Why do calf cramps happen

Muscle cramps may be brought on by many conditions or activities, such as: Exercising, injury, or overuse of muscles. Cramps may occur because of decreased amounts of minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, especially in the later months of pregnancy.

Exposure to cold temperatures, especially to cold water. Other medical conditions, such as blood flow problems peripheral arterial disease , kidney disease, thyroid disease, and multiple sclerosis. Standing on a hard surface for a long time, sitting for a long time, or putting your legs in awkward positions while you sleep.

Not having enough potassium, calcium, and other minerals in your blood. Being dehydrated , which means that your body has lost too much fluid. Taking certain medicines, such as antipsychotics, birth control pills , diuretics , and steroids. How can you stop a muscle cramp when it happens? Here are some things you can try: Stretch and massage the muscle.

Take a warm shower or bath to relax the muscle. A heating pad placed on the muscle can also help. Try using an ice or cold pack. Always keep a cloth between your skin and the ice pack. Take an over-the-counter pain medicine, such as acetaminophen Tylenol , ibuprofen Advil, Motrin , or naproxen Aleve.

Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label. If your doctor prescribes medicines for muscle cramps, take them exactly as prescribed.

Call your doctor if you have any problems with your medicine. Drink plenty of fluids. Sports drinks, such as Gatorade, will often help leg cramps.

Here are some things you can try for a leg cramp: Walk around, or jiggle your leg. Stretch your calf muscles. You can do this stretch while you sit or stand: While sitting, straighten your leg and flex your foot up toward your knee. It may help to place a rolled towel under the ball of your foot and, while holding the towel at both ends, gently pull the towel toward you while keeping your knee straight.

When to see your GP Speak to your GP if your leg cramps are affecting your quality of life; for example, if you have frequent leg cramps or they are interfering with your sleep. Treating leg cramps Most cases of leg cramps can be relieved by exercising the affected muscles. Stretches To stretch your calf muscles, stand with the front half of your feet on a step, with your heels hanging off the edge. If you have secondary leg cramps, treating the underlying cause may help relieve your symptoms.

Leg cramps that occur during pregnancy should pass after the baby is born. Read more about treating leg cramps Preventing leg cramps If you often get leg cramps, regularly stretching the muscles in your lower legs may help prevent the cramps or reduce their frequency.

The following night-time advice may also help: If you lie on your back, make sure that your toes point upwards — placing a pillow on its side at the end of your bed, with the soles of your feet propped up against it may help keep your feet in the right position.

If you lie on your front, hang your feet over the end of the bed — this will keep your feet in a relaxed position and help stop the muscles in your calves from contracting and tensing. Keep your sheets and blankets loose. Symptoms of leg cramps A leg cramp is an episode of sudden pain in the muscles of the leg caused by an involuntary contracting shortening of the leg muscle.

Most leg cramps occur in the calf muscles and, less commonly, in the feet and thighs. After the cramps have passed, you may have pain and tenderness in your legs for several hours. When to seek medical advice If you only get leg cramps occasionally, it is not a cause for concern and a medical diagnosis is not required. You should also visit your GP if the muscles in your legs are shrinking or becoming weaker.

When to seek immediate medical advice There are two situations where leg cramps may be a sign of a more serious underlying health condition. You should seek immediate medical help if: The cramps last longer than 10 minutes and fail to improve, despite exercise. Cramps develop after you come into contact with substances that could be toxic poisonous or infectious, for example, if you have a cut that is contaminated with soil, which can sometimes cause a bacterial infection, such as tetanus, or after being exposed to elements such as mercury or lead.

Causes of leg cramps The cause of leg cramps is sometimes unknown idiopathic. Idiopathic leg cramps Although the cause of idiopathic leg cramps is unknown, there are a number of theories about what might cause idiopathic leg cramps. These include: abnormal nerve activity during sleep which causes the muscle of the leg to cramp excessive strain placed on leg muscles, such as when exercising, may cause the muscles to cramp at certain times a sudden restriction in the blood supply to the affected muscles Also, tendons naturally shorten over time as a person gets older, which may explain why older people are particularly affected by leg cramps.

Secondary leg cramps Secondary leg cramps are caused by an underlying condition or another identifiable cause. These include: pregnancy: the extra weight of pregnancy can place strain on the leg muscles, making them more vulnerable to cramping exercise: leg cramps are often experienced when resting after exercise neurological conditions conditions that affect the nerves in your leg muscles : for example, motor neurone disease or peripheral neuropathy liver disease : if your liver stops working properly, toxins will build up in your blood, which can make your muscles go into spasm infection: some types of bacterial infection, such as tetanus, can cause muscle cramps and spasm toxins: in some people, high levels of toxic poisonous substances in the blood, such as lead or mercury, can cause leg cramps dehydration : in some people, low levels of water in the body can lead to a drop in your salt levels, which can trigger muscle cramps Medication Certain medications have been known to cause leg cramps in a small number of people.

Treating leg cramps If the cause of your leg cramps is known, it may be possible to treat the underlying cause. Exercises Most cases of leg cramps can be treated with exercises.

There are two types of exercise that you can do: exercises you do during an episode of cramping to relieve the pain and stop the cramping exercises you do during the day to reduce how often you get leg cramps The two types of exercises are explained below. Exercises during cramps During an episode of leg cramp, stretch and massage the affected muscle. For example, if the cramp is in your calf muscle: Straighten your leg and lift your foot upwards, bending it at the ankle so that your toes point towards your shin.

Walk around on your heels for a few minutes. Exercises to prevent cramps To reduce your risk of getting leg cramps in the future, you should do exercises to stretch the affected muscles three times a day. For example, if your calf muscles are affected by cramps, the following exercise should be beneficial: stand about a metre away from a wall lean forward with your arms outstretched to touch the wall while keeping the soles of your feet flat on the floor hold this position for five seconds before releasing repeat the exercise for five minutes For the best results, you should repeat this exercise three times a day, including one session just before you go to bed.

If you find these exercises useful you can carry on doing them for as long as you are able to. Painkillers If you have leg pain that persists after an episode of cramping, an over-the-counter painkiller, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen may help reduce the pain. Quinine Quinine was originally designed as a medication to treat malaria. However, there is a small chance that quinine may cause unpleasant side effects including: tinnitus ringing in your ears impaired hearing headache nausea feeling sick disturbed vision confusion hot flushes Thrombocytopenia is a rarer but more serious complication of quinine.

Platelets help the blood to clot which means people with thrombocytopenia are at increased risk of excessive bleeding such as: nosebleeds bleeding gums bleeding inside the eye bleeding inside the skull or digestive system both of which can be fatal There have been a number of reported cases of people dying from thrombocytopenia after taking quinine to prevent leg cramps.

It is recommended that quinine is only prescribed when: you have tried the exercise techniques discussed above and they haven't helped prevent your leg cramps you have frequent leg cramps which affect your quality of life In these circumstances, you may be prescribed a four-week course of quinine. Tweet Click here to share this page on Twitter This will open a new window. Print Click here to print this page This will open your print options in a new window.

Source: NHS 24 - Opens in new browser window. Last updated:. Besides the sudden, sharp pain, you might also feel or see a hard lump of muscle tissue beneath your skin. Muscle cramps usually disappear on their own and are rarely serious enough to require medical care.

However, see your doctor if your cramps:. Overuse of a muscle, dehydration, muscle strain or simply holding a position for a prolonged period can cause a muscle cramp. In many cases, however, the cause isn't known. Although most muscle cramps are harmless, some may be related to an underlying medical condition, such as:. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version.