Having Leg Cramps at Night? Then You Need to Know This

About 60% of adults and nearly 7% of children suffer from occasional or frequent leg cramps at night, and few things are as unpleasant as waking up in the middle of the night with a sudden, sharp pain stretching through your leg, foot or calf. It doesn’t just wake you up at night either, as the pain can linger for hours and the affected muscle can feel tender and sensitive all day.

 

Luckily, it usually stops after a day, but even so, it’s often a recurring problem. These nightly cramps, however, are not completely random, and they’re usually a sign that something’s wrong with your health or lifestyle. Here are the common causes of leg cramps, as well as a few tips on how to treat and prevent them.

The Causes of Night Leg Cramps 

 

The reason why you’re experiencing a leg cramp is clear: one of the muscles in your leg, typically the calf muscles, thigh muscles or the hamstrings contract involuntarily, but the underlying cause of this reaction is more nuanced, with many health conditions, medications and lifestyle choices playing a role in the process. The following are the most common causes of night leg cramps: 

 

1. A Sedentary Lifestyle and Wrong Body Positions

Office workers commonly experience leg cramps at night, which is brought about by the underactive lifestyle many of them have. Sitting in the car on the way to work, sitting all day at the office, which is then followed by even more sitting on the couch 5 days a week year-round can shorten one’s leg muscles, which, in turn, makes them more vulnerable to injury and cramping. 

 

Similarly, if you have the habit of sitting with your legs crossed, one leg on top of the other or with your toes pointed for long periods of time, this, too, can decrease blood flow and shorten the muscles, causing night leg cramps. 

 

2. Flat Foot

Flat foot is a condition where the arches of the feet are too small or barely existent, which can make your legs hurt, swell and feel tired more quickly when walking. Some patients suffering from flat foot can experience frequent foot cramps or leg cramps at night, which are caused by the abnormal alignment of bones and the overstretching of certain leg muscles. 

 

3. Metabolic Issues and Chronic Disease, Such as Diabetes or Kidney Failure

Many chronic and acute conditions can cause night leg cramps. These conditions include: 

 

Kidney disease and kidney failure 

 

Adrenal problems 

 

Thyroid conditions 

 

Liver problems and particularly cirrhosis 

 

Diabetes 

 

Cardiovascular Diseases. 

 

Most people suffering from one of these conditions would typically undergo some sort of treatment already, and improving your overall health will likely decrease your likelihood of getting leg cramps.  

 

4. Structural Changes 

 

 spinal stenosis

Decreased blood flow or nerve connectivity in the legs can make you more prone to night cramps, too. 

 

The most common cause of circulatory deficiency in the legs is Peripheral artery disease (PAD), a condition in which the arteries that supply your legs with blood become narrower, typically due to atherosclerosis, which restricts the quantity of blood that can reach your legs and feet, causing leg pain, especially when walking long distances, but can also cause numbness, coldness of the feet, erectile dysfunction in men and night cramps. 

 

Lumbar spinal stenosis, a condition where the spine becomes narrower in the lower back and causes nerve damage or pressure on the nerves, too, can manifest itself in more frequent cramps, as well as pain, weakness, and numbness in the legs.  

 

5. Overexertion

One of the most common causes of leg cramps is actually too much muscle strain, with many athletes suffering from frequent night cramps in their legs or feet, especially after they start training more heavily than they used to. 

 

Standing for long periods of time, too, can fatigue your leg muscles and cause leg cramps.  

 

6. Certain Medications

Leg cramping, including nightly cramping, is a commonly-listed side effect of many medications. The most common types of drugs associated with muscle cramping are: 

 

Blood pressure medications 

 

Statin drugs 

 

Oral contraceptives 

 

Dialysis Diuretics.  

 

7. Neurodegenerative Diseases or Nerve Damage

Any type of nerve damage in the lumbar region, the spinal cord or the legs may make you more prone to cramps. Chemotherapy, for example, can sometimes cause nerve damage, as do neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and neurological disorders, such as peripheral neuropathy. 

 

Unfortunately, recovery from nerve damage is very slow and time-consuming, and even if you’re undergoing some sort of treatment, chances are, you’ll be stuck with cramps and other symptoms for a while or permanently.  

 

8. Normal Body Changes

Whether temporary or permanent, changes in your body can cause leg cramping as well. Statistical data shows that women are more prone than men to suffer from night leg cramps in general, but pregnant women are even more likely to do so than the rest. This is likely due to muscle fatigue brought about an increase in weight, higher nutritional requirements, and hormonal changes. 

 

Similarly, aging increases one’s risk of suffering from leg cramps as well, with a reported 33% of individual past the age of 50 experiencing chronic night leg cramps. Chronic diseases may account for this part of these cases, but there is also a theory that the tendons, the supportive tissue joining our muscles and bones, which have a tendency to shorten over time, may account for more frequent cramp cases as well. 

 

Prevention of Night Leg Cramps 

As you can see, many conditions and other factors may predispose you to frequent night cramps. Fortunately, there are also preventative measures you can take that will compensate for the damage done and will ensure you have a painless good night’s sleep. 

 

One of the best, and also the easiest things you can do to prevent night leg cramps is light exercise, especially if you know that you don’t get enough exercise during the day. Just half an hour of walking, biking or mild leg stretches can significantly decrease your risk of getting a leg cramp at night.

Secondly, you should always keep an eye on your daily fluid intake, as hydration is essential for muscle health, especially if you strain your muscles a lot. 

 

Finally, it’s also worth taking a closer look at your sleeping position and footwear. Choose footwear that will support the arches of your feet without being too tight. Also, avoid sleeping with your feet pointing down, try sleeping on your side with a pillow or blanket tucked between your legs instead. For the same reason, don’t tuck yourself in too tight at night and opt for loose blankets and sheets to encourage a natural curve of your feet while you sleep. 

 

Treating a Leg Cramp 

 

In terms of treatment, there is no difference between a leg cramp that occurred at night and any other leg cramp. Here's what you can do to manage the symptoms: 

 

Gently massage and stretch out the muscle that hurts to loosen the tightness. 

 

Some people report that their symptoms fade faster if they apply a heating pad on the affected area or take a hot bath or shower. 

 

A little weird but sometimes effective method a lot of people swear by is drinking a small quantity of pickle juice. 

 

Finally, if your calf muscle was affected, you can try walking on your heels for a few minutes, which will relax your calves by activating the opposite muscles.  

 

Note: if muscle cramps are frequent, extremely painful, accompanied by muscle weakness and don’t go away after a day, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com     will be latest addition to my blogs. I'm going to add posts there, do give me your valuable feed back on my blogs. Thanks a lot, take care, be healthy and be happy.

Neck and shoulder pain could be warning signs of THIS medical condition

Have you ever woken up to excruciating pain in the shoulders and neck? How often do you experience this? Have you ever thought of consulting a doctor? Or do you ignore it assuming it would wane away soon?
Many of us associate shoulder pain to bad sitting posture or sleeping position and ignore it assuming that it will go away when it has to.

Leaving pain unattended is as harmful as the pain itself.
We  spoke to experts on why one experiences neck and shoulder pain and what could be the medical conditions which trigger pain in these areas. The experts also suggested what lifestyle changes one must adopt in order to alleviate such pain. 

Common causes of neck and shoulder pain

"Sprains and strains from sports, overexertion, and poor posture are the most common causes of neck and shoulder pain," says Dr. Satnam Singh Chhabra, Director, department of Neurosurgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and adds that some people have stiffness in their neck, shoulder, or back as they wake up. Mattresses, pillows, and sleeping postures all have an impact on how much strain a person's neck, shoulder, and spine suffers when sleeping.

Strains from overexertion, dislocated shoulder, spinal cord injury and damage to bones and cartilage due to arthritis also cause immense pain in shoulders.

Dr Chhabra also warns against carrying heavy shoulder bags or purses.

Frozen shoulders are also the main reason why many people experience terrible pain in shoulders and despite trying home remedies do not get any relief, the expert says.

What is a frozen shoulder? What are its symptoms?

Frozen shoulder, or medically termed as adhesive capsulitis is a condition characterized by stiffness with reduced movements and pain in shoulder joint. "It is commonly seen in Diabetic and post injury immobilized patients," says Dr. Rajendra Reddy, Sr. Orthopaedic Consultant and Head of Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma, Narayana Multispeciality Hospital, HSR Layout, Bangalore.

"In this case, the capsule which is the covering layer of the joint holding the bones together becomes thick, stiff and inflamed causing adhesions and fibrosis thereby reducing the space for the Humeral head movement in the joint and reducing the range of movements," Dr Reddy says.

This painful condition emerges slowly and advances into three stages and each stage can last for a number of months, says Dr Reddy. In the first stage, shoulder movements are painful and in due course movement restrictions are noted; pain in upper parts of arm and behind the shoulder are common. In the second stage pain improves but movements become more restrictive, stiffer and using it becomes more difficult. Pain also worsens at night and thereby significantly disturbing the sleep which can lead to a series of cascading effects that negatively affects many elements of a person’s day-to-day lifestyle, including their relationships at home and at work. In the third stage, which is also called thawing stage, in people with other obstructive pathology like bony spurs or tendinopathies the condition advances to shoulder impingement and full recovery may never be seen, the expert says.

What underlying disease can cause pain in the neck and shoulder?

Osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease and disorder in the rotator cuff which surrounds the shoulder joint and helps to keep it stable can be a cause for shoulder pain as it can damage the tissues in the shoulder, says Dr Chhabra.

When should one start taking shoulder and neck pain seriously?

In most cases, Dr Chhabra says, neck and shoulder pain can be a symptom of a more serious problem however one should get it checked if the pain continues for more days. "If the pain is accompanied by numbness or loss of strength in your arms or hands or persists for several weeks without any relief or if you have shooting pain into your shoulder or down your arm or if the shoulder pain is accompanied by redness or swelling then one should visit the doctor," advises Dr Chhabra.

Hinting towards the possibility of heart attack due to shoulder pain, Dr Chhabra says, "shoulder pain should be taken seriously if the pain goes down to the chest and there's a difficulty in breathing which can be a sign for heart attack or stroke."

What are the lifestyle changes one must adopt?

Lifestyle changes do play an important role in managing shoulder pain, says Dr Reddy. Diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish contain proteolytic enzymes and Omega 3 fatty acids are known to be helpful, while a reduction in carbohydrates and saturated trans fats can do wonders.

He advises cutting down on a sedentary lifestyle and having more physical activity.
"One should pay attention to posture and sleeping position. Don’t sleep on the affected side and during sleeping on back do always use a pillow under the affected arm, with the hand resting on the stomach," says Dr Reddy.
On self medications which people often take during pain, Dr Reddy says "if self medications are not helpful in a couple of weeks, it may never be helpful. Seeking medical advice in these situations is important to prevent further damage and aid in faster recovery."

Few common questions related to neck and shoulder pain answered:

1. What causes neck and shoulder pain?
   Sprains and strains from sports, overexertion, and poor posture, overexertion, dislocated shoulder, spinal cord injury, frozen shoulder and damage to bones and cartilage cause neck and shoulder pain.
2. When is shoulder pain serious?
   When the pain is accompanied by numbness or loss of strength in arms or hands or persists for several weeks or if there is shooting pain in shoulder or down the arm or if the shoulder pain is accompanied by redness or swelling one should contact doctor.
3. How to cure shoulder pain?
   Lifestyle changes can help cure the pain. Diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods, reduction in carbohydrates and saturated trans fats, cutting down on a sedentary lifestyle, having more physical activity and paying attention to posture can cure the pain.
   

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement