Muscle Cramps

Are painful, but common and often manageable.

It’s happened before on occasion. From the bliss of sound sleep, you’re suddenly awakened by a painful muscle cramp in your lower leg. Lately, though, you’ve being awakened by leg cramps several times a week.

Should you be concerned?

Muscle cramps like this are fairly common among athletes and older adults. Many times they’re harmless. But they can sometimes be brought on by certain medications or they may indicate the presence of certain disorders.

Muscle Movement

Your muscles are made of many fibres that can contract and relax. This allows the fibres to shorten and lengthen according to the movement you’re making at the time.

Muscle cramps differ from stiffness or leg pain. A cramp occurs when a muscle contracts involuntarily in a sudden, intense manner, producing a lump of tightened muscle you can feel with your hand. It’s typically a response to a stress or chemical imbalance in the muscle’s environment.

Sorting Out The Cause

Some common causes of muscle cramps include:

Muscle overuse, strain or prolonged exercise.

Being dehydrated and losing too much salt due to exercise or due to prolonged illness involving vomiting or diarrhoea.

Certain medications.

Low levels of blood calcium.