A muscle cramp is an involuntarily and forcibly contracted muscle that does not relax. When they use the muscles that can be controlled voluntarily, such as those of our legs and arms, they alternately contract and relax as they move our limbs. A muscle that involuntarily contracts is in a "spasm." If the spasm is forceful and sustained, it becomes a cramp. It lasts for few seconds.
Causes
Some medicines like diurities may cause cramps.
Several vitamin deficiency may directly or indirectly lead to muscle cramps.
These include deficiencies of thiamine (B1), pantothenic acid (B5), and pyridoxine (B6).
Poor circulation to the legs, which ends in inadequate oxygen to the muscle tissue, may cause extreme pain in the muscle that occurs with jogging or exercise.
Symptoms of cramps
A cramp is painful, often severely so. Usually, the sufferer must cease whatever activity is under way and seek relief from the cramp; the person is unable to make use of the affected muscle while it is cramping. Extreme cramps may be associated with soreness and swelling, which can occasionally persist up to several days after the cramp has subsided. At the time of cramping, the knotted muscle will bulge, feel firm, and may be tender.
How can muscle cramps be prevented?
Most cramps can be stopped if the muscle can be stretched.
For lots of cramps of the feet and legs, this stretching can often be accomplished by standing up and jogging around.
For a calf muscle cramp, the person can stand about four to four.5 feet from a wall and lean in to the wall to place the forearms against the wall with the knees and back straight and the heels in contact with the floor.
Gently massaging the muscle will often help it to relax, as will applying warmth from a heating pad or hot soak.
Cramps are inevitable, but if feasible, it would be best to prevent them.
Activity: Authorities recommend stretching before and after exercise or sports, along with an adequate warm-up and cooldown, to prevent cramps that are caused by vigorous physical activity. Nice hydration before, in the coursework of, and after the activity is important, if the period exceeds hour.
Rest cramps: Night cramps and other rest cramps can often be prevented by regular stretching exercises, if completed before going to bed. Even the simple calf-stretching maneuver (described in the first paragraph of the section on treatment), if held for ten to 15 seconds and repeated or times before going to bed, can be a great help in stopping nocturnal cramps.