Muscle Cramp Causes

A muscle cramp is an involuntary and sudden contraction of one or more muscles. If you are stopped from the tracks due to sudden Charley horse or you have ever been awakened from the night sleep, you know that muscle cramps cause severe pain. Although muscle cramps are harmless, they make the afflicted muscle numb for sometime. Exercising for long time or physical labor, especially in hot weather leads to muscle cramps. Certain medical conditions and medications also causes muscle cramps. Below lines give a brief list of muscle cramp causes.

Dehydration: Dehydration also cause muscle cramps. Studies showed that if the body is dehydrated, it may lead to muscle cramps. Substantially, performance of muscles reduce with the onset of dehydration. If your body is lacking from daily fluid content, muscles ache in the form of cramps that are likely to change.

Exertion: This is the most common cause of muscle cramps. Too much use of legs, for example too much cycling or a long walk may lead to muscle cramps. Often, muscle cramps may also be caused by rigorous exercise workouts. Experiencing muscle cramps and fatigue after a hard day’s work is common, but pain disappears if adequate rest is taken.

Shortage of Blood Supply: Insufficient blood supply to the muscles may result in muscle cramps or spasms. Muscles need continuous blood supply to function properly. Disturbances in blood supply may develop if some muscles are unknowingly put in some awkward position. Arteries which supply blood to legs and arms become narrow and stiff because of numerous reasons such as accumulation of cholesterol and high blood pressure. This condition is referred to as arteriosclerosis which disturbs the normal blood flow to the extremities and substantially lead to frequent muscle cramps.

Muscle Strain: Resting, sitting or standing in appropriate posture for long duration may cause muscle cramps in calf. Often, people with job which demand prolonged standing hours complain about cramps.

Poor Diet: Ignoring healthy diet is the primary cause of muscle cramps. However, improper diet plan makes an individual prone to recurring sessions of muscle cramps. It is noticed that deficiency of diet in essential minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium causes muscle cramps. This is so because these minerals play a vital role in proper functioning of muscles. Also these minerals promote normal relaxation and contraction of muscles. Hence, muscle pain and fatigue are associated with the deficiency of minerals.

Pinched Nerve: This is another cause of muscle cramps. The nerves which run from brain to various body parts stimulate the movement of muscles. These nerves carry electrical signal from the brain to the muscle for promoting movement. Briefly, muscle action can’t be achieved until these electrical signals are transmitted successfully to the desired muscles. However, interruption in this activity by pinched nerve (a condition where nerve may get compressed) may cause muscle cramps frequently. Often, pinched nerve is due to back problems like herniated or bulging disc.

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