Leg cramps at night a classic sign

What can you do about leg cramps while sleeping at night? What causes leg discomfort and cramping at night? Can leg massage help tone up my legs? Do your legs Ache at night?

Leg cramps are characterized by sudden, severe, and involuntary muscle contractions. Leg cramps commonly affect the calf muscles but may occur in the hamstrings or muscles of the feet, especially at night (ie nocturnal leg cramps ).

Nocturnal leg cramps are pains that occur in the legs during the night. They usually cause awakenings from sleep, but they may also occur while awake at night during periods of inactivity. These cramps mostly happen in the calf muscles but can also occur in the thighs or feet.

Get into the shade right, drink water and see a doctor if symptoms persist. Night leg cramps usually involve your calf muscles, although muscles in your feet or thighs might cramp as well. Forcefully stretching the contracted muscle relieves the pain. Most of the time, no apparent cause for night leg cramps can be identified.

In general, night leg cramps are likely to be related to muscle fatigue and nerve problems. The risk of having night leg cramps increases with age.

Pregnant women also have a higher likelihood of having night leg cramps. One of the classic causes of leg cramps is dehydration. Athletes and avid exercisers deal with cramps all the time, says Mark D. Peterson, Ph research assistant professor in the department of. A leg cramp is an episode of sudden pain in the muscles of the leg caused by an involuntary contracting (shortening) of the leg muscle. Most leg cramps occur in the calf muscles an less commonly, in the feet and thighs.

We’ll talk about the likely causes of this condition, as well as some tried-and-true remedies. Do I need to have any testing done to evaluate my leg cramps ? Usually your doctor only needs your medical history to make the diagnosis of nocturnal leg cramps. Your doctor may ask you such questions as: When do you experience the leg cramps and how often do they occur? How would you describe your leg pain?

How long does the pain last? They may subside in a few seconds, but the average duration is minutes, and pain can. So what causes leg cramps at night ? The cramp, or charley horse, is due to the muscle contracting (shortening and tightening) in a sudden and violent way. But foot and leg cramps do happen at night also.

These nocturnal leg cramps usually occur in the calf muscle. Men and women are equally prone to leg cramps. Cramps in the thighs are less common.

While they can strike people of all ages, if you’re or older you might get them more often. As painful as they feel, leg cramps are harmless. Greenbaum on leg cramps at night a classic sign : Not limited to men!

Could be due to medications taken. Diuretics exacerbate this by causiing low potassium, magnesium and perhaps low calcium. Poor hydration contributes to this. If one has poor circulation to the lower extremities. As many as percent of adults have suffered from nighttime foot and leg cramps during sleep.

The good news is, although they can be inconvenient, these types of muscle cramps are usually harmless. Leg Stretches That May Help. For a charley horse in the calf or a cramp in the back of the thigh (hamstring), try this stretch: Put your weight on the affected leg and bend your knee slightly.

He must have been going through intense pain at the time. Learn what’s causing these pains, how to alleviate them, and when to seek medical help. This makes us more prone to muscle cramps.