Many of you have experienced cramps when you roll over or stretch your legs in the middle of the night. The pain is unbearable during the attack, especially in the middle of the night when the cramp often wakes people up in pain, there is a long time can not stop the pain, and affect the sleep. If it is a little more severe, you will be a little sore and uncomfortable by the next day, and if it occurs once, it will occur frequently during that time. So what is this all about?
Causes of cramps
Many people think that leg cramps are due to calcium deficiency and can be treated with a little calcium supplementation. In fact, when sleeping, calf cramps are caused by various reasons, not only because of calcium deficiency.
1.Sensation of cold
Exercise in a cold environment. Inadequate preparation activities, or swimming in the summer water temperature is low, are likely to cause leg cramps. Sleeping at night without covers, the calf muscles are stimulated by the cold. Will spasm so much that people wake up in pain.
2, continuous muscle contraction too fast
Strenuous exercise, the whole body is in a state of tension, the leg muscles contract too fast, relaxation time is too short, the local metabolites lactic acid increased, muscle contraction and relaxation is difficult to coordinate, thus causing calf muscle cramps.
3, metabolism problems
When the exercise time is long, and the exercise volume is large, sweating and more, and there is no timely replenishment of salt, the body loses a lot of fluid and electrolytes, resulting in the accumulation of metabolic waste. Poor local blood circulation in the muscles, prone to spasms.
4, excessive fatigue
Climbing, climbing, calf muscle fatigue is most likely to occur. Because it is a foot to support the weight of the whole body, the force required to lift the leg muscles will be six times the weight of the person, when it is fatigued to a certain extent, spasm will occur.
5, lack of calcium
Calcium ions play an important role in the process of muscle contraction. When the concentration of calcium ions in the blood is too low, the muscle is easily excited and spasms. Adolescents grow rapidly and are prone to calcium deficiency, so leg cramps often occur.
6, bad sleep position
If you lie on your back for a long time, so that the quilt is pressed on the surface of your feet, or lie prone for a long time, so that the surface of your feet against the bed, forcing some muscles of the calf to be in a state of absolute relaxation for a long time, causing muscle “passive contracture”.
How to do about calf cramps?
1, the elderly appear calf cramps, the lighter the appropriate activities of the lower limbs can be relieved on their own, the pain is intense can be hot compresses and massage gastrocnemius muscle, also can be used turpentine rubbing local.
2, quickly pinch the Hegu point (i.e. arm tiger mouth, the first metacarpal bone and two metacarpal bone in the middle of the trap) and the upper lip of the point (i.e. the upper lip is in the middle near the top). After pinching for 20-30 seconds, the pain will be relieved and the muscles will be relaxed, and the efficiency can reach 90%.
3.Acupuncture Chengshan point, Wei Zhong point, etc. For recurrence, sedatives can be added as appropriate.
4.Self-massage. Self-massage can play a role in warming the meridians and channels, promoting the flow of Qi and blood, relieving spasm and pain. Self-massage for the relief of gastrocnemius muscle spasm caused by calf muscle stiffness, severe pain and other symptoms is quite effective, and sometimes even hand to the disease. If the gastrocnemius muscle spasm suddenly appears in sleep, first of all, you can dorsiflex the affected foot, to the gastrocnemius muscle to passive pulling force, to release the spasm of the gastrocnemius muscle, and then self-massage of the gastrocnemius muscle, the method is as follows.
(1) press and knead the calf muscle: take a sitting position, one hand or both hands with the press or knead from the popliteal fossa to the Achilles tendon, press and knead for several minutes, until the calf muscle relaxation.
(2) rubbing the popliteal fossa: take a seated position and rub the popliteal fossa with the index and middle fingers of both hands for about 2 minutes.
(3) Point Chengshan (Chengshan point is a herringbone depression in the calf muscles when the calf is straight): take a sitting position, use your thumbs to point and rub Chengshan point, so as to have a soreness and swelling, about 2 minutes.
(4) flick the Achilles tendon: take a sitting position, use the thumb to flick the Achilles tendon several 10 times.
(5) Rub the calf: take a sitting position, rub the calf muscles with both hands with relative force, for about 2 minutes.
(6) Patting the calf: take a sitting position, with the five fingers of both hands naturally together, palm knuckles slightly flexed, smoothly and rhythmically patting the calf with the virtual palm, about 2 minutes.
The usual self-care
1, when sleeping to pay attention to the cold to keep warm, especially in winter, do not let the local muscle cold.
2, walking or exercise time should not be too long, not to let the calf over fatigue
3, appropriate calcium supplementation, especially in the developmental period of adolescents. But calcium supplementation should also clarify the real reason behind low calcium and then carry out targeted treatment, rather than just supplementing calcium.
4, wear comfortable shoes. Flat feet and other body structure problems make some people especially prone to leg cramps. Properly fitting shoes are one way to compensate.
5.Pull the bedding loose. When lying on your back, the comforter may press on the foot, which makes the gastrocnemius and plantar muscles tight. Tight muscles are prone to spasms. Just pull the bedding loose some.
6, drink a lot of water. If you are usually active and sweat a lot, you need to replenish fluids to avoid dehydration, but do not overdo it. Frequent and frequent occurrence may be related to vascular disease and should be treated by a doctor.