Leg cramps at night: causes, selection of modern treatment at home

Leg cramps most often occur at night. They may be episodic or repeated with a certain frequency. With occasional seizures, as a rule, there is no cause for concern. Frequent seizures may indicate certain pathological conditions. With the clonic type of cramps, the muscles quickly contract and relax. The tonic variety is characterized by prolonged muscle tension. Both varieties are accompanied by some infectious diseases, intoxication, poisoning, traumatic brain injury, neurosis, metabolic disorders, heart disease, blood disease, deficiency of vitamins and microelements.

Kinds

Most often, the calf muscles and toes are involved in the process of cramps. If such phenomena do not occur during the day, but only happen at night, this is a sign of certain pathologies. In order to correctly establish a diagnosis, you should study in detail what leg cramps happen at night.

All types are classified depending on the type and location of the spasm:

Tonic convulsions. These types of cramps occur when a person is in an uncomfortable position and does not change the position of his legs for more than five minutes. In this case, the ability to control the limb is significantly reduced and acute pain appears.
Clonic convulsions. They appear as a result of accidental or forced stretching of muscle structures. Usually the pain syndrome goes away quickly; this type of cramp lasts only a short time.
Localized seizures. They have a single focus of pathology, that is, only one muscle is affected by a cramp.
Generalized seizures. They are a consequence of a dangerous pathology of the entire muscular system of the hind limb. The unpleasant pain syndrome with this type of seizure can last quite a long time.

Regardless of what type of seizures bothers a person, this pathology requires examination and correct diagnosis in order to prescribe effective treatment. A large number of laboratory tests of blood and urine are required, which will help determine which disease triggered the occurrence of night cramps. These can be diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's disease, many infectious and other diseases.

Classification and main signs of pathology

There are several types of night cramps. Doctors systematize them according to the expressed symptoms, for example, by the location and degree of manifestation of painful sensations that occur during spasms. This principle is used to determine generalized and localized seizures. The characteristic manifestations of the former are that the process involves all the muscles of the limb, which are pierced by severe, prolonged pain. This situation often occurs in patients with serious illnesses associated with pathologies of the vascular system and metabolic failure. Localized spasms and soreness are observed in a specific leg muscle or area and do not spread to other places.

Doctors identify seizure symptoms using other signs:

tonic – motor activity of the entire limb is suppressed for a time (up to several minutes), which is accompanied by significant pain;
clonic - short-term spasms affect certain muscles (one or more), while a person can perform leg movements.

Causes

There are many reasons that can cause leg cramps. The main reasons are considered:

Intoxication of the body, which occurs as a result of drinking alcohol;
Dehydration, in which the body loses essential electrolytes and ions;
Lack of oxygen;
Slagging of the body;
Hereditary predisposition
Prolonged exposure to cold or extreme heat;
Constant stress;
Lack of magnesium;
Polyneuritis;
Anemia;
Varicose veins;
Professional sports;
Avitaminosis;
Pregnancy;
Too long and excessive daytime physical activity;
Neuralgia. The reason may lie in myositis, sclerosis, radiculitis and many other diseases;
Hypokalemia, which can occur due to the use of various drugs.

Among women

In women, the risk of seizures is several times higher. They can often occur during pregnancy, since congestion often occurs during this period. The body experiences increased stress on the legs. It is considered normal for seizures to occur only in the first trimester of pregnancy, as this is the body’s reaction to the development of the fetus. If such a pathology causes inconvenience at a later date, this may be a signal of disorder in the body and indicate the following problems:

Lack of calcium, potassium and magnesium in the body;
Varicose veins;
Intrauterine pathologies;
Kidney failure;
Excessive cholesterol levels;
Pathology of the cardiovascular system;
Toxicosis due to acute deficiency of minerals.

In order to start treatment, you should not only visit a specialist and undergo an examination. It is also necessary to consult a gynecologist. It will help determine whether the prescribed medications are harmful to the baby and his mother.

In the elderly

In older people, spasms occur quite often. They can occur against the background of existing pathologies, as well as due to changes in the size of the tendons. In old age, they can appear both at night and during the day.

Seizures that occur in older people most often do not require drug treatment. However, doctors recommend in this case taking massage courses, as well as adhering to preventive recommendations. It is especially important in this case to get rid of all bad habits, lead an active lifestyle and eat as many vegetables, fruits, and dairy products as possible.

Diagnostics

If the seizures are single and irregular, diagnostic procedures and special treatment are not required. It is necessary to contact the clinic if there are repeated spasms of the muscles of the lower extremities. The patient is prescribed examinations:

laboratory blood tests (general, biochemical);
consultations with specialists (phlebologist, cardiologist, endocrinologist, neurologist, vascular surgeon);
instrumental diagnostics according to individual programs (ultrasound, Dopplerography).

What to do if your legs cramp at night

To get rid of pain as soon as possible, you need to give an express massage to the cramped calf muscle or make rotational movements with your feet. This will help to slightly stretch the muscles that have been cramped and will speed up the disappearance of painful sensations.

Regular warm foot baths with sea salt have a positive effect on muscles. They soothe, have regenerating and antiseptic properties, and also have a general strengthening effect. Daily contrast foot baths before bed are also useful.

Treatment

Treatment for seizures involves following recommendations, doing exercises, and taking medications.

Medication

Doctors prescribe drug treatment based on the overall picture of the patient’s health condition. In the absence of serious illnesses, medications containing magnesium, vitamin complexes, as well as medications that strengthen cartilage and tendons are most often prescribed.

Important! Until the cause of the pathology is determined, you should not self-medicate. Drug treatment of any kind should be prescribed only by a doctor and taken under his supervision.

Exercises

To prevent cramps at night, experts recommend performing a series of simple physical exercises before going to bed. They are both prevention and treatment of pathology. Regular light exercise can significantly reduce the number of attacks:

This exercise can be performed either lying down or sitting. You need to bend your feet and rotate them in different directions.
In a lying position, you need to completely straighten and stretch your legs, while simultaneously pulling your feet back.
While lying down, you can twist your legs forward and backward several times, as if riding a bicycle.
When performing this exercise, you need to extend your arms along your body. Then you should begin to raise your legs one by one in a tense position. During the exercise, you need to hold your leg with your hands and pull it towards you.
The following exercise is especially useful for pregnant women. To perform it, you need to rise and fall on your toes several times.

To stretch the calf muscles a little, it is recommended to raise your toes to some elevation. (for this you can use, for example, a stack of books), and, holding onto a chair or table, perform the following movements:

Press your heels to the floor for a few moments;
Bring your socks together, spread your heels to the sides and press them to the floor;
Then spread your toes, bring your heels together and repeat the movements.

First aid

Muscle cramps are accompanied by severe or significant pain. The patient and his relatives need to know the basic ways to stop or mitigate the spasm. First aid consists of doing the following:

the person is helped to stand up, then he needs to walk several meters on a flat, preferably cold surface;
the patient needs to take a comfortable position (lying or sitting), then stretch the leg affected by the spasm as far as possible, and forcefully pull the foot toward you;
perform massage or self-massage of the muscles of the lower leg, foot, fingers;
in case of significant convulsions, use a sterile needle to puncture the skin of the affected area;
Sometimes, to get rid of spasms, it is enough to change the position of the limb and take a comfortable sleeping position.

In the absence of contraindications, to achieve the effect and maintain its results, patients are recommended to take an Aspirin tablet. This medicine has the ability to restore normal blood circulation to the problem area and relieve excessive muscle tension.

Features of treatment for older people

The older a person gets, the more reasons he has for seizures. This is due to a general deterioration in health, as well as the presence of concomitant diseases.

At the same time, blood circulation in the limbs of older people, as a rule, is always impaired. Their metabolic processes in the body are also slowed down and the elasticity of the tendons is reduced. And the lack of vitamins, macro- and microelements significantly affects the conduction of nerve impulses, which contributes to increased muscle contraction.

Startling when falling asleep and convulsions during sleep

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Folk remedies

To treat pathology, you can combine ( after consultation with a specialist! ) taking medications with folk remedies:

Take two teaspoons of honey daily in the morning;
Echinacea tincture;
Freshly squeezed orange juice;
Tea made from birch buds and chamomile;
Infusion of lemon balm, motherwort, mint;
Linden decoction;
Eating garlic with honey;
Alcohol tincture of lilac;
Mustard oil massage;
Lubricating areas of the legs that are prone to cramps with bay oil.

Prevention

The first step that needs to be taken on the path to recovery and reducing the number of attacks is a timely visit to the doctor. He will help determine the cause of the pathology and prescribe the correct necessary treatment. If you delay going to the doctor too much, this can lead to aggravation of the situation.

You need to watch your diet. Strict diets should be abandoned. Nutrition must be complete so that the body receives all the necessary microelements.
It is necessary to give up the unhealthy habit of sitting in a position where one leg is on top of the other. This position provokes congestion in the legs, which can lead to numbness and cramps.
If blood circulation in the legs is impaired, physical activity should be increased as much as possible. You need to walk more often and walk as much as possible.
It is important to wear only comfortable shoes. Uncomfortable and too narrow shoes place excessive stress on tendons and joints.

Adequate rest is also important. You need to try to sleep the required number of hours.

Convulsions are an extremely unpleasant phenomenon that is periodically observed in almost every person. However, regular nighttime cramps may indicate the presence of a disease. Therefore, their appearance requires mandatory consultation with a doctor.