Leg cramps are extremely painful! Especially the calf, the leg muscles will be tangled like a stone due to muscle cramps . But why the cramps? Calcium deficiency? catch a cold? There are more reasons than this, muscles are much more delicate than we think.
Especially painful leg cramps | Pixabay
To understand why muscles are so delicate, we need to know how muscles move: After the body senses various information from the outside world, it reports to the brain through the sensory nerves, and the brain issues commands after comprehensively analyzing the information, and then the motor nerves notify the muscles , The muscles contract obediently, and we can do various actions and perform various sports. Problems with any of these links can lead to abnormal muscle contractions , cramping and pain.
Diagram of different states of calf muscles
Calcium deficiency makes muscles restless
Speaking of leg cramps, everyone usually thinks of calcium deficiency. Calcium ions can maintain the normal degree of muscle excitement, but it must be maintained in an appropriate range, too much or too little will not work . Just like the gears in an engine, if there are too many gears, the machine will turn slowly; if there are too few, it will lose control and turn too fast. If the calcium ion concentration in the blood exceeds 2.75 mmol/L, the excitability of the muscles will decrease; if it is lower than 2.25 mmol/L, the muscles will become restless, and spasms will occur with a slight stimulation.
However, hypocalcemic cramps are common in children with calcium deficiency, those with vitamin D3 deficiency, those with too little dietary calcium intake, or those with severe liver or kidney disease and long-term use of diuretics. If you are healthy, eat well and are not picky eaters, there may be other reasons for your leg muscle cramps.
Calcium alone cannot solve all problems | Pixabay
In addition, even if there is a real calcium deficiency, calcium supplementation alone cannot solve all problems. For example, for those with vitamin D3 deficiency, calcium supplementation alone cannot promote calcium absorption, and cod liver oil should also be supplemented, and more sun exposure should be given; long-term use of diuretics causes excessive blood calcium loss, and the drug should be stopped under the guidance of a doctor; liver and kidney disease. Focus on treating the underlying disease. Therefore, it is all leg cramps caused by low blood calcium. It is also necessary to clarify the real reason behind the low calcium and then carry out targeted treatment instead of blindly supplementing calcium.
Cold + fatigue, prone to leg cramps
Don’t think that “catching a cold” is an “old saying” that has no scientific basis. When a person is cold , the brain will send a signal to make the skeletal muscles of the whole body contract paroxysmally to generate more heat to maintain body temperature, which is why we shiver when we are cold. When muscle cell excitability increases due to other reasons, such as the accumulation of metabolites, vasospasm, calcium deficiency, etc., if it is stimulated by cold, spasm will easily occur.
Cold May Trigger Muscle Cramps | Pixabay
Fatigue is a common cause of accumulation of metabolic waste . Working muscles for a long time not only consumes a lot of energy reserves of glycogen in the muscles, but also produces a lot of metabolites such as creatine and lactic acid. Just like workers who have been working continuously for a long time, they have accumulated a lot of dissatisfaction. Once there is a fuse, they will go on strike in the form of cramps.
Cold and fatigue can easily trigger leg cramps, which are most evident when swimming. After swimming for a long time in our body, the leg muscles are fatigued, which leads to the accumulation of metabolites inside and outside the muscle cells, and then stimulated by cold water, the brain frequently initiates muscle contraction to generate heat, and the muscles are overwhelmed, so they protest with spasms.
So, if you frantically shop at the mall during the day and unfortunately let your calf stick out of the coverage of the quilt at night, it is not so unexpected to be woken up by cramping calf muscles in the middle of the night.
Don’t be nervous at this time, we can try to hold the forefoot with our hands and straighten the cramped leg, so as to lengthen the muscles and resist the cramped muscles. At the same time, in order to protect the muscles, the brain also sends signals to relax the muscles, thereby relieving spasms.
Stretching Muscles Can Relieve Spasms | wikiHow
Muscles cannot be “starved”
In addition to not being too tired, not being cold, and picky about the concentration of calcium ions, the muscles also have a bad habit, which is not to be “starved”, otherwise they will lose their temper-cramps.
Glucose provides energy for muscle movement. When hypoglycemia (blood sugar < 2.8 mmol/L), the excitability of the cell membrane of muscle cells increases, the “starving” muscles will no longer work honestly, but will cramp and demonstrate. The easiest and quickest way to relieve it at this time is to eat lump sugar to replenish enough energy for the muscles.
Other bodily environmental disorders also cramping
In addition, muscles are also very picky about the water and electrolyte environment in the body. Water, sodium, potassium, chlorine, etc. together make up the water-electrolyte environment in the body. The disturbance of this environment will also lead to abnormal excitability of muscles , which will cause spasms. Diarrhea, pneumonia, sweating, fever, tumors, etc. are relatively common causes of water and electrolyte imbalance in the body. For example, after taking a sauna bath or long-distance running, the water and electrolyte imbalance may be caused by a lot of sweating. At this time, cramps are prone to occur, and it can be improved after adding an appropriate amount of light salt water .
When the brain directs indiscriminately, the muscles cramp
Abnormal muscle activity may also be caused by the nervous system , including brain problems (such as encephalitis, cerebrovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, chorea, tic disorder, etc.), and motor nerve problems (such as intervertebral disc herniation, sciatica, Guillain-Barré syndrome, etc.). These can all be symptoms of muscle cramps (not just leg muscle spasms), but can also be accompanied by other neurological signs of damage. If you consider this issue, you also need to consult a professional neurologist.
If the cramps recur, it is best to go to the hospital for examination | wikiHow
There are many reasons for leg cramps, and they cannot be discussed as “calcium deficiency” or “cold”. It is particularly worth mentioning that if you blindly supplement calcium, it may also cause hypercalcemia and form urinary stones and arrhythmia. Therefore, when encountering recurrent leg cramps, it is best to go to the hospital for a detailed examination to clarify the cause, and then carry out targeted treatment.
Author: catenin
an AI
There is a cramp situation that many people only dream about – counting money and getting cramps in your hands.
This article comes from Guoke, and shall not be reproduced without authorization.
If necessary, please contact [email protected]
This article is transferred from: http://www.guokr.com/article/463084/
This site is only for collection, and the copyright belongs to the original author.