The scientific name of cramp is muscle spasm, which is the spontaneous tense contraction of muscle. Muscle spasms that occur in calves and toes are the most common, and the pain is unbearable when they occur, especially cramps in the middle of the night, which often make people unable to relieve the pain for a long time after waking up and affect sleep. Leg cramp is the most common calf muscle spasm, which is characterized by sudden hardening and pain of calf muscles such as gastrocnemius, which can last for several seconds to dozens of seconds.
What is the cause of frequent cramps?
① Cold stimulation
The cold stimulation of the external environment, such as low room temperature in winter nights, too thin quilt cover when sleeping or exposed legs and feet, and low swimming water temperature in summer, are easy to cause leg cramps.
② Excessive fatigue
Fatigue, sleep, lack of rest or excessive rest lead to the accumulation of local acid metabolites, which can all cause muscle spasms. Lactic acid can accumulate when long-distance travel, mountain climbing or mountain climbing, walking or exercise time is too long, so that the lower limbs are overtired or lack of rest and sleep, and the calf muscles are most prone to fatigue. When fatigue reaches a certain level, spasms will occur.
③ Osteoporosis
The decrease of estrogen and osteoporosis in elderly women will lead to low blood calcium level, increased muscle stress and frequent convulsions.
④ Sleep posture
Bad sleeping posture, such as lying on your back for a long time, makes the quilt press on the foot surface, or prone for a long time, makes the foot surface lean against the bed, forcing some muscles of the calf to be in an absolute relaxed state for a long time, resulting in passive muscle contracture.
⑤ The body lacks calcium.
When muscles contract. Calcium ions play an important role. When the concentration of calcium ion in blood is too low, muscles are easily excited and twitched. Teenagers grow rapidly and are prone to calcium deficiency, so leg cramps often occur.
⑥ Muscle contraction
During strenuous exercise, the whole body is in a state of tension and the leg muscles contract too fast. The relaxation time is too short, the local metabolite lactic acid increases, and muscle contraction and relaxation are difficult to coordinate, thus causing calf muscle spasm.
⑦ Sweating.
Long-term exercise Exercise, sweating, salt supplement is not timely. A large number of fluids and electrolytes in the body are lost, metabolic wastes are accumulated, muscle blood circulation is not good, and spasms are prone to occur.
How to do frequent cramps?
Usually pay attention to prevent cramps and keep warm. Pay attention to your sleeping position.
Appropriate calcium supplementation, dairy products and lean meat containing lactic acid and amino acids can promote the dissolution and absorption of calcium salts.
Do not walk or exercise for a long time. Take part in physical exercise properly, make full preparations during exercise, and let your body move. At this time, the blood circulation of the lower limbs is smooth, and then participate in various intense sports or competitions to avoid leg cramps.
When a cramp occurs, you should do the opposite, pull your toes in the opposite direction of the stress, and hold on for more than 1 ~ 2 minutes to get the result. Specifically, if it is a muscle cramp at the back of the calf, on the one hand, you can pull your foot to tilt it, on the other hand, you can straighten your knee as much as possible. When the muscles in front of the calf cramp, you can press the foot plate and bend your toes hard.
In short, there are many reasons for cramps. If there is cramp, please seek medical treatment in time.