Night leg cramps - Leg Cramps at Night: Causes, Pain Relief & Prevention

Up to 60 percent of adults have had nocturnal leg cramps.
Nocturnal leg cramps are involuntary muscle contractions that occur in the calves, or soles of the feet, during the night.
Leg cramps are painful and Generally temporary and non-damaging, lasting several seconds to minutes. It can cause significant pain and a paralysis-like immobility.
Exercise research suggests that muscle fatigue is a primary cause of leg cramps.
Night cramps can be normal at late stage of pregnancy.
In other cases it is associated with physical activity, exercise or overexertion, age (common in older adults), lack of electrolytes, such as magnesium, potassium and sodium.
Prolonged sitting or laying reduced blood flow. Muscle fatigue can be considered one of the most important risk factor.
Rarely muscle cramps may be a sign of a motor neuron disorder like lateral amyotrophic sclerosis and multiple sclerosis, but such cases are rare.
Some other Medical conditions can be associated with leg cramps are cardiovascular disease, hemodialysis, cirrhosis, pregnancy, and lumbar canal stenosis.
Other conditions that can mimic night cramps include: restless legs syndrome, claudication, myositis, and peripheral neuropathy. All of them can be differentiated through careful history and physical examination.
Management.
Gentle stretching and massage, putting some pressure on the affected leg by walking or standing, or taking a warm bath or shower may help to end the cramp. If the cramp is in the calf muscle, dorsiflexing the foot will stretch the muscle and provide almost immediate relief.
There is limited evidence supporting the use of magnesium, calcium channel blockers, carisoprodol, and vitamin B12.
Based on this first large, representative study, Nocturnal Leg Cramps occurring 5x per month are reported by 6% of the adult US population. Sleep disturbance symptoms and health conditions are associated with higher frequency of Nocturnal Leg Cramps, suggesting that Nocturnal Leg Cramps is a marker, and possibly contributor, to poor sleep and general health.
Prevention
Adequate conditioning, stretching, mental preparation, hydration, and electrolyte balance are likely helpful in preventing muscle cramps.
By Connexions - OpenStax College. Anatomy & Physiology, Connexions Web site. http://cnx.org/content/col11496/1.6/, Jun 19, 2013., CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29624326

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