Leg cramps can occur in many different situations. Some people wake up with severe leg cramps; others get them while trying to go to sleep. Athletes sometimes experience leg cramps while working out or simply walking.
What is a Leg Cramp?
A leg cramp is basically an involuntary contraction of a muscle. It can be an agonizing pain. When a muscle contracts or spasms and a knot forms in the hamstring, quadriceps, foot or calf this is a leg cramp also known as a Charlie horse. This can last for only a few seconds or up to an agonizing 15 to 20 minutes.
What Causes Leg Cramps?
The most common cause of leg cramps is dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. You are missing important elements that allow your body to function properly. Basic elements that can cause leg cramps when they are deficient in the body are potassium, magnesium, sodium and chloride. These are the elements we lose through sweat.
How to Prevent Leg Cramps
To prevent leg cramps you should stretch routinely to help relax the fibers in your muscles. Always warm up your muscles prior to beginning a workout or jogging. Even if you simply plan a walk around the block, do a few stretches and warm your muscles first, cold muscles cramp easily.
To prevent leg cramps you need to stay hydrated. This means drinking plenty of fluids before, during and even after exercise. There are sports drinks on the market that can replenish electrolytes that may be lost during workouts, but do not overuse these as too much of these elements can be harmful. Believe it or not but drinking pickle juice is equivalent to those expensive sports drinks for electrolyte replacement.
To prevent leg cramps eat a healthy nutritious diet. If you have frequent leg cramps you may want to talk to your doctor or a nutritionist to help plan a diet that will benefit you. You need to have the correct amounts of electrolytes, vitamins and minerals in your daily diet. When you plan to have more physical activity than normal you will need to increase your electrolytes and fluid intake prior to working out. Also remember to replace those you use during your workout.
If a leg cramp does occur even after you have done all you can to prevent leg cramps you need to gently massage it out. Once the cramp has relaxed, soak in a hot bath and stretch the muscle gently.
Leg cramps can be very painful and severe. If you have made the lifestyle changes recommended to stop them without success you will need to talk to your doctor so he can determine if there is an underlying medical condition responsible for your leg cramps.
Your stomach hurts badly! You are experiencing stomach cramps. There are several things that can actually cause stomach cramps – and you definitely want to figure out what is...
If you have stomach cramps and shingles, you may wonder how the two are connected, or if they are connected at all. The first thing you need to do is to understand what each condition...
If you regularly smoke marijuana, and you’ve started experiencing leg cramps, you may wonder if there is a connection between the two. The truth is that there is no scientific...
Painful muscle cramps in the legs are probably the most common complaint among runners and other athletes. Leg cramps affect many people, not just athletes. There are many factors...
Sport and exercise requires energy, and that energy comes from two sources – carbohydrates and fat that is stored in your body. Carbohydrates are used up very quickly, which...
Work and play at local Golf course..Tallahassee Fl…… High heat/high humidity. Drink aprox 1 gal water during round of golf. Have cramps .. Hands torso and legs. 66 yrs old please advise
Work and play at local Golf course..Tallahassee Fl…… High heat/high humidity. Drink aprox 1 gal water during round of golf. Have cramps .. Hands torso and legs. 66 yrs old please advise