Common Leg Cramps
Muscle cramps in the legs are the result of an involuntary and sustained contraction of the muscles. Cramps that occur in the calf (lower back part of the leg above the ankle) are referred to as a charley horse. Contractions of muscles on the internal organs are completely involuntary. Involuntary cramps are not always an indication of poor health. For example, a broken bone in the leg will tend to have muscle cramps, which serves to limit movement of the bone and hold everything together (allowing healing of the bones to take place). Leg cramps will occur if you overwork a muscle in any kind of physical exercise. Leg cramps also occur from lack of use. Persons sitting at a desk, for example, for extended periods of time will eventually experience a cramping in the legs, waist and lower back. Sleep cramps in the legs occur as a result of pointing the toes downward. The downward movement of the toes puts strain on the calf by restricting the muscle.
Physical Exercise and Nutrition
Dehydration is a likely cause of leg cramps in athletic people. Fluids leave the body through perspiration. Athletes will perspire more than non-athletic people, because the body of an athlete becomes very hot. The body tries to cool itself down by perspiring. Through perspiration the body loses sodium, which will lead to leg cramping. To avoid worsening a condition of leg cramps, see a physician. When working out at the gym, ensure that you have a qualified trainer helping you. See a nutritionist and ask about proper dieting. An exercise trainer can help you with activities like keeping track of how much water you lose per hour of perspiration. Measure your own weight before and after exercising. The difference in weight is a result in the loss of water through perspiration. Stretch your muscles before exercising to reduce the probability of cramps. Eat some salt in your meals to retain water. Ask your nutritionist how much sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium you should take in the form of supplements (vitamins and dietary pills).
Diseases
Some muscle contractions are the result of energy chemicals (adenosine triphosphate) within the cell of a muscle becoming depleted, making it impossible for the fibers of a muscle to relax. Leg cramping diseases occur in some people through genetic inheritance. Some examples are the genetic inheritance of an overly active thyroid. The process of breaking down glycogen to form sugar within the cells of a muscle is defective in persons with McArdle's disease (a disease which is genetically inherited and caused by a missing or defective enzyme the body uses to process glucose). Of the leg cramps caused by diseases, most of these cramps are merely a minor effect of the more serious symptoms associated with the disease (for example, loss of balance/equilibrium, a lessening of the sense of touch and weakening in the body's muscles). Diabetes is another contributor to cramps.
Tags: cramps legs, genetic inheritance, lower back, through perspiration