Cramps are muscle spasms that often occur in the legs. Studies show that a similar condition is observed in approximately 75% of people. This phenomenon is especially dangerous if it occurs when swimming in water. But at home, cramps cause great discomfort and even scare many people. If leg cramps occur at night, what should I do? Patients ask doctors this question most often, because it is at night that this phenomenon is observed in most people.
There are several different means to eliminate this problem, but first you need to consult a doctor regarding the appropriateness of their use.
Main classification
Many people experience cramps in their legs. This happens due to the fact that the muscles begin to contract involuntarily. All this is complemented by soreness, greatly aggravated by an attempt to make active movements of the limbs.
Often, such a violation lasts for only a few minutes and very quickly passes on its own. For some, this condition brings a lot of inconvenience, as it is expressed by unbearable pain. It is worth noting that the fit of a cramp can be quite long.
There are several different types of seizures. All seizures are divided into epileptic and non-epileptic. Epileptic seizures appear while simultaneously defeating a whole group of neurons in the brain and excessive muscle stimulation. Non-epileptic include all contractions provoked by other causes.
Causes of occurrence
Muscle contraction can occur in healthy people and those suffering from serious chronic diseases. Why the leg cramps at night, and what to do can only be determined by the doctor after the examination. There are several factors contributing to the appearance of seizures:
- Strong and prolonged overstrain of a certain muscle group.
- Low temperature of air and water.
- Long stay in one position.
- The lack of vitamins and minerals.
- A sharp increase in load.
In a healthy person, cramps appear rarely and pass quickly enough. If cramping is repeated regularly, a diagnosis should be made to determine the triggering factors. There are several dangerous reasons why this problem may occur:
- Impaired blood circulation.
- Problems with water-electrolyte balance.
- Neurological diseases.
It is quite difficult to independently determine the provoking factor. To make a diagnosis, you need to visit a specialist and conduct a comprehensive examination.
What could be the signs
Often, a person has an involuntary contraction of the leg muscles, which in the most severe case can provoke a limitation of limb mobility. It seems that the entire affected muscle is almost going to a lump. In addition, there is intense soreness, which is significantly enhanced by the movement of the affected limb. A man tries to choose the most comfortable body position, in which he will feel better.
Gradually, all this passes, the muscle relaxes, only minor painful manifestations remain, which gradually pass. When the movement is completed, the cramp can return again. Very rarely, more severe symptoms occur and dangerous complications develop.
First aid
Initially, you need to establish and eliminate the cause of leg cramps. What to do if such a phenomenon is observed, only the attending physician can tell, but you can remove the attack yourself. If this condition happened for the first time, then a person may not immediately understand what is happening to him. In this case, you must definitely remain calm and follow a series of recommendations.
Basically, with convulsions, a person feels severe aching or pulling pain. In addition, a numbness of the limb may occur, as well as a loss of sensitivity in some areas of the skin. It is important to know that an attack alone does not cause serious harm to the body systems, that is, it is not life-threatening. Typically, such attacks last 2-8 minutes, after which the function of the legs is restored. Be sure to know what to do if leg cramps happen in bed. If such a violation occurs at night, you need to:
- Sit down and examine the leg.
- Pinch a tense muscle to eliminate a spasm.
- Intensively rub the affected area.
- Stand up carefully, without making sudden movements.
- Gradually stretch spasm-bound muscles.
If a person has a severe spasm, then you need to carefully rub the limb without getting out of bed. After that, calm down and walk around the room a bit, do some exercises - squats, jumps. All these actions will restore the sensitivity of the legs.
In some patients with sudden cramps in the legs, a change in body position helps. Such people need to immediately sit in bed, lower their legs to the floor and move their diseased limb left or right with their hands.
It is recommended to apply a warming compress to the place where the cramp was. After performing all these manipulations, you need to go to bed and place your legs above the level of the pelvis. To do this, under the feet and knees, you can put elastic pillows or rollers. This will normalize blood circulation and eliminate pain. If the pain is very strong, it is recommended to take a mild analgesic.
If this problem continues for a long time, then you need to contact a doctor who can determine the cause of leg cramps, and what to do about it. This can be a dangerous signal, indicating the development of paralysis.
Diagnostics
If the legs cramp at night, what to do can be absolutely accurately determined only after a comprehensive diagnosis. Initially, you need to establish the root cause of a possible violation. For this, a neurological examination is carried out, and laboratory and instrumental diagnostic methods are also used.
A neurologist initially examines a person to indicate a feature of the movements and the degree of damage to the limb. Based on these data, you can make a diagnosis and determine what to do if cramps in your legs.
A study of blood tests to determine the hormonal background allows you to identify internal pathologies.
Electromyography is a highly sensitive examination technique, based on which it is possible to determine which muscles receive pathological impulses, how much they are subject to contraction.
Electroencephalography is a brain examination that allows you to study the activity of pathological structures and determine the focus of the pathology.
Tomography is the most accurate and modern examination method. It allows you to get a layered image of the human body and visualize all the structures. This will detect a neoplasm that squeezes the nerve endings, which often causes seizures.
Treatment methods
What to do if leg cramps? This question worries so many people who often suffer from this problem. Regular or everyday spasms of the feet and lower legs need to be treated comprehensively. Emergency methods help to eliminate only the existing symptoms, but do not fully cope with the existing problem. To determine why the legs cramp, and what to do, you need to consult a doctor.
The only therapeutic regimen that allows you to comprehensively get rid of spasms has not been developed. The optimal treatment technique can be selected only after determining the provoking factors. It is necessary to undergo consultations of several specialized specialists, such as a phlebologist, cardiologist, endocrinologist, neuropathologist.
Home therapy in the presence of cramps in the legs implies the implementation of several important rules, namely:
- You need to carefully monitor your electrolyte and water balance.
- Choose the right shoes.
- Daily foot massage.
- Do not overload the limbs.
- Take vitamins, potassium and calcium periodically.
Many are wondering if legs cramp at night, what should I do? How to cope with an existing problem? In this case, you need to contact a vascular surgeon or cardiologist and conduct a Doppler ultrasound scan. The doctor will help determine and eliminate the existing causes of stagnation of venous blood and circulatory disorders.
To alleviate your condition and reduce the number of seizures, you need to do contrast foot baths daily before bedtime. To normalize blood circulation, it is recommended to use decoctions of medicinal plants that help eliminate convulsions. In addition, it is important to adjust the diet. It should contain many vitamins and minerals.
Every morning it is recommended to do simple exercises to increase the elasticity of muscle tissue.
Medications
What to do if leg cramps? You can try to get rid of the problem in a medical way. The purpose of the medicine is to stop the symptoms that were triggered by a seizure.
Often, the doctor prescribes tranquilizers, which help to slightly reduce the process of overexcitation, and also contribute to strengthening the processes of inhibition of the nervous system. This makes it possible to neutralize muscle cramps. Basically, anticonvulsants are prescribed if the problem was caused by inflammatory processes in the nervous system. Such drugs include Levodopa, Amantadine, Seligilin, Diphenyltropin. However, it is worth remembering that these drugs are forbidden to take in childhood.
Before conducting drug therapy, it is important to know why the legs cramp, and what to do if such a phenomenon occurs frequently. If convulsions occur without additional pathologies, then muscle relaxants are prescribed - Flexin, Phenaglycodol, Isopritan, Midokalm, Baclofen. Such drugs are characterized by a relaxing effect and can be used even in childhood. However, it should be borne in mind that side effects may occur after taking the drug. In particular, nausea, dizziness, lethargy can be observed. Prolonged use of muscle relaxants leads to addiction.
Additionally, when conducting drug therapy, it is necessary to use drugs of the following groups:
- Painkillers.
- Anti-inflammatory.
- Antidepressants.
- Vitamin complexes.
- Blood thinning medication.
In the case of varicose veins, if the legs strongly cramp, what to do, only a vascular surgeon can tell. With varicose veins, along with medications, special ointments must be applied.
Folk remedies
The muscles of the lower extremities are subject to involuntary contractions. This condition is accompanied by quite severe soreness, which can last about 3-5 minutes, and a feeling of overstrain. If he cramps his legs, what should I do? There are several effective methods of therapy.
The fastest way to deal with spasms is to stretch your muscles. To eliminate intense night cramps in the legs, you need to pull your toes slightly towards you. Along with this, you need to try to fully extend the knee so that the soft tissues relax a little.
If a strong cramp occurs in the middle of the night, then you just need to prick the affected area with a needle or a pin. This will instantly eliminate spasms and a sudden attack, as well as relax the muscle.
When cramps in the legs are quite often observed, what to do at home, everyone should know. Muscle cramps can be alleviated by following a few simple recommendations.
Foot baths with a contrasting temperature or pouring cold and hot water on your feet at bedtime are good remedies. Such a procedure will help to normalize the blood microcirculation in the legs. To enhance the effect of taking a foot bath, you can use decoctions of herbs, such as mint, horsetail, valerian.
It is recommended to eat a large number of cereals, legumes, dried fruits, vegetables, dairy products. This should be especially taken into account when correcting nutrition in a child.
If there are often leg cramps, what to do at home, the attending doctor will be able to recommend, so as not to provoke a deterioration in well-being. You can put a warm honey compress on the calf muscle and wrap your leg. Hold for 30 minutes and then rinse with water. This remedy helps a lot with cramps in the child.
Soles of the feet before bedtime can be lubricated with concentrated lemon juice. The course of therapy with this tool is 7-14 days. With varicose veins, you can rub the vessels with apple cider vinegar, diluted with water.
With spasms, Vaseline ointment will help. To prepare it, you need to mix the juice of celandine with petroleum jelly. It is necessary to apply the product in case of cramping.
Exercises
Very often, people have convulsions of the arms and legs. What to do in such a situation? First you need to remove cramps by the above methods. To eliminate muscle cramps in the future or reduce their frequency of manifestation, special exercises are performed.
You need to stand and cross your legs, lean on the outer edge of the foot. In this position, you need to linger for 10 seconds, and then relax the muscles. Exercise must be performed 5 times.
Sit on a chair, toes bend sharply and hold in this position for 10-15 seconds, and then straighten them and rest. Standing on your feet, rise on your fingers, and then abruptly stand on a flat foot. Sitting on a chair, you need to alternately raise your legs and make rotational footsteps.
Fingers need to be alternately bent and unbent, making them energetic stirring. Standing in one place, you need to take several steps. At the same time, try to raise the stop as high as it will turn out.
If very often a cramp brings toes, what should I do? This is important to know in order to prevent serious complications. With frequent cramping, it is recommended to conduct a comprehensive treatment. It is important to avoid overwork and excessive physical exertion. At the same time, it must be remembered that convulsion is not an independent disease, but acts only as a symptomatology of certain pathologies, which, if you contact a doctor in a timely manner, can be completely cured.
Prophylaxis
It is important not only to know what to do with leg cramps, but also how to prevent their occurrence. For this, preventive measures must be followed. You need to consume enough water, as it helps to maintain good hydration of muscle cells, and is also responsible for their relaxation and contraction. During the day you need to drink at least 2 liters of clean water.
Leg cramps very often occur in those who neglect warm-up before training or stretching. Be sure to warm up and stretch the muscles well, as this will make physical exercises more effective.
If regular muscle cramps are observed, you need to reconsider your usual diet. It is important to eat enough vitamins and minerals. In addition, you can take vitamin-mineral complexes that will help to get the missing nutrients.
It is enough to consume salt, as sodium is responsible for the natural cooling of the body during training or in extreme heat. That is why people who exercise regularly are strictly forbidden to completely exclude salt from their diet.
Professional athletes are advised to consume a slightly larger amount of salt than those who are not involved in sports. Salt does not have to be pure. You can also use special electrolyte solutions with a high content of minerals.
For those who often suffer from leg cramps, moderate physical activity and good rest are recommended. With increased fatigue, muscle pain and involuntary contraction can occur, especially at night.
Leg cramps can occur due to the consumption of large amounts of caffeine and smoking. It is important to minimize stress, as depression can cause a significant deterioration in well-being.
Seizures are an unpleasant and painful manifestation, as a result of which sleep may be disturbed.When performing simple exercises and following a diet, you can get rid of such a violation and normalize your health. With frequent cramps, which are quite difficult to eliminate with simple preventive measures, you must first consult your doctor.
If a cramp in the toes occurs, what should I do? They need to be rubbed with your hands, and after removing the spasm, if there is residual pain, lubricate with a painkiller cream. In any case, with frequent recurring convulsions, you must consult a doctor.