11 Causes of Leg Cramps

Leg cramps represent an involuntary contraction of leg muscles that are usually harmless. Cramps occur most frequently at night and may last from a couple of seconds to 10 minutes. Cramps in the leg may affect any region of the leg including thighs, calf or feet muscles. Sometimes, leg cramps may be quite painful, and muscle tenderness following cramps may persist for a whole day. Pain relief meds such as ibuprofen or paracetamol are not helpful for resolving the pain originating from muscle cramps. Therefore, it is quite important to comprehend the underlying causes of muscle cramps to prevent them from happening or at least significantly reduce their frequency. Below are some of the most common causes of leg cramps. Some represent the physiological response to exercise or volume depletion, while others occur due to pathological conditions and require the attention of a healthcare professional. 1. Dehydration. Dehydration is known to be one of the most common causes of leg cramps. Inadequate hydration during physical exercise or any exertion, especially during the summer, may provoke leg cramps. Athletes most especially need to be aware of this and take the necessary precautions. If you sweat a lot during exertion it is advisable you take plenty of water to keep the correct balance of water and electrolytes in the body - this will help to reduce or fully eliminate leg cramps. 2. Mineral Deficiency. Inadequate intake of several minerals might aggravate leg cramps. When sweating, the body is not only losing water, but also losing minerals that are essential for the nerves and muscle function. The loss of water, combined with the loss of minerals and electrolytes causes instability of the muscles and nerves which directly leads to the development of leg cramps. The imbalance of sodium, magnesium, and calcium are usually blamed when muscle cramps occur. A proper intake of liquid enriched with electrolytes and minerals, such as sports drinks, will help prevent the development of muscle cramps. Also, foods enriched with minerals and electrolytes, such as bananas, sweet potatoes, spinach or yogurt will provide the sufficient amounts of minerals to keep the leg cramps from developing. More causes on next page... 3. Pregnancy. Late pregnancy, or pregnancy during the second and third trimester is one of the risk factors for developing leg cramps. Electrolyte deficiency is also responsible for leg cramps during pregnancy. It has been recognized that during late pregnancy, expectant mothers are prone to losing increased amounts of magnesium and potassium. Staying hydrated will improve the condition. Magnesium supplements might help, but they need to be approved by a healthcare professional before intake. 4. Overload of Muscles and Nerves. Several types of physical activity are responsible for the development of leg cramps, such as long distance running or boot camps. This is because, after long and exhausting exercise, our muscles and nerves can't relax immediately and stay in an excited state. To help prevent cramps after rigorous exercise, you need to perform stretching exercises and stay hydrated. 5. Significant Increase in Exercise Intensity. If you decide to push beyond the limits and increase the intensity of your exercise, you should expect leg cramps during the resting phase of your training. This happens as your nerves and muscles are not used to the increased intensity of the exercise. Therefore, nerves and muscles need a longer period to relax and recover. During the recovery period, due to over-excitation the nerves trigger more impulses than needed which leads to leg cramps. Stretching before and after exercising will help to prevent this. 6. Fatigue. Chronic fatigue brings up a lot of general health issues. If you are constantly tired, that means that your muscles are also tense and unable to relax. If you are unable to relax, it's possible that your dietary plan isn't balanced and you may forget to hydrate properly, causing your muscles to be in bad shape. An interesting fact is that tired muscles are not synchronized by taking nutrients. Tired muscles lose more nutrients which causes improper muscle function. Muscle cramps during the night are the sign of tired muscles. It is thought that muscle cramps affect half of the adult population, especially athletes. If an athlete does not allow his/her muscles to rest and recover properly, night cramps are one of the signs that suggest the muscle is overloaded. 7. Prolonged Sitting or Standing. Our body and muscles are built for movement. If you spend a lot of time sitting or standing, this is not healthy for your muscles, and you might experience leg cramping afterward. Muscles are not being used when you are in a prolonged sitting or standing position; this leads to muscle fatigue and hyperactivity which subsequently causes cramps. If your profession involves prolonged sitting or standing, try to move your muscles by doing some simple excercises to prevent leg cramps. Changing position while standing on the regular basis e.g. sitting every hour for a couple of minutes, or taking a walk regularly in case of prolonged sitting helps to reduce cramping. 8. Medication / Drugs. There are several medications which are known to cause muscle cramps. If you noticed leg cramps, and you cannot track the underlying cause, try to think of the medications you’ve started taking recently. Diuretics are medications used to lower the blood pressure by stimulating the excretion of water and electrolytes. One of the recognized side effects of this class of medications is muscle cramping. Also, muscle cramping represents a recognized risk for statins that are used in the treatment of an increase in the plasma cholesterol levels. If you take medication to prevent asthma attacks, you might expect to experience muscle cramping. Some pain medications which include hormone therapy with estrogens are known to trigger leg cramps. Consult your healthcare professional whenever you experience leg cramps and suspect it’s an adverse drug reaction. 9. Varicose Veins and Peripheral Artery Disease. People with the superficial venous disease are quite familiar with leg cramps. One of the symptoms of varicose veins is leg cramps during the night. Also, peripheral artery disease may produce pain in muscles followed by leg cramps after some physical activities involving the legs. Consult a healthcare professional whenever you are experiencing leg cramps that last more than 10 minutes. The problem might be the arterial or venous insufficiency of the blood vessels of the leg. 10. Peripheral Diabetic Neuropathy. Patients with advanced diabetes may develop leg cramps. This is due to the damage of the peripheral nerves and peripheral arteries in the leg. Inadequate glucose control leads to the development of nerve lesions that manifest as a loss of sensation in the affected region and muscle cramping. Consult a healthcare professional in such cases since cramping may be a signal of inadequate glucose regulation. 11. Hypothyroidism. The thyroid gland is responsible for maintaining the basal metabolism, i.e. the metabolic processes that are active when we are at rest. People that have a decreased function of the thyroid gland often report muscle tingling or cramping. Your physician might prescribe the substitutive therapy with thyroid hormones that should resolve this issue. Click here for more on Hypothyroidism

5. Significant Increase in Exercise Intensity

6. Fatigue

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