How to Get Rid of Muscle Cramps, Causes & Prevention

Muscle Cramps can sometimes cause unbearable pain. Their etymology is not clear but some researchers believe that the cause of muscle cramps might be dehydration, overusing, lack of physical condition and nutritional deficiencies. Cramps can appear on any muscle in the body but most prone are muscles of the calf and foot.  Muscle cramps usually disappear on their own, but it`s never bad to know something more about this condition. There are some home remedies that you can use to stop the pain quickly and speed the recovery.

The following are some of them:

Fluids. Drinking fluids will definitely help you prevent muscle cramps, because they will rebalance the mineral balance in your body. Do not drink sports dinks which have high sugar content because they can aggregate the pain. The best choice is electrolyte beverage such as Pedialyte.

Multivitamin pills. Sometimes the reason for cramps is the deficit of minerals and vitamins. By taking multivitamin pills you will get zinc and magnesium which will prevent muscle cramps.

  • Stretch and Massage. You can use the massage in combination with any other treatment or on its own. Stretch and massage the affected muscle gently and lightly until the cramp subsides.
  • Ice compress. In order to ease the pain and the inflammation you can apply an ice pack on your cramped muscle.
  • Punching your Lips. If you have a sharp pain and you want to reduce it immediately you can do that by punching your lips. Do this with your thumb and index finger. Grasp your upper mouth and massage and wiggle it firmly. Have in mind that this pain relief massage is not a longterm one, and the pain might appear again. For longterm treatment of the pain you will have to use and analgesic balm which will reduce the pain in similar way as cold compress.

How to Prevent Muscle Cramps

  • Avoid wearing high heels instead of them wear a comfortable shoes
  • Prevent your body from dehydration while you are exercising by drinking a huge amount of water
  • Stretch your muscles before playing any kind of sport
  • Exercise regularly and keep you body in a good physical condition
  • Consume fresh fruits and vegetables

Reasons for Muscle Cramps appearance

The reasons for muscle cramps can`t be biologically explained. Luckily most of them are harmless and can`t damage our health by causing some serious disease. Anyway some of them are related to certain medical conditions such as:

Atherosclerosis­inadequate or inadequate blood supply caused by narrowed arteries may be the reason for Muscle Cramps.
Nerve compression. If the reason for the Muscle Cramps is Nerve compression you will the pain while you walk, run or doing some exercise. And as soon as you stop doing that the pain will disappear.

Mineral deficiency. The muscle cramps can appear if your body lacks potassium, calcium and magnesium.

Some muscle cramps can also be contributed by some medications that you use such as diuretics because they can break down the mineral balance.

Sourced: healthdigezt