If you have ever experienced one or more sudden and involuntary muscle contractions, you have most likely experienced muscle cramps. Another name for a muscle cramp is a “charley horse”.
These involuntary contractions can occur at just about any time. They can interrupt your sleep in the middle of the night or occur during or right after athletic or sports activity. Nocturnal leg cramps are among the most unpleasant experiences one can have, particularly when they are new.
When it occurs, a muscle cramp can render it impossible to use the affected part of the body. Despite this and the sharp pain that can accompany them, cramps are generally harmless. They present no long term or serious threats to your health. In almost all cases, they are easily treatable at home.
Most cases of “charley horse” develop in the leg muscles. The calf muscles are particularly susceptible to them. Many episodes of cramp occur during or after periods of intense physical activity, especially in hot conditions. Athletes at all levels can be affected by them and suffer a debilitating loss of performance as a result.This makes muscle cramping a condition studied by many sports medicine practitioners.
In this article, we shall examine a few of the most common causes of cramping. We will then suggest how to treat them at home and reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
Muscle cramps are an example of an overuse (or repetitive stress) injury. Like other such injuries, they can be caused by making excessive demands of a muscle. They can also develop from holding an unnatural body position for too long.
In some cases, muscle cramps can be a secondary effect of some primary underlying medical condition. For example
The risk of muscle cramping tends to increase in the presence of certain factors such as:
Cramps are characterized by a sudden sharp pain. As mentioned above, the majority of cases occur in the calf area.
Another telltale sign (although it does not appear in all cases) is the appearance of a lump in the painful area, just beneath the skin.
We mention below some steps you can take to reduce your risk of cramping. As stated, cramping is usually a temporary event and will stop after a period.
The first step should be to consume water or some other fluid to remove any dehydration you may be experiencing. This in addition to a short period of rest should be enough to cause your cramps to cease.
However, if you suffer from chronic muscle cramps, we suggest the following steps:
To reduce your risk of suffering from muscle cramping, we suggest that you:
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