Dealing With Different Types Of Cramps

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Are you suffering from cramps? All of us experience a muscle cramp sometime in our life. It can happen while exercising, at rest, or even at night during sleep. Sometimes the slightest movement that shortens a muscle can trigger a cramp.

A muscle cramp can be described as an involuntarily and forcibly contracted muscle which does not rest. The cramp may be associated to part of a muscle, the intact muscle or a group of muscles.

Your muscles alternately relax and contract as you move your limbs. A muscle cramp can stay for a few seconds or sometimes it can take an hour. Muscle cramps are generally experienced by adults and it increases as you get older. But in many cases, it is seen that children also suffer from muscle cramps.

There are several reasons for the occurrence of muscle cramps. Muscle cramps usually result from over-exertion and dehydration. Some other reasons for muscle cramps are: altered neuro muscular control, muscle fatigue, electrolyte depletion, performance of a new activity and poor conditioning. During a workout if you push yourself too hard, your body will not be able to burn off all of the lactate that is being produced, leading to formation of lactic acid and by this means instigating that burning sensation which in turn results in leg cramps.

Types of Cramps:

Menstrual Cramps:

These cramps are difficult to avoid because you can either experience them or do not get them at all. But the best thing you can do is to make sure that your diet contains a sufficient amount of calcium, as calcium deficiency leads to menstrual cramping. Use a heating pad on the cramping area or stomach while you are lying down or sitting to lessen the severity of cramps. Always try to be active and keep your thinking positive. Stress and lethargy are the main reasons for this type of cramping.

Stomach Cramps:

These can often be controlled by what you eat and what you avoid eating. These cramps very often occur when there is an excess of gas in the stomach. Besides watching what you eat, you can also rely on over-the-counter remedies such as those providing respite from gas, to avoid cramps.

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Proper posture, proper breathing and exercises are also cures for cramps in the stomach. Just walking around a bit can also help, but concentrating on breathing is a more powerful remedy than most people think.

Nocturnal Cramps:

These are known as involuntary muscle cramps that occur mainly in the night. These occur most commonly in the calves and soles of the feet. Also these cramps are normal in the late stage of pregnancy. For overcoming nocturnal cramps, regular stretching, calcium and vitamin E supplements, proper intake of fluids and magnesium intake are essential.

If you can afford a water bed, it is the best cure for night cramps. The water movement promotes blood circulation in legs which in turn keeps cramps at bay. Banana is a great antidote to nocturnal cramps because they are rich in magnesium and potassium, the deficiency of these two are the main cause for night cramps. So a banana a day will keep night cramping away.

Calf Cramps:

Calf cramps can attack you without any warning. These are the most painful cramps. The main symptoms of calf cramps are: tension, sudden pain and inability to put full pressure on the leg. You may also notice that the muscle has become hard and you can feel it like a ball. The main causes of calf cramps are: dehydration and inadequate amount of salts like potassium and calcium. People suffering from thyroid and kidney diseases are prone to calf cramps. To overcome calf cramps drink plenty of water, apply a cold or heat compress to that area and gently massage the cramp, this will reduce the pain.

Cramps In Leg:

The causes of a leg cramp are: dehydration, a serious wound in leg or overexertion. If you use your muscles in an unusual manner, that can also result in leg cramps.

To keep leg cramps at bay, prevention is better than cure. Drink ample of fluids, avoid overexertion, do stretching and warming up to keep leg cramping away.

Treatment For Muscle Cramps:

A serious muscle spasm does not release on its own and requires manual stretching to loosen the knot, relax and lengthen the shortened muscle. In most cases when a cramp is in the lower extremities, just by walking around, should loosen the knot in the muscle and make the cramp disappear.

For cramps in forearm and hand you can release cramp by pressing his or her hand on a flat surface, which will stretch out the muscles in the forearm and hand. Another method is to apply warm heating pad. If the cramping is due to dehydration, fluids, ice packs and electrolytes may help relieve the cramp. Or one more way is to massage the affected muscle.

There might be a treatment for cramps in particular situations, but the fact is, there are various causes for cramps and not a single universal cure can guarantee the recurrence of a cramp. So in case of cramps prevention is better to avoid them. In order to minimize them eat a balanced diet and do regular stretches. There are no medicines prescribed for cramps and a cramp would be gone by the time any medicine actually starts working as it comes and goes off fairly fast.

Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily, keep your blankets loose at the foot of the bed to prevent toes and feet from pointing downward while sleeping and daily exercise is a must to avoid muscle fatigue and prevent cramps to the extent possible.

If your cramps are severe, persistent and frequent, respond badly to simple therapies or are not associated with an obvious cause, then medical attention is needed. It’s high time you need to think about going through a more intensive treatment as the cramps may be a manifestation of some other disease.