Why is calf cramp?
1. Excessive fatigue
When strenuous exercise or walking or climbing mountains for a long time, the calf is easy to get tired, the local metabolite lactic acid will also increase, the muscles will be stimulated, and cramps will easily occur. If you exercise too much during the day or push your legs too hard, your muscles will be very tired. At night, if this muscle tension has not improved, or lactic acid is not metabolized in time, it may make you cramp while sleeping. ?
2. Cold stimulation
What everyone may have encountered is that when sleeping, the quilt cover is not good, and the feet and legs rub and catch cold, which will cramp and sometimes even wake people up. In addition, exercising in a cold environment in winter, not being prepared for activities, or swimming in summer when the water temperature is too low will cause leg cramps.
3. Calcium deficiency
Calcium ion plays an important role in muscle contraction. When the concentration of calcium ion in blood is too low, muscles are more excited than normal, and when they are too excited, they will spasm. This situation is more common in pregnant women, postmenopausal women and the elderly with calcium deficiency; Teenagers who grow rapidly and are prone to calcium deficiency; Others go on a diet to lose weight, mainly because of insufficient calcium intake.
4. Bad sleeping posture
Such as lying on your back for a long time, making the quilt press on the foot surface, or prone for a long time, making the foot surface close to the bed, forcing some muscles of the calf to be in an absolute relaxed state for a long time, causing muscles? Passive contracture? .
5. Blood flow factors
For patients with varicose veins or deep venous thrombosis in the legs, if they sleep for a long time and maintain a certain posture, the veins in the legs will be compressed, and the reflux will be blocked, resulting in blood stasis. Blood stasis to a certain extent will cause leg muscle spasm. In addition, taking some drugs can also induce secondary leg cramps. For example, hormones, morphine, cimetidine for treating stomach diseases, diuretics for lowering blood pressure, nifedipine, statins for lowering cholesterol, lithium salts of psychotropic drugs, etc.
What should I do if my calf suddenly cramps?
You need a cramp when it happens. On the contrary, pull your toes in the opposite direction and hold on for 1~2 minutes or more. Specifically, if it is a muscle cramp at the back of the calf, you can effectively pull your feet to tilt your feet, on the one hand, straighten your legs as much as possible, or massage your calves with your hands; When the muscles in front of the calf cramp, you can press the foot plate and bend your toes hard.
How to prevent cramps?
1. Eat more calcium.
As we all know, calcium deficiency can lead to leg cramps. Therefore, if you want to prevent leg cramps, you need to eat more calcium-supplemented foods. Such as milk and dairy products, beans and bean products, fish and shrimp and aquatic products. They are all good calcium supplements.
2. eat more vitamin D.
Simply supplementing calcium can not promote the absorption of calcium, and it is also very important to supplement vitamin D. It is suggested that people who want to prevent leg cramps should not only take calcium supplements, but also take calcium tablets with vitamin D complex, and pay attention to the sun.
3. Be prepared before exercise
If you often cramp, you should still strengthen physical exercise. When exercising, you should be fully prepared to make your body move. At this time, the blood circulation of the lower limbs is smooth, and then you can avoid leg cramps by participating in various intense sports or competitions.
But don't walk or exercise for too long. If you are too tired, it will stimulate the calf muscles. If the attack is frequent, you should go to the hospital in time to find out the reason and treat it as soon as possible.