Cramps in the calf muscles - causes and treatment

Myoclonus - this is what the condition is called when a person suddenly has a cramp in the calf muscle. The feeling is not pleasant, often convulsions bring a lot of trouble. In addition, such episodes may indicate the presence of certain diseases, so seizures cannot be ignored. Let's consider in this article what illnesses can be indicated by cramps, how to get rid of them and other interesting information on this topic.

Varieties

It is difficult to meet a person who has never experienced cramps - these are involuntary muscle contractions, accompanied by severe pain. Sometimes it happens that during an attack the foot and calf muscles do not relax to the end - as a result, a person suffers from pain for several days. Seizures can occur both at night and in sleep.

Myoclonus is distinguished depending on which factor influenced the occurrence of muscle contractions. Consider in detail what types of seizures are:

1. Tonic. They appear in the event that a person is subjected to intense physical exertion. They are formed gradually, but subsequently a person may suffer from a seizure for several days.
2. Clonic. Characterize themselves with sharp, fast spasms of one or a group of muscles. Pass quickly.
3. Tonic-clonic. In this case, convulsions combine all the above properties.
4. Medicinal. They arise against the background of an incorrectly calculated dose of medications.
5. Febrile. Appear due to elevated body temperature - as a rule, children are susceptible to such conditions.
6. Partial. They appear abruptly, just as abruptly and end. The pain of a cramp can last from a few seconds to several minutes.
7. Alcoholic If a person has taken too much alcohol, then he may have cramps - as a reaction of the body to intoxication.
8. Myoclonic. This type of seizure usually affects young children. During the process, almost all the muscles of the body can participate, which leads to unpleasant consequences: the child may fall, get injured.

What are the symptoms?

It is difficult to confuse the pain of a cramp with some other condition. In some cases, the pain is so pronounced that a person can hardly restrain a scream. In addition, the pathology is accompanied by the following sensations:

• muscles tighten and become very hard;
• it is impossible to move a leg during a cramp;
• in some cases, a person may faint;
• sometimes convulsions roll up his eyes, and his head leans back;
• there is a strong salivation.

If the attack was pronounced, then after the cramp “releases”, a person can fall asleep.

What are the reasons for cramps?

This condition is not normal, if convulsions appear constantly, it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible so that he finds the reason why the pathology occurs.

Consider the main reasons why a person can have an attack.

1. Increased load on the calves of the legs. Untrained people may experience a cramp during sports, especially if the calf has a load. Swimming, brisk walking, volleyball, basketball, running, skiing, jumping - all this can lead to cramps, if a person has not been involved in sports before. Also, muscle spasm during exercise or walking can occur as a result of dehydration.During intense exercise, we sweat profusely, along with sweat, potassium is excreted from the body, which causes seizures.
2. Sprains. If after playing sports you feel an unpleasant, aching pain for a couple of days - this may indicate that there was a sprain in the mild form. If the stretching is strong, then in this case the person feels a pronounced pain, which tends to be repeated, if the person repeats the same movement, due to which a cramp occurred. In this situation, the therapist will refer the patient to a traumatologist in order to eliminate the pathology by conservative methods of therapy.
3. Muscle rupture. An extremely unpleasant condition that can cause a lot of trouble. When a ligament, tendon, muscle is broken, a person hears a sound that resembles a click. At the same time, the patient cannot stand on her foot, it is very painful to move her. Such injuries require the immediate intervention of specialists - you need to contact a surgeon.
4. Uncomfortable uniform. From childhood we were taught that dressing should be comfortable. If clothes or shoes force the calf muscle or leg itself to be in an uncomfortable position for a long time, then this may well cause seizures. If you notice that a spasm occurs in certain shoes or clothes, it is better to give up these items of clothing for a while and watch your condition.
5. Hypothermia of the legs. A very common situation - during bathing in springs, in the sea, in the pool, a person has a sharp cramp. Moreover, this condition can be life-threatening - just imagine: you are swimming at great depths, and suddenly there is an attack during which it is simply impossible to move, respectively, to stay afloat. In this situation, a seizure occurs due to the fact that there is a spasm of arterial and lymphatic vessels, during such conditions, metabolic processes in the tissues slow down, which is what provokes the formation of a seizure.
6. Circulatory problems. Such violations can occur with flat feet, trauma, dislocation of the joint. Congenital dysplasia and birth injuries are also on this list. Such situations lead to the fact that the muscles of the legs cannot be in the correct, familiar state for them. The same applies to the vessels and nerves that nourish them - due to a lack of necessary substances in a person, a seizure occurs.

There are more complex situations, because of which the conduction of nerve impulses is disrupted:

• TBI;
• bruised spine;
• central nervous system diseases;
• congenital malformations.

In these situations, be sure to consult a doctor! First of all - to the therapist, and he, most likely, will refer the patient to a neurologist.

Blood flow can also be disturbed as a result of such pathologies:

• phlebeurysm;
• atherosclerosis;
• thrombosis;
• violation of metabolic processes.

As for the causes of seizures, they can also occur in people of the following categories:

• in pregnant women - toxicosis;
• intoxication of the body caused by poisoning by food, alcohol, or medications;
• hypoxia;
• fever;
• lack of useful trace elements in the body due to a violation of water-salt metabolism.

Cramps can also disturb a person at night. This condition is frightening, but it is understandable - perhaps the person simply took an uncomfortable position during sleep, as a result - blood circulation is disturbed, the leg suffers a cramp. Also, all the above reasons can provoke night cramps.

Pregnant women sometimes experience cramps, especially in the early stages. Of course, you should definitely tell your doctor about your condition, but, as a rule, banal toxicosis becomes the cause. Due to frequent vomiting, dehydration occurs, salts, magnesium, potassium are excreted, this can trigger convulsions.

Which of the foregoing can be concluded? The causes of seizures are many. If such conditions disturb you regularly, accompanied by severe pain, then you need to contact a qualified specialist as soon as possible, who will be able to establish the exact cause of the pathology and eliminate it.

Diagnostic measures

In order to find out the reasons why a person is worried about cramps, the following is necessary:

• tell the doctor in detail about all previously transferred diseases;
• donate blood, as well as urine - the laboratory will conduct biochemical analyzes;
• do an ultrasound, MRI.

Sometimes the patient is referred to doctors of narrow specialties - it can be a neuropathologist, phlebologist, surgeon. After receiving the results of all tests and diagnostic tests, the doctor will be able to compile a complete picture of the condition and establish a diagnosis.

What kind of treatment?

Naturally, if you went to the doctor, then the therapy will directly depend on what exactly provoked the appearance of seizures.

If a person has not yet visited a doctor, and the attack has caught him at work or at home, and he is especially strong, then first aid will be required. To do this, we do the following:

• try to tighten the muscles exactly in the place where the manifestation of pain is the strongest;
• if it works out, you need to get up, while transferring the weight to the leg where the cramp grabbed;
• prick the place where you most feel the pain of a cramp with a needle;
• make a cold compress;
• warming ointments also help eliminate cramp;
• with maximum effort, pull the sock towards the victim.

All of the above methods are quite effective, and in most cases they really help get rid of seizures. If the attack occurred in a pregnant woman, the above methods should also help.

If the cramp is so strong that a person rolls his eyes, and he loses consciousness - in this case, you need to call an ambulance as soon as possible. The patient will be taken to the treatment department, diagnostic tests will be required, after which the specialists will take care of the treatment. Therapy for each patient is individual, the selection is carried out taking into account the pathology that provoked the spasm. If the treatment will be carried out in stationary conditions, the main task is to restore the functioning of the limb, as well as eliminating the causes of myoclonia.

All the tips that were given above will help get rid of the symptoms that accompany seizures. To eliminate the causes, it is necessary to adhere to preventive measures:

1. Foods with a high content of potassium, magnesium, and sodium must be present in the diet.
2. A contrast shower, provided that it will be done regularly, may very well help get rid of the problem.
3. If cramps appear during sports, then in this case it is necessary to reduce the intensity of the loads.
4. Choose comfortable clothes and shoes that will not squeeze blood vessels and restrict movement.

If you want your spasms not to bother you, it is advisable to give up drinking alcohol and sign up for a massage.

Video: how to get rid of cramps in the muscles of the legs