Every living being that carries out marked movements of its body parts, owes it to a set of tissues that are well supplied across the length and breadth of the body. This tissue is none other than the muscle, and while its functions may not readily register in our minds, a jolt of disorder is enough to bring us to the consciousness of its importance.

Hypertrophy, atrophy and muscular dystrophy are just some of the disorders that can adversely affect movement in one way or the other. But without trying to bore you with some medical jargons, I will like to talk about a condition that is quite familiar to us all – cramps affecting the muscles of the limbs.

Cramp – or charley horse’ as it is sometimes called – is a painful, involuntary contraction of the muscle that occur suddenly and can be sustained for some seconds or couple of minutes. It usually affects the muscles of the legs and thighs, and also muscles localized in the abdomen, hands, feet as well as the uterus [whereby menstrual cramps evolve].

Cramps are very common in instances whereby an individual undergoes repeated activities – as in physical exercises – or stays in a particular position for a prolonged period. It can also occur during sleep in which case there is stiffness of the leg muscle that causes one to wake up. So, summarily, when your muscle cramps, it becomes shortened and tightening thus causing painful sensations [even as you feel some kind of strange movements around the affected region].

What causes cramps?

Although the condition is yet to be fully understood within the medical cycle, a number of factors have been pinpointed to lead to the occurrence of muscle cramps and some of these are hereby listed:

  • Overexertion: When one subjects himself/herself to intense physical activity for a long period of time [under hot weather condition], such a person is prone to experience cramps. This could be further catalysed and/or exacerbated by dehydration.

  • Loss of some minerals: The loss and/or shortage of calcium, magnesium and potassium in the blood can also lead to cramping of the muscles. The loss of these minerals can be triggered by the use of diuretics and the excessive intake of acid-forming consumables/foods [like chocolate, red meat, peas, beans, soft drinks, alcohol, etc]. Cramps are common during pregnancy due to the considerable loss of the aforementioned minerals.
  • Certain drugs used in the treatment and/or regulation of medical conditions such as asthma, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, high cholesterol and osteoporosis have also been reported to trigger muscle cramp.

Other causes of muscle cramps include:

  • Compression of nerves
  • Certain underlying medical conditions like blood flow disorder, kidney disease and multiple sclerosis
  • Fatigued muscles and clumsy positioning of the limbs

Curtailing muscle cramp
In order to get relief from muscle cramp, you should endeavor to do the following:

  • Stretch and massage your muscles especially before embarking on a workout or while sitting at the desk for a long duration. Furthermore, you should avoid overstraining your muscles while doing physical exercises – these should be done in a less intense manner.

  • Avoid getting dehydrated. In essence, you should take enough fluid to keep you hydrated all day long. Coupled with this, you can take sport drinks [like Lucozade, Gatorade, etc] that will supply you with substantial amount of electrolytes.

  • Applying cold pack on the affected muscle can also be of immeasurable help in relieving pains from cramps.

  • Supplements of calcium and magnesium can be taken by pregnant women – though on the advice of the doctor – to curtail the incidence of cramping muscles. However, in cases whereby the condition results from using certain drugs, it’s best to log a complaint on your doctor’s table as soon as possible before wholly abandoning the medication.