Cramps in the calf muscles - causes and treatment

Myoclonus - this is the name of the condition when a person has a sharp cramp in the calf muscle. Feelings are not pleasant, often cramps bring a lot of trouble. In addition, such episodes may indicate the presence of some diseases, so you should not leave without cramps. Consider in this article, about what ailments convulsions may indicate, how to get rid of them and other interesting information on this topic.

Species

It is difficult to meet a person who has never experienced convulsions - these are involuntary muscle contractions, accompanied by severe pain. Sometimes it happens that during an attack, the muscle of the foot and the calf muscle do not relax to the end - as a result, the person suffers from pain for several days. Convulsions can occur both at night and in sleep.

Myoclonus is distinguished depending on which factor influenced the appearance of muscle contractions. Let us consider in detail exactly what types of seizures occur:

1. Tonic. They appear in the event that a person is subjected to intense physical exertion. They are formed gradually, but later a person may suffer from the manifestation of convulsions for several days.
2. Clonic. They characterize themselves with sharp, fast spasms of this or a group of muscles. Pass quickly.
3. Tonic-clonic. In this case, convulsions combine in themselves all the above properties.
4. Medicinal. Occur on the background of an incorrectly calculated dose of drugs.
5. Febrile. They appear due to increased body temperature - as a rule, children are subject to such conditions.
6. Partial. Appear abruptly, just as dramatically and end. Painful cramps can last from a few seconds to a few minutes.
7. Alcoholic. If a person has taken too much alcohol, then he may experience convulsions - as a reaction of the body to intoxication.
8. Myoclonic. Small children usually suffer from this type of cramps.During the process almost all muscles of the body can participate, which leads to unpleasant consequences: a child can fall, get injured.

What are the symptoms?

It is difficult to confuse the pain of cramps with some other condition. In some cases, the pain is expressed so vividly that the person barely holds back the scream. In addition, the pathology is accompanied by the following sensations:

• muscles tighten and become very hard;
• during convulsions, it is impossible to move the foot;
• in some cases, the person may faint;
• sometimes with convulsions, the eyes roll and the head leans back;
• there is a strong salivation.

If the attack was pronounced, then after the cramp "releases", the person can fall asleep.

What causes seizures?

Such a condition is not normal, if the convulsions appear constantly, it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible in order for him to find the reason why the pathology occurs.

Consider the main reasons due to which a person can have an attack.

1. Increased load on calves. Untrained people can have a cramp during sports, especially if the load falls on the gastrocnemius. Swimming, brisk walking, volleyball, basketball, running, skiing, jumping - all this can lead to convulsions if a person has not been involved in sports before. Also, muscle spasm during exercise or walking may occur as a result of dehydration. During intense loads, we sweat profusely, along with sweat, potassium is excreted from the body, which causes seizures.
2. Stretching. If after playing sports you feel an unpleasant, aching pain for a couple of days, this may indicate that there was a slight stretch. If the stretching is strong, then the person feels a pronounced pain, which tends to repeat, if the person repeats the same movement that caused the cramp. In this situation, the therapist will refer the patient to a traumatologist in order to eliminate the pathology by conservative methods of therapy.
3. Torn muscle. Extremely unpleasant condition that can cause a lot of trouble.When you break the ligaments, tendons, muscles, a person hears a sound that resembles a click. In this case, the patient can not stand on the leg, move it is very painful. Such injuries require the immediate intervention of specialists - you need to contact the surgeon.
4. Uncomfortable uniform. Since childhood, we have been taught that you need to dress comfortably. If the clothes or shoes force the gastrocnemius muscle or the leg itself to be in an uncomfortable position for a long time, then it may well cause seizures. If you notice that the spasm happens in a certain footwear or clothing, it is better to temporarily abandon these items of clothing and watch your condition.
5. Hypothermia legs. A very common situation is that while swimming in springs, at sea, in a person’s pool, the leg cramps sharply. Moreover, this state can be life-threatening - just imagine: you are swimming at a great depth, and suddenly an attack occurs, during which it is simply impossible to move, respectively, to stay afloat. In this situation, the cramp appears due to the occurrence of a spasm of the arterial and lymphatic vessels,during such conditions, metabolic processes in tissues are slowed down, and this is what provokes the formation of convulsions.
6. Circulatory problems. Such violations may occur with flatfoot, injury, dislocation of the joint. Congenital dysplasia and birth trauma are also included in this list. Such situations lead to the fact that the muscles of the legs can not be in the right, usual for them condition. The same applies to the vessels and nerves that feed them - due to the lack of necessary substances in humans and cramping occurs.

There are also more complex situations, due to which the conduction of nerve impulses is disturbed:

• TBI;
• spinal injury;
• CNS disease;
• congenital anomalies.

In these situations, be sure to consult a doctor! First of all - to the therapist, and he, most likely, will refer the patient to the neuropathologist.

The blood flow can also be disturbed as a result of such pathologies:

• phlebeurysm;
• atherosclerosis;
• thrombosis;
• violation of metabolic processes.

As for the causes of convulsions, they can also occur in people of the following categories:

• in pregnant women, toxicosis;
• intoxication of the body caused by poisoning with food, alcohol, or drugs;
• hypoxia;
• increased body temperature;
• lack of beneficial trace elements in the body due to impaired water-salt metabolism.

At night, a person can also be disturbed by convulsions. This state is frightening, but it is quite explicable - perhaps the person just assumed an uncomfortable position during sleep, as a result, the blood circulation is disturbed, and the leg suffers a cramp. Also, all of the above reasons can provoke night cramps.

Pregnant women sometimes have seizures, especially in the early stages. Of course, it is necessary to tell the doctor about your condition, but, as a rule, banal toxicosis becomes the cause. Due to frequent vomiting, dehydration occurs, salts, magnesium, and potassium are eliminated, which can provoke seizures.

Which of the above can be concluded? The causes of cramps are many. If such conditions disturb you regularly, are accompanied by severe pains - in this case, you should contact a qualified specialist as soon as possible.which can determine the exact cause of the pathology and eliminate it.

Diagnostic measures

In order to find out the reasons why a person is concerned about convulsions, the following is necessary:

• tell the doctor in detail about all previous diseases;
• donate blood, as well as urine - in the laboratory will conduct biochemical analyzes;
• do an ultrasound, MRI.

Sometimes the patient is sent to doctors of narrow specialties - this may be a neurologist, phlebologist, surgeon. After receiving the results of all tests and diagnostic studies, the doctor will be able to draw up a complete picture of the condition and establish a diagnosis.

What is the treatment?

Naturally, if you went to the doctor, the therapy will directly depend on what exactly provoked the appearance of seizures.

If a person has not yet turned to the doctor, and the attack has caught him in work or home conditions, and he is particularly strong, then first aid will be required. For this we do the following:

• try to squeeze the muscles in the place where the manifestation of pain is the strongest;
• if it works, you need to stand up, with the weight transferred to that leg,where grabbed cramp;
• prick the place where you feel the pain of cramps, with a needle;
• make a cold compress;
• warming ointments also help eliminate cramps;
• with maximum effort to pull the sock in the direction of the victim.

All the above methods are quite effective, and in most cases they really help to get rid of seizures. If a seizure occurred in a pregnant woman, the methods described above should also help.

If the cramp is so strong that a person rolls his eyes and he loses consciousness - in this case, you need to call an ambulance as soon as possible. The patient will be taken to the therapy department, diagnostic tests will be required, after which specialists will take care of the treatment. Therapy for each patient is individual, the selection is carried out taking into account the pathology that provoked the spasm. If the treatment will be carried out in stationary conditions - the main task is to restore the work of the limb, as well as eliminate the cause of myoclonia.

All the tips that were given above will help get rid of the symptoms that accompany seizures.To eliminate the causes, it is necessary to adhere to preventive measures:

1. In the diet must be present products with a high content of potassium, magnesium, sodium.
2. Contrasting showers, provided they do it regularly, may well help get rid of the problem.
3. If seizures occur during sports, then in this case it is necessary to reduce the intensity of the loads.
4. To choose comfortable clothes and shoes that will not squeeze blood vessels and restrain movement.

If you want the cramps do not bother you, it is advisable to abandon the consumption of alcohol and sign up for a massage.

Video: how to get rid of cramps in the leg muscles