In everyday life, many people, especially the elderly, experience calf cramps. Many people simply have to believe that cramps are mainly related to calcium deficiency. However, many people still often get cramps in their sleep at night even after actively taking calcium supplements. There are many reasons for leg cramps, and the only way to get good results is to treat the right symptoms. So what is the problem of leg cramps in the elderly? How can the elderly protect their legs?
What’s wrong with leg cramps for the elderly?
1, cold stimulation
Cold is the most common direct cause of cramps, which can directly stimulate the leg muscles to cause strong contraction and sudden vascular spasm.
2, sweating too much
Exercise for a long time, anaerobic exercise, sweating, a large loss of body fluids and electrolytes such as low calcium, low potassium, low magnesium, a large amount of metabolic waste accumulation, internal environmental disorders, also prone to cramps.
3, local compression
Such as prolonged supine, so that the quilt pressed on the surface of the foot, or prolonged prone, so that the surface of the foot against the bed, forcing certain muscles of the calf in a state of prolonged compression, causing muscle “passive contracture” and insufficient blood supply.
4, hypocalcemia
In the process of muscle contraction, calcium ions play an important role. Due to the weakened calcium absorption capacity of the elderly and the obvious loss of calcium, children and pregnant women’s body calcium because the body consumes too much calcium, when the concentration of calcium ions in the blood is too low, muscle excitement and spasm easily.
5.Weakness and fatigue
Excessive exercise, especially anaerobic exercise leads to a short period of sustained muscle contraction, the body produces a large amount of metabolic waste, the state of muscle tension at night has not been improved, too much acidic metabolites accumulation is not cleared in time, can stimulate calf cramps, the elderly weak muscle strength poor body metabolic function is also one of the reasons.
6, vascular factors
Often the intrinsic cause of cramps, when atherosclerosis occurs in the arteries or the presence of thrombosis, blood circulation is obstructed, local tissue ischemia and hypoxia, physiological disorders, will cause lower limb cold, numbness and intermittent claudication, that is, walking occurs when the calf muscle numbness, pain or even spasm, disappear after rest, and again when walking; severe cases can have persistent pain, lower limb arteries, especially the dorsalis pedis artery pulsation Weakness or disappearance of the arteries of the lower limbs, especially the dorsalis pedis. The metabolites cannot be taken away in time, and when they reach a certain concentration, they will also stimulate muscle contraction and cause painful cramps.
How to protect the legs of the elderly?
1.Rub the leg belly
With the palms of both hands clamping one side of the calf belly, while turning and rubbing, each side rubbing about 20 times.
2, more sunshine
Not only is it good for warmth, it can also promote the formation of vitamin D in the body to avoid calcium loss in the legs and effectively prevent osteoporosis.
3, moderate leg shaking
One side of the arm lightly against the wall, the opposite side of the leg to the crotch as the axis of gently shaking, 5 times after the other leg to do the same action, three times in the morning and evening, you can let the blocked microcirculation to re-open up, but also to a certain extent to reduce blood viscosity.
4, lightly rub the legs
Apply the massage cream evenly on the legs, rub the palms hot, starting from the root of the thighs in a clockwise direction to lightly rub the inner parts of the legs, so that you can improve blood circulation, activate cellular metabolism, relax the tendons and activate the chord, the legs self-heating system is turned on.
5, hot water soaking feet
Soak feet with hot water, especially with ginger or chili decoction feet, can be faster expansion of the human respiratory mucosa capillary network, accelerate blood circulation, so that the respiratory mucosa in the blood of the white blood cells in time to destroy the invasion of bacteria and viruses, so that the human body from infection.
6, twist the knee to live blood vessels
Two feet parallel together, bend the knees slightly downward squatting, hands on the knees, clockwise twisting several 10 times, and then counterclockwise twisting. This method can unblock blood vessels, prevent lower limb weakness, knee pain and other diseases. However, note that patients with lesions in the knee joint itself should not do this exercise.
7, dry cleaning legs
Clasp one thigh with both hands, slightly force from the thigh down massage, all the way to the ankle, and then from the ankle massage to the thigh root, massage the other leg in the same way, repeat 10 ~ 20 times. This can make the joints flexible, leg muscles and walking ability to enhance the prevention of varicose veins, edema and muscle atrophy of the lower limbs.