What you have is cramp, or charley horse as it is also known in North America. This type of cramp is very common, particularly in the late stages of pregnancy. It occurs more frequently as people get older or if they put on weight, but it can happen to anyone, either during the night or after exercise. The cause of this common affliction has often been ascribed to low salt levels in your diet, or more precisely the sodium that is in salt.
Take some salt and ease the pain, so the story goes, but as I will explain there is a much simpler, salt-free solution. Cramp occurs most often in the calf muscle at the back of the lower leg, the hamstrings at the back of the thigh or the quadriceps at the front.
Occasionally it can indicate something more serious, such as claudication, a condition where insufficient oxygen reaches the muscles, causing them to tighten when a person walks. Or in rare cases, cramps can be caused by very low levels of calcium due to a problem with the parathyroid gland in the neck. But as Raymond Playford, Professor of Medicine at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, says cramp is not associated with needing more salt in your diet in the majority of cases.
What causes this cramp is something of a mystery. This led to the theory that a lack of salt was the cause. The idea was that the heat of the fire caused the men to sweat so much that they became short of sodium. So naturally the assumption was that eating more salt would prevent the cramps. A biological explanation for this is that the lack of salt and accompanying dehydration causes the spaces between the cells of the muscles to contract, which then increases pressure on the nerve terminals, leading to pain.
Charley horse is another name for a muscle spasm. It occurs most commonly in the legs. The pain you feel can be intense and can result in muscle…. A recessed maxilla can cause cosmetic issues like flat cheekbones and a prominent jaw, and lead to dental problems, speech issues, and obstructed….
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Muscle cramps. You may also experience cramps in your: abdominal wall arms hands feet The intense pain of a cramp can awaken you at night or make it difficult to walk. Causes of muscle cramps. Treatment options for muscle cramps. Preventing muscle cramps. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, M. Anyone can get muscle cramps, but they are more common in some people: Older adults People who are overweight Athletes Pregnant women People with certain medical conditions, such as thyroid and nerve disorders When do I need to see a health care provider for muscle cramps?
But you should contact your health care provider if the cramps Are severe Happen frequently Don't get better with stretching and drinking enough fluids Last a long time Are accompanied by swelling, redness, or a feeling of warmth Are accompanied by muscle weakness What are the treatments for muscle cramps?
You may be able to find some relief from cramps by Stretching or gently massaging the muscle Applying heat when the muscle is tight and ice when the muscle is sore Getting more fluids if you are dehydrated If another medical problem is causing the cramps, treating that problem will likely help.
Can muscle cramps be prevented? To prevent muscle cramps, you can Stretch your muscles, especially before exercising. If you often get leg cramps at night, stretch your leg muscles before bed. Drink plenty of liquids. If you do intense exercise or exercise in the heat, sports drinks can help you replace electrolytes. Start Here.
Related Issues. Clinical Trials. Article: Effect of oral magnesium supplementation for relieving leg cramps during pregnancy Article: Effect of oral rehydration solution versus spring water intake during exercise Muscle Cramps -- see more articles.
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