What Helps Cramps And How Does it Happens

How Does a Muscle Cramp Happens & What Helps Cramps

An unwilling contraction of the muscle by itself can also be a cause for muscle cramps. This contraction causes you to experience a sharp bump at the area of your pain. The spot where you are feeling the pain is the place the muscle has contracted.  When a muscle has been strained then, that can on certain occasions also lead to some muscle cramps. Other causes of muscle cramps include but are not limited to lack of adequate electrolytes that contain magnesium and potassium, failure to take enough amounts of water or other fluids which cause dehydration that in turn causes muscle cramps. If you want your muscles to function effectively, then minerals are the must. Minerals can certainly provide an answer to the question of what helps cramps.

Diseases such as diabetes or alcohol abuse can also be a cause of muscle cramps.

A majority of the muscles are not necessarily an indicator of a serious health challenge or disease, but people who are elderly of age are most likely to suffer from muscle cramps. However, it is worth noting, that if there is a drastic increase in the frequency of muscle cramps and causing you to worry or be anxious, then it is recommended that you should consult your doctor as soon as possible. Even you ask your doctor where it is necessary there are a couple of remedies that are able to help you.

How to Stop Leg Muscle Cramps

Cramps can cause a lot of anguish, particularly when they happen at night. Any muscle on the leg can get affected by cramps but in a majority of cases, they frequently attack the hamstring or the calves. Many at times it is not possible to explain the cause of a muscle cramp but in certain particular occasions, they have everything to do with your body movements.

Stretching

The muscle that has a cramp needs to be relaxed. One of the ways to do this would be to stretch the muscle that is having the cramp but it should be done in a way that is tender. It is significant to mention that, any activity that may have triggered the pain should cease immediately. Some massaging on the muscle that has the cramp, combined with some application of a heating pad, on the affected area can go a long way in actually dealing with muscle cramps.

Use Of Magnesium

Some acupuncturists approve the use of magnesium as one of the remedies when dealing with muscle cramps. It is worth noting that extensive studies need to be done, but magnesium has been proposed as a solution to the challenge of muscle cramps in pregnant women. A word of caution is that you should consult your doctor before beginning to use any supplements and that includes magnesium. Muscle cramps that have nothing to do with serious health challenges can be dealt with by introducing foods that are rich in magnesium such as nuts as part of your nutritional regime.

Hot Soak

The use of magnesium may not be restricted to internal use only meaning through the use of magnesium food supplements or the use of foods that are rich in magnesium but can also be used externally as Epsom salts. Although the use of Epsom salts dates several years back, it can still be used today and is highly recommended by coaches and physical therapists. Epsom salts work in two ways; either by being added to a hot bath for a soak or by applying it on the muscle that is suffering from the cramp with the aid of a damp  piece of cloth by way of pressing it. Even in the absence of Epsom salts a hot soak is still able to offer the much-needed relief for muscle cramps. A heating pad is also recommended but the heat should be set at its lowest and only increased when the soothing effect is not being experienced. A heating pad should not be used by those who are numb as a result of certain conditions such as diabetes and many others that hinder you from feeling the heat that is coming from the heating pad.

Hydration

Hydration is another sure way of providing a solution as to what helps cramps, although it might take some time before you get the much sort after relief from the pain caused by muscle cramps. The drinking of water and other sports drinks which contain electrolytes can also stop some other cramps from occurring.

Move Around

An unusual remedy for muscle cramps is to move around and to avoid being immobile. Any kind of movement is a communication to the muscles that they need to contract first and afterward relax. That sort of movement in a way resets the muscles. Massages are highly recommended as a way of providing relief from muscle cramps but can also be used even when you have no muscle cramps.