How to deal with cramps

Cramps are sudden muscle spasms, causing severe pain in one muscle, which is usually a contraction due to cold or excessive activity, making the patient unable to continue to move. So how to deal with cramps to reduce pain quickly and effectively?

Although all muscles can experience cramps, the disease usually occurs in the legs, thighs, hands, feet and abdominal muscles. Cramps will be dangerous if you are swimming in the water, sitting near a fire, while driving.

Cause of cramps

1. Plant neurological dysfunction.
2. The body is tired, sweating, causing loss of sodium chloride.
3. Muscles have to work a lot, causing lactic acid stasis in the muscles.

People who are prone to cramps

Cramps (southern people called cramps) often occur when we exercise too much. The objects that are susceptible to cramps are: sports athletes, climbers, multi-level stair climbing, pregnant women . Work, practice, steep climbing passes with high intensity, dehydrated body , losing salt . are all prone to cramps.

Handle when you have thigh or leg cramps: drink water, massage your thighs, pull your fingertips and your feet towards your knees.

Photo: hongngochospital.vn

The disease usually occurs in the following cases: sleep at night, while exercising muscles for a long time, especially when tired, hungry, thirsty. The reason for cramps usually occurs at night when sleeping, experts say, people who are tired or tired on a hard day in the daytime, due to muscle inactivity, stress night cramps . Cramps during movement are common in large muscles such as the lower legs and thighs. At that time, muscles become tired, move too long, too strong, move when the weather is too hot or too cold, the body loses salt, reducing the concentration of K, Mg, Na, Ca in the blood.

In addition, a lot of motor activity causes lactic acid deposition in the muscles, leading to disorders of signal transmission between nerves and muscles, so even though the brain wants muscles to relax after moving but muscles continue. Continuous contraction causes pain. Thus, people who sit for long periods of time, do not change their postures, often experience muscle spasms . Hot weather and physical activity will cause a lot of sweat, causing dehydration and loss of salt.

People who use certain medicines such as statins, hydrocortisone, diuretics reduce potassium and magnesium are also susceptible to cramps. Patients suffering from diseases: diabetes, Parkinson's, low blood sugar, anemia, thyroid disease, kidney disease, hemodialysis, circulatory disorders, varicose veins of the lower extremities are prone to cramps. Pregnant women often experience cramps from the 6th month onwards of pregnancy due to lack of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, due to the weight and magnitude of the uterus pressing on the blood vessels in the lower extremities or because the lower limb muscles must be worn. weight of the body.

How to deal with cramps

Being in motion suddenly suffering from cramps will be very painful, causing him to stop moving immediately. In order to avoid the pain quickly, the following actions need to be taken: stop movement, try to release the sick limb to relax the shrinking muscle. Gently massage the muscles, if there is hot oil, apply the oil to the skin of the shrinking muscle and gently massage. If your leg cramps, you should gently stretch your muscles in the opposite direction: pull the tip of your toes and feet up towards your knees.

Photo: Phunutoday.org

When cramps in the thighs, it is necessary to ask others to straighten their legs, one hand to raise the heel, the other hand press the knee down. In case of ribs muscle cramps, you must breathe deeply to relax the diaphragm while gently massaging the muscles around the chest. Drink hot sugar tea, sweetened coffee, oresol, orange juice, lemon juice . After you have gone through the pain, you can take a hot bath to relax your muscles. You should wear shoes that fit your feet, heels are not too high.

Can use some drugs to treat cramps such as vitamin E, muscle relaxants . Normally cramps do not last long and do not pose a danger. But if cramps occur while driving, operating machinery, swimming in the water . it can cause an accident, drown. If you occasionally get cramps, it's not worrisome. But if you often suffer cramps, or pain cramps, you need to see a doctor, test to diagnose and treat the right disease causing cramps.

Prevention method

You can completely avoid cramps by: drinking enough water, preferably mineral-rich water such as oresol, lemon juice, coconut water . before, during and after training, labor , walking, climbing. Start well before physically moving, before each training session. Practice muscle relaxation before and after each workout. Practice stretching your legs in the evening before bedtime and in the morning when you wake up. When sitting, bend the foot towards the knee as much as possible, so that the blood is easily circulated in the leg muscles.

Implement a balanced diet, full of substances: protein, sugar, fat, vitamins and minerals. Limit the use of stimulants such as cigarettes, alcohol, and beer. Active treatment of diseases is the cause of the above cramps.

MSc. Pham Vu Hoang