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Muscle
Cramps - What You Can Do About Them!
Muscle cramp and spasm are an annoying condition
that involves a sudden, involuntary contraction and tightening
of a muscle that will not immediately relax.
Muscle cramps and spasms can involve part or
all of a muscle, or a number of muscles within a muscle group
and although a spasm or cramp can occur in just about any muscle,
the most common muscle groups affected are:
-
The lower leg and calf muscles
- The
upper leg, including both the hamstrings and quadriceps
- The
feet and hands
Muscle cramps and spasms can range in intensity
from a slight twitch to a severe, agonizing contraction. They
can last anywhere from a few seconds to over 15 minutes and
can usually be seen visibly by the way the muscle twitches and
moves under the skin.
People who are at the greatest risk of muscle
cramps and spasms are those who ill, overweight or unfit. Those
who take drugs or certain medication, and those who live or
work in excessive heat and humidity are also prone to cramping.
Muscle cramps are also common among endurance athletes and people
over 65 years of age who perform strenuous physical activity.
What
Causes Muscle Cramps and Spasms?
There
are a number of factors that contribute to muscle cramps and
spasms, the main ones being:
-
Poor flexibility and tight muscles
- Muscle
fatigue and overuse
- Dehydration
- Electrolyte
and mineral depletion
A
number of other factors include working or exercising in high
heat and humidity, inadequate blood supply, injury or muscle
strain and excessive use of alcohol, drugs and medication.
Treating
Muscle Cramps and Spasms
Muscle
cramps and spasms will usually go away on their own but there
are a few important steps you can take to decrease the severity
and duration of them.
Stop the activity that triggered the cramp in the first place.
Gently
stretch the effected muscle or muscle group.
Keep
the effected areas moving with light activity and gentle massage.
Continue
to apply heat and massage to help promote blood flow.
Preventing
Muscle Cramps and Spasms
One
of the most useful things you can do to help prevent muscle
cramps and spasms is to work on improving your overall general
health and fitness. Improving your cardiovascular fitness will
improve the delivery of blood to your muscles, which will ensure
that they have adequate amounts of oxygen and nutrients to function
properly.
Another
key activity that will help to prevent cramps and spasms is
stretching. Keeping your muscles loose and flexible will help
to stop them from tightening up and cramping. Be sure to stretch
the muscles groups that are most prone to cramping both before
and after exercise or strenuous physical activity.
The
other important activity that is very effective in helping to
prevent cramp is ensuring adequate hydration and electrolyte
replenishment. In general you should be consuming at least 8
to 10 glasses of filtered water a day and more if you're involved
in strenuous physical activity or live and work in high heat
and humidity.
If
you seem to be prone to muscle cramps and spasms you should
also look at increasing your intake of minerals and electrolytes.
The minerals that are most important are Potassium, Calcium
and Magnesium. Simply adding a small amount of mineral salt
to your cooking, (such as sea salt or Celtic salt) will help
to increase your intake of these important minerals.
Article
by Brad Walker. Brad is a leading stretching and sports
injury
consultant with over 15 years experience in the health and
fitness industry. For more articles on the prevention & treatment
of sports injury, subscribe to The Stretching & Sports
Injury Newsletter by visiting http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com
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