Facts About Calf Cramps
An onset of calf cramps is one way to get out of bed quickly. When you feel the cramp coming on, it can seem to take forever to get out from under the sheets, as you know that once you can get your feet on the floor, relief may not be too far off. Calf cramps don't make a very good alarm clock however. For one thing, they can be terribly painful. For another they often happen in the wee small hours, a long time before you planned to get up.
Nocturnal Calf Cramps More Common - Calf cramps don't just happen when we're sleeping, though of all of the various types of nocturnal cramps we may experience, calf cramps tend to be the most common. As painful as they can be, they tend to be less so than hamstring cramps or cramping in the quadriceps. The residual pain from calf cramps often lasts longer though, sometimes a day or more, indicating that there have occurred some small tears in the calf muscles.
During the day, calf cramps most usually happen when someone is running, an indication that either overexertion of the muscles has occurred, dehydration or a lack of electrolytes is contributing to the problem, or the runner hasn't warmed up the muscles of the lower legs adequately by stretching. The calf muscle consists of two mayor muscles, and most warm ups and stretches only take one of these muscles into account. Muscles work in pairs, when one contracts the other lengthens, and both need to be stretched and warmed up to prevent the possibility of cramping.
We usually don't do stretches just before going to bed, though that probably wouldn't be harmful at all, as long as the stretching activity wasn't so robust so as to keep us awake. It's something though else that usually causes nocturnal calf cramps. If we knew the cause, we might be able to prevent them. The problem is, there are so many possible causes of calf cramps, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly which one is the culprit at any given time.
Systemic Diseases Often A Cause - Sufferers of some systemic diseases, such as diabetes, Addison's disease, Parkinson's disease, and those affected with arterial diseases often experience cramping as one of the symptoms of the disease. Alcoholics and those afflicted with liver cirrhosis are more apt to suffer from leg cramps, including calf cramps, than does the general population. Another group who sometimes experience a greater than average frequency of cramping is heart patients, especially those taking medications containing statins, designed to keep cholesterol levels in check, Muscle pain and cramps from medications such as these can sometimes become so severe that the person affected has to change brands, dosages, or find an acceptable substitute.
Some More Than Others - Pregnant women seem more susceptible to calf cramps than other women, especially pregnant women in their second trimester. Also, women taking oral contraceptives sometimes experience more frequent incidents of cramping, as do those suffering from hypothyroidism. Older people seem to experience cramping more often, though not everyone agrees this to be true. It would seem that for the population in general, muscle fatigue, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance, as well as a direct blow to the muscle, lead the way as far as causes of cramping are concerned.
Get Up And Walk - From personal experience, the best way to deal with calf cramps is to put weight on the feet and attempt to walk a short distance, flexing the ankles at the same time. This seems to work well for nocturnal cramps, as the more intense pain usually goes away quickly. Lower level pain may linger on, but that pain almost feels pleasant when compared to the pain experienced when cramping is in progress.
Calf cramping may be impossible to avoid altogether, although some rarely if ever experience it. A healthy diet, coupled with a regimen of easy stretching before exercising or stressing the muscles is probably as good a preventive as anything.