Spasm can affect any part of the foot: fingers, feet, thigh, but the most common are all the same cramps in the gastrocnemius muscles.
Seizures in the legs can be disposable, usually provoked by reasonably innocuous causes and factors, and frequent, which necessarily require treatment. The duration of the cramps is usually divided into clonic - short-term contractions in the form of tics, and tonic - prolonged, more than 3 minutes, painful spasms.
Causes of leg cramps
To begin with, consider the frequently occurring, non-threatening health and usually not requiring special treatment reasons, why the legs can cramp:
- Physical exercise. Seizures can occur directly during the performance of any work, because of overstrain of a group of muscles, or later, due to accumulation in the muscles of lactic acid.
- With a sudden change in temperature. Long stay in the cold, bathing in cold water.
- Dehydration. Often associated with increased sweating in hot weather or serious physical exertion, when not only liquid is excreted from the body, but also microelements necessary for its normal functioning. To eliminate symptoms it is usually enough to normalize the body's water balance.
The second and, perhaps, the most common group of causes causing frequent cramps in the legs, regularly recurring in the absence of proper treatment are metabolic disorders in the body:
- Lack of calcium, potassium, magnesium or vitamin D. These vitamins and microelements in the body are responsible for carrying out nerve impulses to the muscles, and therefore their deficiency leads to the appearance of seizures. It can be caused by a high-protein diet that interferes with the normal absorption of calcium. Or the use of diuretic and hormonal drugs, which contributes to the removal of potassium from the body.
- Thyroid gland disorders.
- Lowering blood sugar, especially in diabetic patients, due to an overdose of hypoglycemic drugs. A fairly rare occurrence.
In addition, seizures can be caused by stress , certain diseases of the nervous system, inflammatory diseases and varicose veins.
Treating the causes of cramps in the legs with pills
Most often, drugs are used to compensate for the lack of vitamins and minerals:
- Asparks (magnesium + potassium);
- Magnesol;
- Calcium lactate;
- Calciomax;
- complexes of multivitamins.
Also, with frequent and painful seizures, spasmolytic and pain medications can be used, but their use is more effective in ointments or, in severe cases, in the form of injections.
Leg cramps - causes and their treatment with folk remedies
Usually massage and acupuncture are usually used to relieve an attack of cramps. As are various various external agents in the form of ointments, trays and lotions.
Ointment from seizures
Ingredients:
- celandine juice - 1 part;
- Vaseline - 2 parts.
Preparation and use
Mix the ingredients carefully. Ointment rub your foot before going to bed for 2 weeks.
Lava oil from seizures
Ingredients:
- dry bay leaf - 25 g;
- linseed or unrefined sunflower oil - 150 ml.
Preparation and use
Pound the bay leaf with oil and press for 2 weeks. Strain before use. Use for rubbing the sick muscle.
Broth of onion peel
Ingredients:
- dry onion husks - 1 teaspoon;
- water - 1 glass.
Preparation and use
Shepherd pour boiling water and insist for 10 minutes. The broth is drunk before bedtime, to prevent nighttime cramps.
In addition, to remove the attack of convulsions, an effective remedy is a magnet applied for 1-2 minutes to the sore spot.