Which doctor treats leg cramps. Causes of leg cramps in pregnant women. Brings legs together at night, from what and what to do?

Very often, leg cramps occur due to dehydration and poor nutrition. But, there are others. Most often, this pathology affects the elderly, expectant mothers and athletes after heavy loads. During a spasm, involuntary muscle contraction is observed with the manifestation of a sharp aching pain.

Why do seizures happen?

If muscle cramps are frequent, you urgently need to consult an endocrinologist, phlebologist or neurologist. Convulsions can happen to anyone, so it is important to understand the causes of their occurrence.

Leg cramps causes:

1. If potassium, calcium and magnesium enter the body in insufficient quantities, there is a deficiency of trace elements, which in the first place can cause spasm;
2. With varicose veins, the veins are affected. Varicose veins lead to stagnation of blood in the legs, venous nets and nodules form. With this disease, leg cramps often occur;
3. Stressful situations lead to a lack of calcium, as a result of which there is a slowdown in muscle relaxation, which often leads to convulsions;
4. If you constantly and excessively strain the muscles when they are not sufficiently relaxed during sports activities seizures may occur.
5. With hypothermia, spasms can occur due to the reduction of the muscles of the leg;
6. Diabetes leads to micro disruption in the vessels and nerve tissues of the feet, which causes convulsions;
7. If the venous arteries in the legs are damaged, arterial blood flow is impaired. This situation leads to muscle spasms. Such a cause of spasm in the legs is very serious, because if a person is not helped in time, blood circulation may be completely disturbed, or gangrene may form;
8. When dehydrated, the body loses a lot of electrolytes, which can cause muscle cramps in the legs. Often this phenomenon occurs in the summer, when it is very hot and a person sweats a lot. With the help of convulsions, the body wants to report that there is a lack of fluid that needs to be urgently replenished;
9. Due to excessive consumption of protein foods, calcium begins to be poorly absorbed, which leads to muscle cramps;
10. Thyroid disorders, trauma and brain tumors, and flat feet can also cause muscle cramps.

Night cramps

If a person abruptly changes the position of the body during sleep, only one muscle group is overstrained, which causes a spasm. Night cramps usually occur in the morning. At the same time, the legs begin to hurt a lot, and the person cannot sleep peacefully. After a seizure, the affected leg may still hurt for some time. This phenomenon occurs due to the accumulation in the muscles at the time of the spasm of lactate, that is, the product of incomplete oxidation of glucose.

Nocturnal convulsive seizures in the muscles most often disturb people of retirement age. Cramps during sleep can also indicate the development of thrombosis in the legs, so it is important to visit a doctor.

The reason for leg cramps during pregnancy is that the growing uterus begins to put additional pressure on the blood vessels and nerve endings of the legs. Because of this, blood cannot flow normally through the veins of the legs and provokes the appearance of spasms.

In parallel with leg cramps, pregnant women also experience spasms in the upper thighs and feet.

You can relieve cramps during pregnancy by taking a warm bath with medicinal herbs that will help soothe and relieve cramps. For example, you can make a bath with mint, valerian or horsetail.

Also, to prevent leg cramps, it is important for expectant mothers to eat properly and balanced. The daily diet should consist of dairy products, meat, fish, poultry, greens, vegetables and fruits.

It is also important for pregnant women to wear comfortable shoes with low heels. During rest, it is desirable to place the legs above the level of the heart.

Seizures in children

During sleep, children who are actively growing may also experience leg cramps. clamp muscle mass greatly frightens children, especially if he appeared for the first time. Babies are afraid, worried and crying. Causes of muscle cramps in children:

1. For a long time, children's legs are in an uncomfortable position;
2. The kid was very cold;
3. The child's body lacks vitamins, micro and macro elements;
4. A disease such as flat feet begins to develop.

If a child complains of pain in the legs and suffers from night cramps, it is important not to hesitate, but to urgently go for a consultation with a doctor so that he carefully examines the baby, identifies the cause of leg cramps, and also prescribes the correct and timely treatment.

Varieties of seizures

Muscle spasms are tonic and clonic. Tonic convulsions are characterized by prolonged muscle tension. With a clonic phenomenon, spasms alternate with muscle relaxation.

How to act during a seizure

Since convulsions are accompanied by severe pain, it is important to act very quickly, especially if you are in the water. Muscle contraction actions:

If muscle spasms occur frequently, visit a doctor and only after his recommendations drink a course of vitamins and minerals.

Which doctor to contact

To treat seizures, it is important to understand the causes of their occurrence. To do this, consult a doctor. First of all, visit a therapist who, after an examination, will refer you to a specialist who can help you. If the cause of the cramp is varicose veins, you need to contact a phlebologist. If muscle cramps are due to damage to the arteries, see a vascular surgeon. If convulsions were provoked by diabetes - you should see an endocrinologist, and if lumbar sciatica - a neurologist.

We treat cramps correctly

Treating seizures with diet:

1. If you have frequent seizures, try changing your diet. Eat more raisins, grapes, dried apricots, pine nuts, bran;
2. To saturate the body with calcium, eat dairy products, milk, cheese, cottage cheese, cabbage, sesame;
3. To better absorb calcium, use honey. It can be added to a glass of warm water with lemon juice. It is better to drink such a drink in the morning on an empty stomach;
4. Walk as much as possible fresh air, eat fish liver, butter, milk and yolk to saturate the body with useful vitamin D;
5. Take supplemental vitamins as needed.

Medication treatment for seizures:

1. If you decide to take magnesium in dosage form, you need to drink it before lunch. It is during this period that he is assimilated in the best way. In parallel with the intake of magnesium, it is important to engage in light physical activity;
2. Vitamin D and calcium are best absorbed after lunch. bone tissue in evening time better attuned to the intake of such additional vitamins;
3. Magnesium preparations are contraindicated for use in renal failure, a tendency to form blood clots, reduced thyroid function.

Treatment of convulsive seizures with gymnastics:

1. Stand straight. Place your feet crosswise and lean on the outer edges of the feet. Hold this position for about ten seconds;
2. Sit down. Sharply bend your toes. Count to ten and spread your fingers for ten seconds. Repeat several times;
3. Rise up on your toes and lower yourself sharply. Do ten of these lifts.

Perform these exercises barefoot and every morning.

Evening exercises to relieve tension in the legs:

1. Sitting on a chair, raise your legs. Make circular movements with your feet;
2. Bend and unbend your toes. Vigorously move your fingers;
3. Walk slowly, raising your legs and stretching your feet with your toes down;
4. Slowly move away from the wall with a motionless torso.

Take a warm foot bath before bed.

Traditional medicine and leg cramps

Treatment of seizures with alternative methods can be carried out only after consulting a doctor. Main methods:

1. Lubricate the soles with lemon juice for 14 days twice a day. When the juice is absorbed, put on socks and shoes;
2. With spasm, the affected leg is smeared with mustard oil. Mustard will warm the leg and restore blood circulation;
3. Also, the leg can be lubricated with vodka, apple cider vinegar or a warming ointment for cramps;
4. After steaming with boiling water, birch leaves, make a foot bath. Soak your feet and put on warm socks;
5. During a leg cramp, you need to soak in warm salted water. For one liter take two tablespoons of salt;
6. Pour a tablespoon of tansy with a glass of boiling water. Let stand for 10 hours. In the evening, dilute the infusion with warm water and steam your feet. After the procedure, put on your socks and go to bed. Treatment is carried out for ten days for twenty minutes;
7. Boil wormwood in water. Cool and soak your feet in the bath for twenty minutes. After a week, you will be pleasantly surprised by the excellent result.

Preventive measures

To prevent the occurrence of night cramps, it is important to perform the following preventive measures:

1. Before going to bed, take a contrast shower or do only foot baths;
2. Perform self-massage, which will relieve fatigue in the legs and improve blood circulation. Sit in a comfortable position and straighten your legs, bend them at the knees. Massage should be done from the feet towards the knee. If seizures occur higher knee joint massage the whole leg. Do light strokes first. Then perform leg shaking in different sides. At the end of the procedure, find the central one and massage it well;
3. Putting your feet on the pillow, lie down in this state for a while. When the outflow of blood from the legs is ensured, wrap an elastic bandage around the leg. You need to move from the foot up. It is important to ensure that the compression does not squeeze the veins;
4. In the morning, do the exercises for the legs and feet described above, which will help prevent cramps;
5. Wear comfortable shoes with not very high heels;
6. If you stand too much, it is important to sit down from time to time and give your legs at least a little rest;
7. If your job requires you to stay in the same position all the time, it's also important to take small breaks every half hour to warm up your body.

Only by following all of the above methods of prevention can you prevent the occurrence of seizures at the most inopportune moment.

Now you know how the pathology is treated and what can be done to prevent the occurrence of undesirable situations.51 , assessment: 4,39 out of 5)

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Leg cramps are a problem for many men and women that require a diagnosis and mandatory treatment. The involuntary contraction of a group of muscles, accompanied by sharp, sharp pain and numbness, is called a cramp or spasm. Numerous causes of muscle spasms are well studied by medicine, are easily corrected, and are quickly treated. If you are constantly suffering from contractions of the limbs, then be sure to consult a doctor who will help you solve this problem. What causes leg cramps?

Causes of leg cramps

In medicine, tonic muscle spasms are distinguished, characterized by prolonged muscle tension, and clonic - short-term contractions alternating with relaxation. Leg cramps are in the first category, occurring in the feet and calf muscles. Spasms of the lower extremities are accompanied by sharp, painful sensations of petrification of a part of the body, appear suddenly, the pain syndrome lasts from 2 to 5 minutes, and disappears only after muscle relaxation.

Causes of leg cramps:

• Lack of vitamins and microelements - magnesium, calcium, potassium, vitamin D, which are responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles. The lack of micro and macro elements can be caused by an unbalanced diet, an excess of harmful substances (nicotine, caffeine, tannin, sugar), a protein diet, and taking medications that prevent their absorption.
• Dehydration of the body. With active sweating, there is a significant loss of trace elements that ensure the healthy functioning of the muscles. Therefore, it is so important to drink up to 2.5 liters of water per day, especially in hot weather. summer season and during active sports.
• Exercise stress. Excessive tension during sports activities, unevenly distributed load, insufficient warm-up and warm-up before training, heavy monotonous physical labor lead to overstrain of one muscle group, improper functioning of the muscles of the body, and convulsions. For the effective functioning of muscle mass, it is important to alternate tension / relaxation during physical activity.
• Temperature changes. Hypothermia during swimming or in the cold causes a sharp contraction of the muscles of the limbs, the appearance of muscle cramps. Therefore, it is important to monitor body temperature, to prevent temperature drops of up to 10 degrees.
• Diseases. Incorrect metabolism, vascular diseases, limb injuries common cause occurrence of muscle cramps. To eliminate spasms, consult with a specialist (endocrinologist, neuropathologist, phlebologist, orthopedist), undergo the prescribed treatment.
• Stress. During emotional stress, a nervous breakdown is an intense load on the entire human body, primarily on the nerve endings responsible for contractions of the muscles of the body. An excess of the stress hormone (cortisol) leads to an imbalance of micro and macro elements, leads to a lack of calcium in the body, which is necessary for healthy functioning, muscle tension and relaxation.

muscle cramps

Muscle cramps in the legs occur due to a violation of the transmission of a nerve impulse to the muscle to relax. These spasms affect the muscles of the lower leg, front and back of the thigh. The intensity of the cramp can vary from a slight twitch to a significant contraction accompanied by severe pain. Spasmodic muscles are like a stone: hard, tightly compressed, stand out sharply on the body. A seizure lasts from 1 to 15 minutes, with several repetitions of spasms over a period of time.

Toe cramps

Toe cramps - a syndrome of metabolic disorders or diseases different nature. They are found in diseases of the joints, venous insufficiency, atherosclerosis of the vessels of the lower limb, diabetes mellitus. It can be observed in people whose activities are associated with a long stay on their feet, long walking in uncomfortable shoes. Frequent attacks of toe cramps require a mandatory consultation with a specialized doctor who will help determine the cause of the symptom and prescribe the correct treatment.

Foot cramps

Spasms of the muscles of the feet are associated with the presence of flat feet or neurological disorders. If you often experience cramps in the area of ​​​​the feet, consult an orthopedist or neurologist for advice. Refusing to wear uncomfortable shoes, reducing the intensity of the load on the lower extremities, taking vitamins and trace elements that help normalize the functioning of the muscles of the musculoskeletal system helps to reduce the number of attacks.

Why does he cramp his legs at night?

The main cause of nocturnal muscle cramps is slowed blood circulation, which reduces the absorption of nutrients necessary for the muscles, and an uncomfortable position during sleep. With frequent nocturnal spasmolytic attacks, increase in the diet foods with a high content of calcium, potassium, magnesium. Eat buckwheat and oatmeal, lentils, legumes, dried fruits, nuts, sea kale, sour-milk products more often.

To improve the blood vessels and circulatory system, reduce or completely abandon nicotine, caffeine, and sugar. Reduce the amount of animal protein you consume by opting for lean poultry. Spend more time outdoors, combining leisurely walks with a little physical activity on the muscles of the body. Pay close attention to the quality of your sleep. A comfortable bed with an orthopedic mattress will help you reduce the number of muscle cramps at night.

What causes seizures during pregnancy?

Muscle cramps during pregnancy can be caused by many reasons: from a violation of phosphorus-calcium metabolism to a variety of complications caused by circulatory problems. If you often experience leg cramps during pregnancy, it is important to identify and address the cause of your muscle cramps in consultation with your healthcare professional.

Consider the main prerequisites for the development of muscle cramps in pregnant women:

1. lack of B vitamins, magnesium, calcium, potassium;
2. increase in blood sugar levels;
3. vascular disease, varicose veins veins;
4. violation of the venous outflow in the legs;
5. excess caffeine;
6. sedentary lifestyle.

Balanced diet, additional vitamin complexes, moderate exercise stress help to avoid muscle cramps during pregnancy. If the attacks are often repeated, do not disappear, then this is an additional reason to seek advice from your doctor. Timely treatment, correct diagnosis help to remove spasmolytic attacks, prevent negative consequences from muscle cramps during pregnancy.

How to treat leg cramps

To treat seizures, you must first identify the cause of their occurrence, and then neutralize it. If convulsions do not bother you much, and occur no more than once every few months, then there is no particular cause for concern, but if your convulsions occur quite often and painfully, then be sure to consult a doctor, as the reasons for this can be different, from simple to very serious, and it may be that convulsions are a signal from your body about the need for immediate treatment. The sooner you start treatment, the more chances prevent seizures and save yourself.

With this problem, it is better to contact a therapist who, after examination, will refer you to a specialized doctor. If you have varicose veins, you will be referred to a phlebologist who specializes in vein diseases. If the cause of seizures lies in damage to the arteries, then you need to contact a vascular surgeon. If you have diabetes, you will most likely be referred to an endocrinologist, and if you have lumbar sciatica, you will be referred to a neurologist.

Thus, you see that it is not without reason that seizures do not have their own doctor, since their causes are the prerogative of completely different categories of doctors, and each of the causes must be studied with a specialized approach. In addition, we can conclude that a cramp is not an independent ailment, but just a sign of a large list of various ailments.

How to get rid of cramps with varicose veins

With varicose veins, which cause convulsions, the following should be done. First of all, before going to bed, make contrast foot baths, but keep in mind that the temperature difference should be insignificant.

Thanks to this contrast: the alternation of cooling and heating, the vessels are trained, thus the walls of the veins are toned. With contrast baths, there is an outflow of blood from the lower extremities, and therefore there is no stagnation of blood, therefore the frequency and strength of seizures are reduced several times, and even after a couple of procedures.

It is very easy and simple to make such baths, for this you need two small bowls, into one of which we pour lightly hot water, and in another cool. First, we dip our feet in a bowl of warm water, as soon as you feel that your feet are warm, immerse your feet in a bowl of cool water. Alternate produce from 5 to 10 times, for the so-called session. An alternative to baths can be a contrast shower for the legs.

Prevention of seizures

In order to prevent night cramps in the legs, it is recommended to perform the following actions.

1. Contrast baths - every time before going to bed, make contrast baths or showers. Thanks to them, you will not only be able to prevent the occurrence of cramps, but also thereby alleviate the condition of the legs, giving them a feeling of lightness. How are contrast treatments for legs performed?
2. Self-massage - for the prevention of seizures, doctors recommend self-massage of the legs. This kneading massage relieves tension and increases blood circulation in the muscles. Such massages can be done both before bedtime and during the day. Now let's look directly at how to massage for cramps. To do this, sit comfortably on the bed, straighten your legs, then bend them halfway at the knees. Massage movements should be carried out from the periphery to the center, which means that we start moving from the feet to the knee area, but if your cramps occur higher, then we massage the entire leg. We start the massage with light stroking with both hands of the calf muscles from top to bottom, then we shake this area of ​​the leg from side to side with slapping movements, at the end of the massage we feel for the central point of the foot and massage it well.
3. Use of compression stockings - if you suffer from cramps very often, then following procedure, If you long time be on your feet. For this procedure, we need compression stockings and a pillow. We lie flat on the bed, put a pillow under the heels and lie in this position for several minutes, we need this in order to ensure the outflow of blood from the legs. Then, from the foot up, we begin to wind this jersey, or an elastic bandage. At the same time, we wind the knitwear or elastic bandage not too tight, but not weakly, so that the pressure of the knitwear does not allow the veins to expand.
4. • The first exercise is done while sitting, bend your toes as far as possible with your hands for 10 seconds, then straighten them too for 10 seconds and do 4 more repetitions.
   • The second exercise must be performed while standing: stand straight with your legs slightly apart, then take a deep breath and smoothly rise on your toes, as high as possible, fix in this position for a few seconds, tensing the muscles of the legs, and exhale - drop sharply down. We perform this exercise 5 times.
   • We perform the last exercise while standing, for this, stand half a meter from the wall, facing it. Stand straight, feet together. Then we lean forward, leaning our hands against the wall, while the feet should not come off the floor, after we feel tension in the legs, we return to the starting position. We perform the exercise for 3-5 minutes.
5. Preventive measures - To prevent leg cramps, especially in the feet and calves, wear comfortable shoes, preferably not with heels, especially if you have a predisposition to varicose veins. Try to reduce the load on your legs, do not carry heavy things, and when standing for a long time - try to sit down for a few minutes to give your legs a rest.

General practitioners regularly encounter patient complaints about leg cramps, and this phenomenon worries people of completely different categories - young and old people, men and women, pregnant women and children. More often, convulsions occur during falling asleep or at night, during a person’s sleep, causing him to wake up and experience some very unpleasant moments. About what leg cramps are, why they occur and how to deal with them and will be discussed in our article.

What are seizures

Involuntary contractions of one or more muscle groups, accompanied by pain, are called seizures. The most common occurrence is cramps in the legs, or rather, cramps in the calf muscle (it is located on the back of the leg). For a certain reason, this muscle suddenly spasms, which entails the maximum possible extension of the foot - as if the person stands on tiptoe. As is clear from the definition, muscle spasm is accompanied by intense, often unbearable pain.

Why do leg cramps occur?

The causes of seizures are actually many - from banal malnutrition to serious, life-threatening diseases. The vast majority of leg cramps are provoked by the causes listed below.

1. Violation of the balance of vitamins and trace elements in the body:
   • magnesium deficiency is the cause of ¾ of all cases of lower limb cramps;
   • thyroid disease;
   • hypovitaminosis B (mainly B6);
   • (since this disease disrupts the excretion of metabolic products that have a toxic effect on it).
2. Decreased blood glucose - hypoglycemia. It is more common with too aggressive treatment of diabetes mellitus or if the diabetic does not follow the diet.
3. Prolonged, excessive physical activity on the legs - running, walking, swimming, football and others.
4. Varicose veins, thrombophlebitis.
5. Chronic circulatory disorders in the vessels of the lower extremities (obliterating atherosclerosis and other diseases);
6. Diseases of the cardiovascular system, accompanied by symptoms of heart failure and, as a result, impaired blood flow in the most distant parts of the body from the heart, in particular, in the feet and legs.
7. Degenerative-dystrophic diseases of the spine (osteochondrosis).
8. An imbalance in female sex hormones, namely, an excess of estrogen in the blood.
9. Psycho-emotional stress.
10. Chronic lack of sleep.

Our often wrong way of life leads to the fact that already at a young age the systems of the human body fail one after another:

• due to constant stress, pressure begins to rise,
• vein problems due to wearing high heels,
• due to malnutrition, hypovitaminosis occurs or, even worse, chronic diseases digestive tract, disrupting the normal absorption of nutrients from the digestive organs into the blood;
• due to self-treatment of infectious diseases (in particular, tonsillitis), complications develop in the form of steadily progressing diseases of the heart (acquired defects) and kidneys (glomerulonephritis).

Since the main cause of leg cramps is magnesium deficiency, I would like to highlight this problem in more detail.

The unbalanced diet of most of us leads to the fact that the level of magnesium in the blood gradually decreases. Our bad eating habits, such as drinking coffee regularly, alcoholic beverages, sweet and starchy foods, contribute to the less absorption of this trace element from food into the blood. When hypomagnesemia occurs (low levels of magnesium in the blood), the body tries to compensate by “washing out” the trace element from the musculoskeletal system. That is why, if you take a blood test for the level of magnesium, its results will show the norm or even an excess of this trace element.

In addition to seizures, other symptoms can indicate a lack of magnesium in the body:

• memory impairment, decreased concentration, fatigue, nervous tics;
• numbness of the limbs;
• irritability, anxiety, nightmares, profuse night sweats;
• laringo-, broncho-, esophagospasms (periodically occurring spasms of the larynx, bronchi or esophagus);
• pain in the abdomen, relieved by taking antispasmodics (drotaverine, or no-shpi, spasmobru, papaverine, platifillin), constipation or diarrhea;
• painful menstruation in women;
• hair loss, brittle nails;
• toothache, caries;
• pain in the heart, tachycardia (increased heart rate), various kinds of arrhythmias.

If a patient, in addition to leg cramps, has several of the symptoms described above, it is likely that magnesium deficiency should be considered one of the causes of involuntary muscle contractions.

Leg cramps in pregnancy

According to statistics, almost every pregnant woman is faced with this very unpleasant phenomenon. Since the vast majority of women "in position" are still more or less healthy, causes of seizures such as kidney disease or chronic heart failure are unlikely in this case. More often, involuntary muscle contractions occur for special reasons related specifically to " interesting position" women.

1. Lack of B vitamins and imbalance of microelements (excess of phosphates and sodium, lack of magnesium, potassium and calcium) in the blood, caused by:
   • improper (unbalanced, irrational) nutrition of a woman associated with her food whims;
   • insufficient function of the parathyroid glands (occurs with repeated vomiting, mainly in the first trimester of pregnancy (during toxicosis));
   • active growth of the fetus in the second trimester (everyone knows that for growth and development the fetus uses the nutrients of the mother's body, and in the case when a pregnant woman receives less of them with food, it is during the period of intensive growth of the baby that she experiences their deficiency "on herself");
   • excessive intake of diuretics - drugs that stimulate the excretion of urine (often they are prescribed to a pregnant woman with severe edema, usually at the very end of pregnancy).
2. moderate and severe (may occur with insufficient intake of iron-containing products, and due to massive blood loss).
3. Hypoglycemia. Eating disorders in the form of late or very rare (less than 3 times a day) large meals, the abuse of foods containing easily digestible carbohydrates, lead to a decrease in blood sugar levels at night and in the morning and, as a result, to convulsions.
4. Chronic lack of oxygen and muscle dehydration, resulting from an excess of caffeine and nicotine in a woman's body, also often cause seizures.
5. Inferior vena cava syndrome - compression of this vein by an enlarged uterus in the position of a pregnant woman on her back, leading to a deterioration in blood circulation in the vessels of the lower extremities, as a result of which convulsions occur.
6. Chronic venous insufficiency. Since during pregnancy the volume of blood circulating through the vessels increases in a woman and blood circulation in the pelvis becomes more intense, the vessels of the lower extremities experience a strong load. If the walls of the veins cannot cope with the increased load, they stretch, forming sac-like, or varicose, extensions in which blood stagnates. As a result, blood flow is disturbed, an imbalance of microelements develops, which leads to convulsions.

Separately, it is worth mentioning such a serious condition as eclampsia. This is a kind of late preeclampsia, manifested by high blood pressure, edema, the presence of protein in the urine and, most importantly, generalized convulsive seizures. This condition usually occurs in the third trimester of pregnancy and is life-threatening for both the fetus and the expectant mother. The appearance of generalized convulsions is an absolute indication for urgent delivery by caesarean section.

Nighttime leg cramps in children

Often accompanied by a period of active growth of the baby. Since the concept of "convulsions" is unfamiliar and incomprehensible to the child, the sudden onset of muscle contractions causes him considerable anxiety, fear and crying. The main causes of nighttime leg cramps in a child are:

• finding the leg in an uncomfortable position, in one position for a long time;
• hypothermia of the lower extremities;
• lack of trace elements (magnesium, potassium and calcium) in the body;
• flat feet.

The last 2 causes are likely with regular, disturbing for a long time, convulsions.

What to do during a seizure

1. Pull the toe of the leg on which the cramp has developed, slightly towards you, then loosen the pull, then pull as much as possible. If the muscle spasm has not gone away after this procedure, you need to stand on your foot and walk a little - these simple actions will accelerate blood flow to the limbs and the cramp will most likely pass.
2. Make a light massage of the area of ​​spontaneous muscle contraction from the periphery to the center.
3. Massage the leg with a warming ointment, stretch it.
4. Pinch the spasmodic muscle or prick it with a needle.
5. After the cramp has passed, you should lie down with your legs elevated for some time - in this position, the outflow of blood from the lower extremities will improve, which means that the likelihood of a recurrent cramp will decrease.

Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of seizures

With regular, disturbing convulsions for a long time, you should not postpone a visit to the doctor. To begin with, you should visit a therapist (if a child has convulsions, then a pediatrician), who will conduct an examination, prescribe the necessary examination and, if necessary, recommend consultations of narrow specialists - a neuropathologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, nephrologist and others.

If the cause of seizures is any somatic pathology, then with adequate treatment, its problem of sudden muscle contractions will soon be resolved.

If the results of the examination showed that there are no serious diseases that could provoke convulsions, the doctor will give the patient recommendations, subject to which his condition will improve in the near future.

1. Proper nutrition.
   • It is necessary to divide the daily diet into 5-6 meals, while portions should not be voluminous.
   • The basis of the diet should be complex carbohydrates - cereals, durum wheat pasta, vegetables and fruits.
   • Fats also take part in the mechanism of proper muscle contraction - a small piece of butter or fatty red fish will enrich the body with such an essential nutrient.
   • Do not forget about foods rich in magnesium (nuts, legumes, carrots, herbs, sea kale), potassium (bananas, dried apricots, melons, potatoes), calcium (milk and dairy products), B vitamins (dairy products, walnuts, red fish).
2. A healthy lifestyle (adequate physical activity, exclusion of a large load on the legs, smoking cessation).
3. Sleep in a comfortable bed in a position with legs slightly raised above the axis of the body and head.
4. Taking relaxing foot baths with sea salt - 3 tablespoons of sea salt should be dissolved in 5 liters of water at room temperature.
5. Foot massage with warming ointment or cream before bed.
6. Refusal of uncomfortable shoes, high heels (shoes should be comfortable for the feet, the height of a stable heel should not exceed 4-5 cm).
7. With existing chronic venous insufficiency - wearing compression stockings and tights (the degree of compression of these things may be different - to choose it correctly, consult a phlebologist).
8. Treatment of flat feet, including wearing orthopedic shoes and / or special insoles.
9. Taking drugs containing multivitamin and mineral complexes (calcium-D3-Nycomed, Magne-B6, asparkam).

Cramps are very unpleasant and painful muscle numbness that occurs involuntarily. These contractions have different duration, intensity and prevalence. In medicine, seizures are classified depending on the duration, degree of muscle involvement, and location.

There are many reasons for seizures. Sometimes they are episodic and do not require special treatment.

But if convulsions bother you quite often, then this may be a signal of some serious illness.

Seizure options

Leg cramps at night

Particularly unpleasant and painful are leg cramps at night. A sharp pain leads to awakening, the reduced muscle stops hurting immediately. Night cramps occur in both children and adults, at the same time it should be noted that the age factor has an important role in this vein.

Causes of night cramps can be:

1. muscle fatigue;
2. Problems in the work of the nervous system;
3. Pregnancy period;
4. Certain diseases that reduce normal blood flow to the extremities;
5. Reception of some medicines;
6. flat feet;

There is an opinion that cramps at night are associated with a person’s posture in a dream: the knees are slightly bent, and the feet are lowered down. This provokes shortening of the muscles, resulting in painful spasms.

Toe cramps

Let's try to figure out why it cramps the feet.

Toe cramps always occur abruptly and unexpectedly. Can pull one or several fingers at once. Possible reasons:

1. Wearing uncomfortable, tight shoes;
2. Hypothermia of the legs;
3. Lack of vitamins and microelements;
4. Violation of normal blood circulation in the feet;

Cramps of the calf muscle

A calf cramp is the most painful of all types of spasms. A few moments before the spasm, you can feel a slight pulling of the muscle.

The calf muscle more often than all other muscle groups, cramps.

Symptoms of a calf cramp:

1. Sharp pain;
2. The leg is very tense at the site of spasm;
3. It is impossible to stand on the whole foot;
4. Muscles become very elastic and dense;

Causes of calf cramps:

1. Deficiency of vitamins and microelements;
2. Chronic fatigue as a result of prolonged stay on the legs, exhausting sports;
3. Venous insufficiency;
4. Atherosclerosis;
5. swelling of the legs;
6. The use of diuretics;
7. Diseases of the lumbar spine.

Causes of seizures

Primary causes of seizures

Primary (idiopathic) seizures occur without apparent reason. Presumably, the appearance of primary muscle spasms can be influenced by:

1. Overexertion of muscles as a result of physical exertion. If a person spent the whole day on his feet without rest, was very tired during sports, carried heavy loads or walked a long distance in uncomfortable shoes, muscle failure occurs. In such cases, the likelihood of muscle spasms increases;
2. Sudden violation of blood circulation in the limbs;
3. Natural shortening of the tendons that occurs in old age;
4. Uncomfortable posture during sleep;

Secondary causes of seizures

Secondary the causes of seizures are symptoms of certain diseases, as well as disorders in the work of the human body:

magnesium deficiency

This trace element is necessary for the normal process of muscle contractions. Magnesium deficiency can be associated with malnutrition.

Sometimes the cause of a deficiency of this microelement can be diseases that prevent the normal absorption of magnesium entering the body.

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency are:

• insomnia, fatigue;
• depression;
• back pain;
• frequent fractures and dislocations;
• headache;
• high blood pressure;
• arthritis;
• heart disease;
• frequent convulsions and nervous tics of the eyes;

calcium deficiency

Calcium is the physiological "partner" of magnesium.

Lack of calcium can also cause seizures.

The main signs of calcium deficiency in the body include:

• fragile and painful bones;
• split ends, unhealthy hair, brittle nails;
• unhealthy teeth;
• loss of strength, irritability;
• convulsions;

Deficiency of calcium and magnesium after a while can lead to significant changes in the biochemical composition of the blood.

Lack of iron in the body (anemia)

Since iron is involved in the saturation of cells with oxygen, its lack can provoke muscle spasm.

Deficiency of glucose in the body

It can occur during diets, as well as as a result of the use of hypoglycemic drugs.

Sudden changes in human body temperature

They usually cause short-term convulsions. They can occur during the course of the disease, as well as as a result of sunstroke.

Irritation of the motor area of ​​the brain

The area of ​​the brain that is responsible for muscle contraction can be affected by nerve impulses:

• with flu;
• during a stroke, as well as during the rehabilitation period after it;
• with SARS;
• with alcohol poisoning;

Diseases of the vessels of the legs

During vascular diseases, normal blood flow is disturbed, as a result of which the tissues do not receive required amount oxygen. Local hypoxia develops.

Diseases of the lower spine

During these diseases, the nerve endings are pinched, which leads to a violation of the sensitivity of certain muscle groups.

High temperature outside

The body during the heat with sweat loses a lot of fluid and salts, which can lead to seizures.

Taking contraceptive hormonal drugs

Causes of frequent seizures

If convulsions are disturbed not occasionally, but often enough, the reasons for this may be:

1. muscle fatigue;
2. Excess weight;
3. Frequent stress and emotional stress;
4. Violations of the endocrine and nervous systems;

In no case should you ignore frequent muscle spasms.

You should definitely consult a doctor, as regular cramps can be a signal of many serious diseases.

Seizures in pregnant women

During pregnancy, almost all women complain of muscle spasms in the legs. This is a completely normal phenomenon that disappears without a trace after the birth of the baby. Causes of frequent seizures in expectant mothers:

1. Excess weight;
2. An enlarged uterus puts pressure on the vessels and nerve endings of the legs, as a result of which blood circulation is disturbed;
3. The volume of blood increases, causing swelling of blood vessels and tissues;
4. Predisposition to varicose veins;
5. High need for vitamins and trace elements;
6. Change in hormonal status.

Seizures in children

In children, the occurrence of seizures is most often associated with the active growth and development of the whole organism. The main causes of spasms in children are:

1. Hypothermia of the legs;
2. flat feet;
3. Lack of vitamins;
4. Finding legs in an uncomfortable position for a long time;

Diagnostics

With regular convulsions, it is imperative to see a doctor. First you need to visit a therapist who will conduct an examination, prescribe the necessary tests.

Perhaps the doctor will refer you for a consultation with another specialist: a neuropathologist, an endocrinologist, a cardiologist.

If any disease turns out to be the cause of spasms, then after a course of treatment, convulsions should disappear. If no diseases that could cause convulsions are found, you just need to follow simple preventive recommendations.

Ways to deal with leg cramps

It is possible and necessary to deal with this problem.

You just need to eliminate the cause that causes convulsions.

Over time, only memories will remain from painful spasms.
Tips for those who want to get rid of cramps once and for all:

1. It is necessary to revise and diversify your diet;
2. Exercise moderately, avoid overexertion;
3. Do not abuse diuretics;
4. Perform simple stretching exercises;

How to give first aid

1. There is no need to panic if you cramp your legs at night. You need to relax and breathe deeply to improve the blood supply to the tissues;
2. Next, you need to carefully stand on the floor, put your feet together and straighten your back;
3. You can pull your foot towards you. It will hurt, but a little patience is needed. When the muscle stretches a little, the spasm will pass;
4. If the cramp does not go away, you can pinch your leg, rub it;
5. Massage with a warming ointment helps;
6. After the attack, it is necessary to lie down so that the legs are above the level of the head;

It often happens that a cramp reduces the leg in the water: at sea, in the pool. This is quite dangerous, so you need to know how to act in such cases. If a cramp has cramped your leg in the pool, you need to stop swimming. If the spasm grabbed the muscle at a depth in the sea, the actions should be as follows:

1. Roll over from stomach to back
2. Try to pull the foot towards you;
3. If the cramp does not go away, a prick with a pin will help, which must be pinned to a swimsuit or swimming trunks just in case;

Seizures most often occur in cold water. Do not swim in water that is below 18 degrees.

Prevention measures

This problem can be avoided by following these guidelines:

1. Wear comfortable quality shoes;
2. Avoid excessive stress on the legs;
3. Do exercises in the morning;
4. Reduce the amount of coffee consumed;
5. Regular foot massage
6. A contrast shower helps a lot;
7. A varied diet will saturate the body with vitamins and trace elements;

Let's sum it up:

• Cramps are involuntary muscle contractions that can occur in both children and adults.
• The causes of seizures can be both a lack of vitamins in the body, and some diseases, as well as physical activity.
• Most often, seizures occur at night.
• During pregnancy, muscle spasms disturb almost all women, and do not require special treatment.
• Convulsions in children are associated with the growth and development of the whole organism.
• Diagnosis of seizures is very important, as it helps to identify certain diseases.
• It is important to know how to provide first aid at the time of convulsions. Muscle spasms are especially dangerous while swimming in the pool or at the sea.
• If you carry out simple preventive measures, you can avoid this extremely unpleasant phenomenon.

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Video on which you can get acquainted with the causes of leg cramps and consider treatment methods:

One of the most common health problems in most people is They can occur in men and women, in children and the elderly. In most cases, such spasms occur periodically, pass quickly and do not cause much discomfort to a person, except for short-term pain. But it happens that leg cramps often torment the patient, do not give a normal rest, and after an attack, the muscle hurts for a long time.

These spasms mostly occur at night or during exercise. Wherein strong pain makes it impossible for a person to move and leads to stress. In such cases, the correct one is necessary condition overcoming this problem. It should be complex, and the methods are chosen by the doctor individually. But in order for the treatment to be effective, you must first find out why it reduces the muscles of the legs. Only overcoming the cause of this condition can save a person from suffering.

After all, seizures are not an independent disease. It is always a symptom of some disease or health problem. They can also be caused by external factors, but they never just happen. Determining the cause of leg cramps will help to act on it and eliminate the problem.

Origin mechanism

Muscle contraction occurs with the help of nerve impulses. Their passage depends on the water and electrolyte composition of the blood. A certain ratio of potassium, magnesium, calcium ions regulates the processes of muscle tissue contraction. Some other minerals are involved, as well as vitamins, hormones, and enzymes. If something is missing in the body, the work of the muscles is disrupted. It can shrink at the most inopportune moment. Moreover, this spasm is mostly so strong that it causes acute pain. A person cannot relax a muscle by an effort of will and at this moment loses the ability to move.

The fact that a cramp has occurred can be understood by a sharp pain in the muscle. Many describe this feeling as if it is being pulled together. The muscle hardens and loses mobility. The limb is stretched, it is very difficult to return it to its normal position.

Most often, seizures last from 10 seconds to several minutes and go away on their own, even if no action is taken. But still, people suffering from this problem are trying to find out why they cramp their legs. Most often, the causes of spasms are divided into two groups: a lack of trace elements necessary to nourish muscle tissue, and muscle strain. It can also reduce the leg with some diseases, but here convulsions are no longer considered separately, since all attention is paid to overcoming the main problem.

Most often, pregnant women, young children and the elderly suffer from muscle spasms. This is due to circulatory failure and an increased need for trace elements. Seizures can also occur in athletes, women who wear high heels or diet, and people who lead an unhealthy lifestyle.

Seizures can occur even in absolutely healthy people leading an active lifestyle

External factors causing seizures

Most often, the question of why he cramps his legs arises in young people who are faced with this problem. For those who are healthy, not sick, go in for sports or lead all day active life, muscle spasm causes severe discomfort. They are lost and don't know what to do. But in many cases, convulsions are a natural phenomenon. Such people often lead the wrong way of life, do not follow the diet, do not get enough sleep. And gradually this leads to health problems, a sign of which may be convulsions.

The most common cause of leg cramps in healthy people is physical and psycho-emotional stress. After a heavy labor day and an abundance of stress so it is difficult to relax. And if you had to spend the whole day on your feet, because of which the muscles are overstrained, then they will contract at night. Ballerinas, sellers, runners, couriers, loaders suffer from such a problem. Increased physical activity can also cause dehydration of the body with increased sweating, and along with sweat, essential minerals come out.

Often such convulsions are also encountered women who walk a lot high heels . After a long unnatural position of the foot, spasms in the feet and calves occur. Uncomfortable tight shoes can interfere with circulation and cause spastic muscle contraction after they are removed.

Often cramps the leg when hypothermia. It is especially dangerous if this happens when swimming, a person can even drown. After all, mostly untrained people are prone to such a problem.

Prolonged walking in high heels often leads to cramps in the calf muscles

Mineral imbalance

Doctors believe that in most cases, leg cramps occur due to an imbalance of vitamins and minerals. This can happen due to a violation of their absorption in the intestines, a lack of essential trace elements in food, or when they are washed out of the body during dehydration. Large losses of fluid along with trace elements occur during sweating, if a person drinks little water, when taking diuretics, vomiting, diarrhea, or heavy bleeding.

Most often, cramps occur due to a lack of magnesium. This mineral enters the body from food, but its absorption may be impaired. The lack of magnesium in the blood is due to an excess of sweets, flour products, alcohol and caffeinated drinks. This microelement is vital for many processes in the body, so it begins to be washed out of the musculoskeletal system. In this case, in addition to muscle cramps, numbness of the extremities, arrhythmia, irritability, twitching of the eyelids can be observed.

The second most important mineral for normal muscle function is calcium. Its deficiency can be caused by dehydration of the body when sweating or taking diuretics, an unbalanced diet, for example, an excess of protein foods or coffee. Calcium is absorbed worse during stress, intestinal diseases, hormonal imbalance. In addition, for its normal assimilation, vitamin D is needed, which a person receives mainly from ultraviolet rays.

Iron is involved in the formation of hemoglobin. Therefore, with its deficiency, which often happens during pregnancy, oxygen starvation of the muscles is observed. After all, it is hemoglobin that carries oxygen to the tissues.

Muscle spasms can be due to malabsorption of minerals or intoxication of the body

Body intoxication

Various poisonings of the body and intoxication also cause disturbances in the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles of the legs. This happens with severe infections, such as meningococcal or staphylococcal, an overdose of drugs, such as vitamin D. Seizures can also occur with poisoning with lead, arsenic, hydrocyanic acid, methyl alcohol, and other chemicals. Some plant and animal poisons can also cause muscle spasms. Such poisons are emitted by lines, water stingray, scorpions, poisonous spiders, and stingrays.

Disorders in the circulatory system

Lack of blood supply to the extremities leads to ischemia of tissues experiencing oxygen starvation. At the same time, metabolic products accumulate in the muscles, which, with a lack of oxygen, could not be oxidized - lactic acid, inflammatory mediators, and others. This also happens when there is insufficient glucose in the tissues, for example, due to metabolic disorders.

Knowing why there are cramps in the legs is necessary for people with cardiovascular diseases. Vascular atherosclerosis, thrombophlebitis, obliterating endarteritis, heart failure often cause muscle spasms. And Raynaud's disease leads to a violation of the capillary blood flow of the extremities, which is also the cause of seizures. These diseases must be properly treated to prevent painful spasms.

But the most common disease in which convulsions can appear is varicose veins. Deceleration of venous outflow causes a violation of the electrolyte balance of the blood and deterioration of muscle nutrition. This disease develops during pregnancy, overweight, increased loads on the legs, weakness of the walls of blood vessels.

Varicose veins are a common cause of seizures.

What diseases cause seizures

Convulsive syndrome may appear during some illnesses. Most often, these are violations in the work of the endocrine, urinary, digestive and cardiovascular systems. Sometimes seizures are the first signs of the disease. That is why it is so important to see a doctor and get tested. Various laboratory and hardware methods will help determine why the legs are cramping, and the work of which organ is impaired.

Seizures can cause such diseases:

• thyroid diseases, as they disrupt the production of necessary hormones and the absorption of calcium;
• kidney failure, which leads to the accumulation of metabolic products in the blood;
• diabetes mellitus in violation of the diet or incorrectly chosen therapy often causes hypoglycemia;
• thrombophlebitis, varicose veins lead to malnutrition of muscle tissue;
• flat feet is characterized by improper work of all the muscles of the legs;
• heart failure, which causes slowing of blood flow in the soles of the feet;
• degenerative-dystrophic processes in the spine, for example, osteochondrosis or hernia;
• hormonal imbalance - an excess of the female sex hormone estrogen;
• in children, high body temperature can lead to convulsions;
• dysbacteriosis, leading to malabsorption of vitamins and minerals.

The cause of seizures can be various disorders in the endocrine or cardiovascular system.

If the reason is medication

Sometimes seizures can occur due to improper use of certain medications. They are most often caused by fast-acting diuretics, especially thiazide diuretics. This, for example, "Furosemide" or "Lasix". They flush water out of the body along with minerals. Dehydration sets in quickly, causing spasms in the muscles of the legs.

Beta-blockers given in the wrong dosage can slow down the heart rate, which leads to impaired blood supply to the extremities. Patients with hypertension can also suffer from severe seizures due to the wrong choice of drugs to lower blood pressure. Some of these medicines can cause potassium deficiency. The same effect is sometimes exerted by means for lowering cholesterol in the blood.

Many medications can cause malabsorption of minerals. This happens with long-term use. activated carbon and other adsorbents, for example, Polysorb or Polyphepan. Antacids have the same effect: Deviskol, Almagel, Rennie and others.

Seizures often occur after taking psychotropic drugs, such as drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia, or glucocorticoids.

Causes of night cramps

Many are interested in the question, why do seizures occur at night? After all, at such a time they cause the most anxiety, as they can lead to insomnia. This can be explained by several reasons. When a person is resting, the work of the heart and blood circulation slows down. Therefore, the lack of minerals is even more acute than during the day. This is especially noticeable in people with impaired venous outflow from the limbs, which provokes muscle ischemia. Because of this, spasms occur not only at night, but also in the morning.

Impressive people may suffer from night cramps after nervous strain and stress. At the same time, nightmares cause active muscle work. In addition, often when sleeping in a stuffy, unventilated room, oxygen starvation of tissues occurs. Lactic acid and metabolic products accumulate in the muscles. This can trigger their morning cramps.

Leg cramps are not considered a disease by many. But the problem is that they are often a symptom of serious health problems. And to avoid muscle spasms, you need to determine their causes.