How to improve leg cramps in late pregnancy

Leg cramps, foot cramps, and abdominal cramps are very common. When your body experiences these conditions, you can choose some simple improvement methods, which will be very helpful in relieving the cramps. So what are the improvement methods for leg cramps in late pregnancy? If pregnant women experience this condition, there are also some good improvement methods. Women also need to use these improvement methods for a long time. The following is a detailed introduction.

Methods to improve leg cramps in late pregnancy:

When your calf cramps, gently massaging the hardened muscles at the back of the calf, applying local heat, and moving your foot can provide relief. Pay attention to changing your walking habits, let your heels touch the ground first, and bend your toes instead of extending them forward when you straighten your calves, which can reduce attacks. Expectant mothers should increase their calcium intake in their daily diet. Foods such as milk, beans and bean products, nuts, sesame seeds, dried shrimps, crabs, clams, eggs, kelp, and seaweed are all rich in calcium. At the same time, eat less spinach, bamboo shoots and wild rice stems which contain more oxalic acid; eat less buckwheat and oats which contain more phytic acid, to prevent calcium and oxalic acid or phytic acid from forming insoluble calcium oxalate or calcium phytate which cannot be absorbed. In addition, you should regularly go outdoors and get more sun exposure to encourage the skin to synthesize more vitamin D, thereby enhancing the absorption and utilization of calcium.

Even under the most favorable conditions, the amount of calcium the body can absorb each day is limited. Only about 25% to 60% of the calcium ingested is absorbed. Starting from the 80th week of pregnancy, the fetus's need for calcium increases sharply, and the mother's supply of calcium ions to the fetus increases from 60 mg per day in the second trimester to 350 mg in the third trimester. The dietary calcium content is related to blood calcium, so in the late pregnancy, you should eat more meat, eggs, milk and other foods rich in calcium, and supplement with calcium, cod liver oil, and vitamin B complex to help prevent calf cramps. At the same time, we must also consider the function of the parathyroid gland, the organ that manages calcium in the body, and consider supplementing parathyroid hormone if necessary. In addition, you should pay attention to keeping your lower limbs warm, which is very helpful in preventing calf cramps. When an attack occurs, you can apply hot compresses to the affected area, perform local massage, and straighten your legs to help the spasm disappear.

After understanding the methods to improve leg cramps in the late pregnancy, women can follow the above methods when they experience such situations. However, if they want to be able to alleviate this situation well, women must also pay attention to their diet. They must eat more foods high in calcium, which can effectively relieve cramps and avoid such situations from happening again.