The causes of leg cramps and ways to get rid of them

She accidentally comes up when you do not expect her ... And this, alas, is not love, it's a cramp. The muscle on the leg suddenly contracts and stiffs, the fingers twitch and twitch, and the sharply growing pain makes you writhe and jump. And most often a cramp overtakes you in the evening, when you peacefully lie on the couch watching a TV show and you do not think about any misfortunes. And then, fiercely rubbing the stiff place, sipping your toes, you think: "Okay, athletes this happens from the loads, but I have something from which the legs cramp?"

In general, more than 75 percent of all people are prone to leg cramps, and sports are only one of many factors in their occurrence. The causes of leg cramps are diverse - from various diseases to normal muscle fatigue. By the way, doctors say that real seizures are much more serious and dangerous symptoms, and what we are accustomed to calling leg cramps is actually spasms of gastrocnemius muscles and hamstrings.

The most common causes of leg cramps are overexertion, from being in the same position for a long time. It happens, if you walk all the day in shoes with high heels, squatting for a long time, for example, weeding the beds, or in another stiff posture. These causes of leg cramps are characteristic, in particular, for musicians, tailors, typists and people of other professions who have to stay in one position for a long time.

Another reason, on the contrary, is the increased activity, high physical exertion, long running. Often you can see how in the last minutes of a football match, players literally fall one after another on the grass, clutching at their feet. Fans often accuse them of doing this in the simulation, consider it a dishonest method of delaying time to save the desired result to the team. In fact, the players who run back an hour and a half, really experience severe and painful cramps, in which it is simply impossible to continue the movement.

Causes of leg cramps can also be found in the deficiency of certain substances needed by the body. It may be a lack of calcium and potassium in the blood, oxygen and even ordinary water. Diseases - such as osteochondrosis, atherosclerosis, varicose veins, diabetes mellitus - can also cause spasms. To provoke cramps can even separate medications, for example, diuretics and hormones. Harmful habits - alcohol abuse and smoking - also cause seizures.

To get rid of suddenly arising leg cramps people learn even intuitively. In attempts to get rid of pain, a person finds the position of the foot in which the cramp is released. As a rule, it is enough for this, taking hold of the toe of the foot, gently pull on the foot. The same football players are helped to do their colleagues, and even the player of someone else's team, who was there, because the sufferer is hampered by boots. Helps also rubbing muscles, her massage or stabbing with a needle. If there is cramping during physical activity, you should immediately stop running or walking, and if a spasm hits you in a recumbent position (nocturnal cramps are common), it's best to stand barefoot on the cold floor. Particular attention should be paid to convulsions swimmers - because this is a direct threat to their lives. If there is a convulsion in the water, stop moving your legs and try to unbend the affected foot with another foot. Helps and pinned to the trunks pin.

If you have too often and for no apparent reason there are cramps in your legs, how to treat them, the doctor will tell you. You can consult first with a district therapist. Perhaps, they will help the drugs written out by him. And if you have a predisposition to convulsions, you need to do daily at least an unpretentious gymnastics for the legs and massage.