Cramps are a situation of muscle pain and stiffness that hinder movement under normal conditions and are accompanied by a very characteristic pain.
The name cramp comes from the sensation we feel when having it, since it is as if they were applying electricity directly to the muscle, being a sensation very similar to when we are electrocuted.
The bad thing about this muscle ailment is that it will prevent us from exercising under normal conditions or even make it difficult for us to walk in very extreme cases. Cramps are very common in athletes or in people with health problems such as osteoporosis or anemia.
Normally the cramps pass after a few hours or a few days, however, this is not always the case, since on some occasions they are caused by greater evils, which are not going to be cured simply by waiting a while.
This can cause us to have too many cramps and that they are not cured, which is going to cause us to worry excessively about them and always be worried about how we can cure them. A cramp has many causes and all of them must be thoroughly understood, since if the causes are known, a solution can be tried to minimize the appearance of another muscle cramp as much as possible.
In addition, cramps do not only have to do with excessive exercise as many people believe, since the nutritional factor has a lot to do with it, since the body reacts in different ways when it is well fed than when it is poorly fed. In addition, there are other factors such as temperature and general health that can favor the appearance of cramps.
Right now we are going to specify all this a bit, that is, we are going to teach you the main causes of cramps and also the main solutions to these causes.
Instructions
- Excessive exercise:
The best known cause of cramps and one of the most common causes of the appearance of these is excessive exercise. The human body has a limit and simply when this limit is exceeded, small muscle injuries can occur that will make the muscle stiff. For example, when we run a lot and deplete all the glycogen in the muscle, it will run out of energy source, causing the muscle to secrete lactic acid in order to continue working and to seize up as a defense mechanism, thus appearing cramps. The same thing also happens in weightlifting, in which cramps appear as a defense mechanism against too much weight. - Poor diet and health problems:
One of the main causes of cramps is the lack of nutrients in the blood such as calcium, potassium or iron, which are responsible for the health of bones and muscles. When there are not enough of these in the blood, the body will react in this way, causing cramps that can spoil a great day of training or walking. Make sure you eat balanced, taking vitamin supplements if necessary to avoid this type of problem. Also check to see that you do not have health problems, since diseases such as anemia could cause you to have little calcium or iron in your blood and thus have cramps involuntarily. You will also find this article interesting: How to Avoid Cramps - Temperature contrast:
Another cause of cramps is the temperature contrast from cold to hot or vice versa. When we go outside on a cold day, cramps could occur, just like when we train without a good warm-up. The temperature contrast is very bad for the muscles, producing not only cramps, but even more serious injuries that could seriously damage our health. Temperature contrast is avoided by warming up and cooling down the muscles after exercising and trying to avoid sudden changes in temperature, since these are the main cause of them. - Fractures and injuries:
On other occasions, cramps could indicate that you have been injured, being a secondary effect of a muscle or bone injury. If for example you have broken a bone, the human body will generate a cramp so that you do not use that area and in this way, it can heal more easily than if you are using it. The same thing happens with muscle injuries, since pain is an indicator that something in your body is not working as it should, so you should not underestimate cramps, especially if they are accompanied by other symptoms such as pain when touched or other symptoms typical of the injuries mentioned above. For example, if we feel that the muscle hurts us a lot, if we feel that the muscle is too cold or if we feel that we cannot walk as much as we want, this is a cause for concern, and we should go to the doctor as soon as possible to treat the ailment.
