Leg cramps are a common problem, typically occurring in the calf, foot or thigh. They usually come on in an instant and cause intense, grabbing pain. Most of us have experienced a cramp like this at some point in our life. They are more common in summer if you have been sweating excessively and losing minerals in your sweat.

However, some people are woken several times each night with searing pain that leaves them hobbling around the bedroom.

Cramps like that aren’t just a nuisance; they are an indicator that something in your body is not in balance. The cramps can be so intense that the affected muscle feels sore the next day. Regularly experiencing cramps can greatly interfere with sleep quality, leaving you feeling fatigued and drained the next day.

Several different things can cause muscle cramps. In order to prevent them, you first need to find out why they are happening.

Your muscles need minerals

Your muscles need a range of different minerals to enable them to contract and relax properly. A deficiency of one or more of these minerals can leave you prone to cramps. These minerals include magnesium, sodium, potassium and calcium. Intense sweating, diarrhea and vomiting are the most common ways of developing a sudden, acute deficiency in these minerals. That’s why muscle cramps are most common after these conditions. Magnesium is required for muscles to be able to relax properly, and magnesium deficiency is the most common cause of muscle cramps, as well as twitching muscles and aching muscles.

The following conditions may make a person prone to muscle cramps:

If painful muscle cramps are a regular problem for you, this list should be able to offer you a solution.

  • Magnesium deficiency is the most common cause of muscle cramps and most cases respond really quickly to a magnesium supplement. Magnesium deficiency is extremely common because the soils where most crops are grown are often depleted in magnesium. Caffeine, alcohol and stress all cause your body to excrete magnesium, worsening the deficiency.Liver-Doctor-What-Causes-Painful-Leg-Cramps-At-Night
  • Having tight, inflexible muscles places you at greater risk of getting cramps. This applies most to women who wear high heels all day. Try to spend a few minutes each day stretching your calf muscles while pushing against a wall (see image)
  • Dehydration can promote a muscle cramp. Try to drink between 8 and 10 glasses of water each day, or cups of herbal tea. This is most important in hot weather or if you’ve been exercising.
  • Injury to nerves can cause muscle cramps. For example, an injury or disc problem in the spine that affects the sciatic nerve can cause the muscles in the legs to become twitchy and prone to cramps. It is best to see a physical therapist or osteopath to help with this problem. Serrapeptase helps to reduce inflammation and can calm down an inflamed nerve that is sending erratic signals to the muscles, causing them to contract inappropriately.
  • Sometimes muscle cramps are the result of poor blood supply to a muscle because of blocked arteries. In the same way that arteries supplying the brain or heart can become blocked, so too can arteries in the legs or thighs. This is more common in individuals over the age of 40. It is best to see your doctor, who can assess the health of your arteries. If you want to keep your blood thin and improve your circulation, try to eat oily fish regularly (eg. Wild salmon, trout, sardines, herrings, mackerel) or take a fish oil supplement. Drinking raw vegetable juices regularly is also a powerful way of helping to keep your blood healthy. Vegetables are an excellent source of potassium and deficiency of this mineral may be responsible for cramps.
  • Some medication can increase the likelihood of muscle cramps; most commonly fluid tablets (diuretics). Sometimes a prescription diuretic is necessary, but they do tend to deplete the body of minerals, particularly magnesium.   If your fluid retention is only mild, you may improve with Fluid Relief tablets.
  • Iron deficiency can sometimes cause muscle cramps. It is best to ask your doctor for a blood test.
  • Sodium deficiency is not a common cause of muscle cramps because the average person already consumes more than enough salt. Sodium deficiency can occur in individuals on a very low carbohydrate diet who exercise and sweat profusely.
  • Imbalances in blood levels of calcium can sometimes cause muscle cramps but this is usually an indicator of a problem of calcium regulation, rather than a deficiency of calcium in your diet.

These suggestions are very helpful for the majority of cases of muscle cramps, but please see your own doctor if symptoms persist.

 

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.