Calf Muscle Cramps, What To Do? How To Treat? First Aid

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Cramps in the calf muscles: what to do?

Cramps of the calf muscles are an involuntary and unexpected contraction of the biceps muscle, located on the back of the human lower leg. It is located above the soleus muscle, together with which it is attached to the heel through the Achilles tendon. Therefore, it is not surprising that at the same time as the calf muscle, the foot can be cramped.

The gastrocnemius muscle is represented by a pair of powerful oily heads (lateral and medial heads), which begin from the bottom of the popliteal fossa. In the middle of the lower leg, they connect, after which they pass into the common tendon. The gastrocnemius muscle is innervated by branches extending from the tibial nerve, the root of which is located in S1 and S2.

The calf muscle is important for humans, as it is responsible for the movement of the leg and allows you to stabilize the body while walking and running.

If the muscle is overstrained, then a spasm may occur in it. Also, muscle spasm occurs with disturbances in the arterial and venous blood supply system, with a lack of trace elements in the body, with a failure of innervation processes.

The seizures vary in intensity. They can be faint and barely noticeable, or they can make a person scream in pain. Muscle spasm lasts for several seconds to several minutes. Any person can have a seizure, regardless of gender or age. Most often, she worries at night. People note that it is at this time that spasms are especially strong, since the body is in a relaxed state.

Cramps never occur on their own. They are always preceded by some kind of provoking factor, ranging from banal hypothermia and ending with serious disorders in the nervous system or in the circulatory system. Thus, the body signals to a person that not everything is in order with him. You need to recognize this signal in time. Therefore, when seizures bother a person often, it is necessary to find out the causes of their occurrence and carry out appropriate treatment.

What's more, calf cramps can be dangerous in and of themselves. It is not difficult to imagine the whole horror of the situation when a person loses the ability to control the movement of his leg while driving a car, while being at a depth or in the mountains.

Content:

• The mechanism of development of spasms of the gastrocnemius muscle
• Causes of cramps in the calf muscles
• Calf muscle cramps in pregnant women
• Calf muscle cramps in healthy people
• First aid for cramps in calves
• Calf cramps treatment

The mechanism of development of spasms of the gastrocnemius muscle

To understand the mechanism of the development of spasms of the gastrocnemius muscle, it is necessary to understand some of the features of its structure. So, this muscle is represented by many myofibrils. Each myofibril is a strip of hundreds of rows of muscle cells. They are called myocytes.

Each muscle cell (myocyte) has a contractile apparatus, consisting of several proteins. The main one in them is actin, and the auxiliary ones are troponin, myosin and tropomyosin. Myosin and actin are intertwined with each other like threads. Their mutual convergence, and therefore, muscle contraction occurs under the influence of ATP, calcium ions, troponin and tropomyosin.

It is a multi-layered process that goes through several stages:

• An impulse arises in the brain, which is sent along the nerve to the gastrocnemius muscle.
• With the help of acetylcholine, an electrical impulse from the nerve is transferred to the muscle surface.
• Then this impulse spreads throughout the muscle portage and penetrates into its deep structures along the T-shaped channels.
• From the channels, the impulse goes to the cisterns (cells containing calcium ions). Calcium channels open and calcium is released from the cells.
• Calcium activates tropin and tropomyosin, which in turn cause actin and myosin filaments to converge. ATP takes part in this process.
• Muscle contraction occurs at the moment when the filaments of myosin and actin are as close as possible.

If at any stage of this complex process a failure occurs, then this will lead to seizures.

Video: neuropathologist on the causes and treatment of seizures during sleep:

Causes of cramps in the calf muscles

There are five main factors that can lead to the development of calf muscle cramps.

Among them:

• Disorders in the work of the brain.
• Excessive amounts of acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft.
• Low ATP levels.
• Lack of excitability of myocytes.
• Defects in contractile proteins that occur at the genetic level.

It would seem that all these terms are difficult for an ordinary person to perceive, but in fact, behind them are pathologies and disorders familiar to everyone. You just need to dwell on them in more detail.

Disorders in the work of the brain

The cerebellum is responsible for maintaining the tone of the gastrocnemius muscle. Even when a person is asleep, this part of the brain continues to send impulses to her and other muscles, but not with the same intensity as during wakefulness.

Diseases that can lead to an increase in impulses sent by the cerebellum:

• Epilepsy.
• Psychoses in the acute phase.
• Eclampsia.
• Received traumatic brain injury.
• Hemorrhage into the cranial cavity.
• Thromboembolism of the brain.

Eclampsia only develops in pregnant women. This condition is dangerous for her life and the life of the child. Eclampsia does not appear quickly and lightning fast, it makes itself felt gradually. First, the pregnant woman's blood pressure rises, edema forms on the legs, and her general health begins to deteriorate. During the same period, she may develop cramps in the calf muscles. In the future, they affect the uterus, can lead to placental abruption and serious health complications. Therefore, convulsions in pregnant women can be quite a formidable signal.

Excessive amounts of acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft

Acetylcholine is involved in the transmission of impulses from the nerve to muscle cells. If there is too much of it in the synaptic cleft, it will cause the muscles to contract convulsively.

The reasons for the increase in acetylcholine:

• Lack of magnesium in the body. Magnesium is an essential electrolyte that is responsible for many functions in the body. In particular, it regulates the opening of the channels that contain acetylcholine. If there is little magnesium, then these channels will be closed, which will provoke the development of cramps in the calf muscles.

  The following reasons will lead to a lack of magnesium in the body:

  1. Adherence to diets, poor nutrition.
  2. Malabsorption syndrome, intestinal inflammation, bowel resection. All these conditions lead to the fact that magnesium will be poorly absorbed in the body.
  3. Excessive intake of calcium from food, as well as the consumption of fatty or protein foods, makes it difficult for the absorption of magnesium in the intestines.
  4. Sometimes there are conditions in which the body spends more magnesium than it receives. This happens during stress, during intense sports training, during pregnancy and lactation, during periods of active growth of the body, during the recovery of the body from previous diseases. Each of these conditions will contribute to the development of spasms of the gastrocnemius muscle.
  5. Sometimes magnesium is excreted from the body in large quantities, for example, with vomiting, diarrhea, or taking laxatives. Lack of magnesium is observed among coffee lovers and strong tea drinkers, among alcoholics. In this regard, kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, taking sorbing drugs, and undergoing therapy for cancer pathologies are dangerous.
  6. Magnesium deficiency and leg cramps can often bother a person with endocrine pathologies, such as hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, hyperaldosteronism.

  As practice shows, it is the lack of magnesium that is the most common cause of cramps in the calf muscles in people of different ages. In addition to convulsive muscle contractions, they will be worried about hearing impairment, migraine-type headaches, skin diseases and alopecia, back and abdominal pain, and stool disorders.

  In childhood, a lack of magnesium leads to heart disease, vascular spasms, impaired immunity and other serious problems.

  If this condition is not treated, then in addition to the cramps of the calf muscles, the person will experience cramps of the hands, back, occipital muscles, and facial muscles.

• Drug overdose. In this regard, it is dangerous to take drugs that block an enzyme called cholinesterase, which, in turn, destroys acetylcholine. If cholinesterase is low, then acetylcholine will accumulate in the synaptic cleft and cause muscle contractions in the form of convulsions. These drugs include Axamon, Alzepil, Ipigrix, Nivalin, Exelon, etc.

Lack of excitability of myocytes

If the excitability of the muscle cells representing the gastrocnemius muscle is insufficient, then the person will develop a seizure. An imbalance of electrolytes in the body and a deficiency of vitamins can lead to such disorders.

The main electrolytes in the human body are sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Various conditions can lead to an imbalance: increased physical activity, oxygen starvation and physical inactivity, lack of water in the body against a background of various diseases or when eating too salty food without the opportunity to drink.

Excessive intake of water into the body is no less dangerous. It can also lead to imbalance in water and electrolyte balance and the development of seizures.

A deficiency of vitamins affects the contractile capabilities of muscles. Cramps in the calf muscles can occur in people who lack vitamin D, E, A, B. Most often, the cause of such a deficiency is inaccuracies in nutrition.

Low ATP

The following diseases and conditions can lead to a decrease in the concentration of ATP, as the main carrier of energy in the human body, and therefore to the development of cramps in the calf muscles:

• Anemia, regardless of their origin, heart failure, vascular disease, lung disease, influenza, adenoiditis, altitude sickness. All these conditions are united by the fact that they cause hypoxia of muscle tissue, which means that they can cause seizures.
• Low blood sugar with developing hypoglycemia, as well as diabetes.
• Lack of B vitamins (B1, B2, B5, B6) in the body.
• Magnesium deficiency.
• Taking diuretics.
• Hypothyroidism
• Treatment with statins.
• Syndrome of the inferior vena cava.
• Varicose veins.
• Thrombophlebitis.
• Atherosclerotic vascular lesions.
• Hard physical labor.
• The period of rehabilitation after undergoing surgery.
• Compliance with a low-calorie diet.

You need to be prepared for the fact that the calf muscle will sooner or later cramp if a person is engaged in the gym. Therefore, with intense training, it will not be possible to do without taking vitamin and mineral complexes.

Genetic diseases

The calf muscles can be cramped in people who suffer from genetic pathologies. These diseases today remain incurable, but they are not common. An example of such a pathology is Tourette's disease. In addition to seizures, a person has tics and involuntary cries.

Other causes of leg cramps

If a person is injured or fractured, then muscle spasm acts in this case as a defense mechanism. It is aimed at limiting the mobility of the injured area. On the other hand, it is muscle spasm, as a reaction to pain, that is the main cause of the fracture of the tubular bones during a fall from a height.

The cause of cramps in the calf muscles can be osteochondrosis, a hernia of the spine, a perineural cyst, or a tumor that compresses the S1 and S2 vertebrae. Indeed, it is at the level of the sacral spine that the roots of the nerve plexuses are located, which go to the calf muscles.

Another cause of calf muscle cramps is transverse flat feet and other anomalies of the foot, which lead to a redistribution of the load on the ligaments of the gastrocnemius muscle. It also affects the deterioration of blood flow, compression of the nerve trunks and overstrain of the joints.

Calf muscle cramps in pregnant women

If we exclude the developing eclampsia, which was described above, then cramps in the calf muscles in pregnant women can develop due to early toxicosis. During vomiting, which is its companion, the body loses a lot of vitamins and minerals, which is sure to affect the condition of the muscles. In addition, nutrients are spent on the needs of the growing fruit.

The situation is aggravated by hormonal changes and stress that the body experiences. All this contributes to an increase in the frequency of cramps in the calf muscles. To cope with them, you need to pay sufficient attention to proper nutrition. It is imperative to follow medical recommendations and take vitamin and mineral mineral complexes.

Another common cause that leads to the development of seizures is varicose veins in pregnant women. Most often, the disease begins to develop before conception, and as the fetus grows, its course only gets worse. In addition to leg cramps, a woman will feel heaviness in them. She may be worried about edema, which develops both in the evening and in the morning.

Another cause of calf muscle cramps during pregnancy is inferior vena cava syndrome, which is pinched by the uterus. Venous outflow is reduced, which provokes leg cramps. With multiple pregnancies, this problem is observed in almost every woman.

To minimize the likelihood of cramps in the calf muscles, a woman needs to sleep on her side. It is not recommended to spend a lot of time on your feet, you must definitely give them rest. It is useful to do exercises for pregnant women to strengthen the muscles and prevent them from starvation of oxygen.

Calf muscle cramps in healthy people

Sometimes cramps in the calf muscles can develop in absolutely healthy people, that is, contractions will be caused not by any pathological diseases, but by external causes.

These include:

• Excessive stress on the legs. Moreover, a convulsion can develop not only with dynamic, but also with static loads. This is often associated with a person's professional activities. For example, leg cramps often bother ballerinas, circus performers, professional athletes, loaders, salespeople, teachers, hairdressers, surgeons.
• Sleep in an uncomfortable position. The fact is that at night, in the interval between 2.00-4.00 hours, the maximum concentration of free calcium in the muscles is observed. At the same time, a drop in blood glucose (ATP) levels occurs. If during this period a person sleeps in an uncomfortable position for him, squeezing the veins of the legs, then this will certainly provoke a spasm of the gastrocnemius muscle. The situation is aggravated by the insufficient concentration of oxygen in the room, that is, sleeping in stuffy rooms.
• Cramps in the calf muscles can be the result of exposure to toxic substances on the human body, for example, from insect bites or needle pricks from a sea urchin.
• A leg can be cramped if a person stays in the cold for a long time. This is especially true when there is a sharp temperature drop.
• Women who like to wear high heels and tight dress shoes will suffer from calf cramps more often than women who wear comfortable orthopedic shoes.
• Tight and tight clothing, as well as things with tight belts and elastic bands, can lead to impaired blood flow in the lower extremities and cause cramps in them.

First aid for cramps in calves

If leg cramps are not associated with an epileptic seizure, then you need to follow these simple steps:

• The leg must be lifted to improve blood flow and eliminate existing congestion.
• You need to grab the toes of the lower limb and bend them towards the knee. First, they are bent in half and relaxed, and then bent as long as possible and held in this position. This will stop the seizure.

The implementation of these recommendations allows you to stretch the gastrocnemius muscle, due to which it, like a sponge, absorbs blood saturated with oxygen. A foot massage can improve blood circulation through the small blood vessels. Movements should be light and fluid. They come down to pinching and stroking a limb.

An injection of soft tissues with a pencil or other sharp object (without damaging the skin) allows you to interrupt the reflex chain and stop the seizure. This technique is actively used by professional swimmers, who always have a pin with them. Thus, they get rid of the cramp that happened at depth.

After the seizure attack has been arrested, it is necessary to intensively massage the muscle and stretch it.

To minimize the chances of cramping during your workout, your muscles need to be warmed up and stretched before starting. To do this, perform bends with lunges, torso bends without lunges, squats. During the tilt, exhale and only after that you need to pull the muscles.

Video: 3 ways to relieve a seizure:

What to do if the calf muscle is cramped in the water?

If a spasm caught a person while swimming in a pond, then in no case should one give in to panic. Whenever possible, you need to loudly call for help. In this case, you must continue to swim towards the shore, actively working with your hands.

The simplest solution is to flip onto your back. At the same time, you need to breathe deeply and continue to swim to the shallow at the expense of your hands.

If a person is confident in his abilities, then you can relax in the water, taking the form of a starfish. Keeping on the water, you need to massage the calf muscle until the cramp subsides. You need to be prepared that in this position a person will have to dive headlong into the water from time to time. Therefore, this method can be implemented in practice only by the swimmer who feels confident at depth and knows how to hold his breath.

So, immediately after the seizure has occurred, it is necessary to direct all efforts to eliminate it. After all, such a condition is stressful for the body and it must be eliminated as soon as possible. Only after that should you search for and treat the cause of the calf muscle cramps.

Calf cramps treatment

If the spasm is caused by pathological reasons, then you need to find and eliminate them. As practice shows, most often they lie in a deficiency of vitamin D, B vitamins, as well as calcium, magnesium, iron and other trace elements. Therapy in this case involves the intake of vitamin-mineral complexes and nutritional correction. You can take Magne B6, Magnerot, Magnistad, etc. Significantly improves the absorption of magnesium in the intestine Pyridoxine.

If it is impossible to eliminate the cause of seizures, then the patient should receive symptomatic treatment aimed at reducing their frequency and intensity. Again, as a preventive measure, such patients are prescribed a complex of vitamins and minerals, and a diet is selected.

Video: Dr. Evdokimenko about leg cramps, how to treat?

Be sure to drink enough water. For 1 kg of weight, there should be 30 mg of liquid. If the ambient temperature is high, the body's water requirements increase.

It is important to avoid work in the cold, to prevent sudden temperature changes. In winter, warm shoes and warm underwear must be worn. Shoes should be chosen as comfortable as possible. Whenever possible, it is recommended to minimize the time in high heels.

If a person suffers from diabetes, then it is necessary to regularly monitor the level of glucose in the blood and take medications prescribed by the doctor.

You should always remember that cramps are just painful muscle spasms. They often signal problems in the body that need to be dealt with.

Author of the article: Sokov Andrey Vladimirovich | Neurologist

Education: In 2005 completed an internship at the IM Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University and received a diploma in Neurology. In 2009, completed postgraduate studies in the specialty "Nervous diseases".