs during the day, while running, swimming or other physical activity. Most often, such cramps occur rarely, once a week or even less. But sometimes a spasm occurs every day or several times a day. In this case, it is necessary to be examined to determine the causes of this condition.
The mechanism of the development of seizures
Often people come to doctors complaining of leg cramps. The causes and treatment of this condition are related, since it is useless to simply remove the spasm itself, if you do not eliminate the factors that caused it, because it will appear more than once. To do this, you need to know that the violation of contractility of the muscles in the calves of the legs occurs due to electrolyte imbalance. For the normal conduct of nerve impulses to muscle fibers, a certain amount of magnesium, potassium and calcium must be present in the blood. With a lack of some element, convulsions appear.
Therefore, before deciding what to do if it puts your foot in the calf, you need to figure out why this happens. Usually infrequent, short spasms occur after intense physical exertion. This happens when there was no preliminary heating of the muscles, and also when the muscle is tense for a long time. The cause can also be dehydration due to sweating, leading to large losses of trace elements. And if a person has impaired blood circulation, then increased stress can also lead to spasms.
When cramps develop in the calf
Most people rarely have cramps in their calves. They occur periodically, mainly at night. Many do not even pay attention to this condition, since such spasms do not last long and usually do not cause any consequences.
Most often, improper nutrition leads to a deficiency of trace elements, as a result of which it reduces the calves of the legs. The vitamins and minerals involved in the processes of muscle contraction enter the body with food, therefore, recently there is often a shortage of them. The reason for this may be the observance of diets, especially strict ones, which include the exclusion of many foods from the diet. Eating in a hurry, eating fast food or canned food can also lead to electrolyte imbalance. If a person has a serious lack of potassium, magnesium or calcium, convulsions will appear in him even in the absence of physical activity.
But often they also occur in people who eat right. In this case, prolonged muscle strain can provoke muscle spasm. It leads to microtrauma of muscle fibers, impaired blood circulation and metabolic processes. This, as well as large losses of minerals with sweat, often cause seizures in athletes and people engaged in heavy physical labor. In addition, a sharp muscle spasm can provoke stress or nervous strain. A deficiency of trace elements in the muscles of the legs can occur due to wearing tight trousers, uncomfortable shoes, high heels. This also happens with hypothermia, stress, and taking an uncomfortable position during sleep.
More serious causes of seizures
Sometimes the appearance of spasms is provoked not by a mineral deficiency or physical exertion, but by serious violations in the state of human health. Seizures may be the first symptom of some diseases, and if you do not start treatment on time, they will progress. They appear with such pathologies:
- thrombophlebitis, varicose veins;
- impaired renal function;
- atherosclerosis;
- heart failure;
- osteochondrosis;
- diabetes;
- flat feet.
It calves the legs during pregnancy: causes
During gestation, spasms of the calf muscles are a fairly common occurrence. Most often, it is associated with a lack of vitamins and minerals that go to the needs of the baby. And women at this time do not always eat right. Most often, a deficiency of potassium and magnesium, as well as calcium, iron and B vitamins, leads to convulsions. A decrease in blood sugar can also cause spasms. This happens due to a violation of the blood supply to the lower extremities due to compression of the inferior vena cava or increased loads on the legs. Some pregnant women also take diuretics, which leads to the loss of trace elements in the urine.
Each woman during pregnancy should figure out what to do if she has her foot in her calves. Some tips to alleviate the condition during a cramp should not be applied to them, for example, you should not lower your legs in hot water. But it is very important to consult a doctor, describing his condition to him. Indeed, in addition to the lack of trace elements, late gestosis or eclampsia, which are dangerous for the health of mother and baby, can cause seizures.
What to do if it brings the foot in the calf
In most cases, people do not think about this issue, as convulsions do not cause them serious discomfort and quickly pass by themselves. But it happens that muscle spasm is accompanied by severe pain, which there is no strength to endure for several minutes. There are some tips to help alleviate the condition and quickly get rid of cramps. What to do if it brings the foot in the calf:
- take the foot by the thumb and pull on yourself, stretching the muscle;
- pinch, beat or beat eggs, causing blood flow to it;
- make a massage by applying a warming ointment;
- become barefoot on a cold floor and walk quickly;
- substitute the foot under a stream of hot water or make a warm foot bath;
- make simple gymnastics for the feet: climb on toes, bend and unbend your toes.
Seizure treatment
When contacting a patient with a doctor with a similar problem, the doctor will first try to determine the causes of leg cramps. The treatment will depend on this. Most often, cramping is caused by a lack of magnesium in the blood. This can be understood by the presence of such additional symptoms:
- decreased memory and concentration;
- numbness of the limbs;
- sleep disturbances;
- reduced performance;
- heart rhythm disturbance;
- increased sweating;
- deterioration of hair and nails;
- violation of the digestive system.
At the same time, drugs containing magnesium are prescribed to get rid of seizures, for example, Magne B6 or Magnelis.
Alternative methods of treating seizures
Some people experience severe discomfort when they have calves in their legs. How to treat such a pathology, folk medicine can tell. There are several simple recipes that, with regular use, will help to avoid the appearance of seizures:
- treat your feet with lemon juice twice a day;
- rub muscle with bay leaf oil;
- lubricate the calves in the evenings with ointment made from petroleum jelly and celandine juice;
- rub the muscles with tincture of thyme and yarrow;
- eat 4-5 teaspoons of honey daily.
Cramp prophylaxis
If convulsions occur in a person periodically, and there are no serious health problems, you can reduce their frequency or completely prevent the occurrence. To do this, you only need to follow the simple rules:
- It is balanced to eat, providing the intake of all the necessary trace elements. Greens, nuts, seeds, bananas, fish, spinach, dairy products are especially useful.
- Sometimes it is required to take additional nutritional supplements or multivitamins with potassium and magnesium.
- Before exercise, be sure to do exercises to warm up the muscles.
- Drink enough water, especially during physical exertion and in the summer, to prevent dehydration.
- Before going to bed, you need to do some simple exercises to warm up and stretch your calf muscles.