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.
Common causes of cramps are as follows:
(1) Cold stimulation of external environment, such as low room temperature in winter nights, too thin quilt when sleeping, or exposed legs and feet.
② Fatigue, sleep, lack of rest or excessive rest lead to the accumulation of local acid metabolites, which can all cause muscle spasm. Too long walking or exercise time, excessive fatigue of lower limbs or insufficient rest and sleep will lead to lactic acid accumulation. Sleep rest time is too long, blood circulation slows down and carbon dioxide accumulates.
③ Decreased estrogen and osteoporosis in elderly women will lead to decreased blood calcium level, increased muscle stress and frequent spasms.
4 Poor sleep posture, such as lying on your back for a long time, making the quilt press on the foot surface, or prone for a long time, making the foot surface close to the bed, forcing some muscles of the calf to be in an absolute relaxed state for a long time, resulting in "passive contracture" of the muscles.
What should I do if I have cramps? According to different reasons, taking the following different countermeasures can quickly relieve spasm and relieve pain. When cramps occur, as long as you do the opposite, that is, pull your toes in the opposite direction of the force, and stick to it for more than l ~ 2 minutes, you can 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 make it upturned, 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 order to prevent cramps, we should pay attention to the following points at ordinary times:
① Drive away cold and keep warm.
② Pay attention to sleeping posture.
(8) Don't walk or exercise for a long time.
(4) Appropriate participation in physical exercise (9)
⑤ Supplement some vitamin E when necessary.
6. Appropriate calcium supplementation, dairy products containing lactic acid and amino acids, lean meat and other foods can promote the dissolution and absorption of calcium salts.
People's common leg cramps are actually calf muscle spasms, which show that calf muscles, such as gastrocnemius muscles, suddenly become hard and painful, which can last for several seconds to dozens of seconds.
Common causes of cramp in one leg
① Cold stimulation. For example, exercising in a cold environment in winter. Insufficient preparation activities; The swimming water temperature is low in summer, which easily leads to leg cramps. If you don't cover the quilt when you sleep at night, the calf muscles will be stimulated by cold, which will make people wake up.
② The muscles continue to contract too fast. During strenuous exercise, the whole body is in a state of tension, the leg muscles contract too fast, the relaxation time is too short, the local metabolite lactic acid increases, and the contraction and relaxation of muscles are difficult to coordinate, thus causing calf muscle spasm.
3 excessive sweating. Exercise for a long time, exercise a lot, sweat a lot, and can't replenish salt in time. A large number of fluids and electrolytes are lost in the body, metabolic wastes are accumulated, local blood circulation of muscles is not good, and spasms are also prone to occur.
4 excessive fatigue. When traveling long distances, climbing mountains, and climbing mountains, the calf muscles are most prone to fatigue. Because every time I climb a mountain, I support my whole body weight with one foot. The muscles of this leg need six times the weight of a person to lift the foot. When it is tired to a certain extent, it will have convulsions.
⑤ Calcium deficiency. Calcium ion plays an important role in muscle contraction. 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.
Second, prevent cramps.
① Pay attention to supplement calcium and vitamin D, and eat calcium tablets or shrimp skin, milk, bean products and other foods rich in calcium.
(2) Strengthen physical exercise. Exercise should be fully prepared to make the body active, and then the blood circulation of the lower limbs is smooth, and then participate in various intense sports or competitions to avoid leg cramps.
③ Keep warm to prevent local muscles from catching cold.