Are leg cramps just caused by calcium deficiency?

Have you ever had leg cramps for no reason? I believe that in many people's impressions, once "cramps" occur, they will be associated with "calcium deficiency". This may be because leg cramps are more common in growing children, postoperative patients, and middle-aged and elderly people, which has formed such an impression.

However, not all cramps are caused by calcium deficiency.

First, let's look at what cramps are. The medical term is "muscle spasm", which is a spontaneous contraction of muscles. Muscle spasms most commonly occur in the calves and toes. The pain is unbearable during an attack and can last from a few seconds to tens of seconds. After that, the symptoms gradually ease, and there may be residual pain in the symptomatic area afterwards. The following situations may cause cramps:

1. Lack of calcium.

This "calcium" actually refers to blood calcium. When the concentration of blood calcium is too low, it is easy to cause muscle overexcitation and cramps. With the increase of age, the body's ability to absorb calcium decreases and the body's own calcium loss is serious, so cramps often occur in middle-aged and elderly people. Of course, this group of people is also the main group of osteoporosis, so it is also very necessary to prevent falls and collisions.

2. Atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is the appearance of hardened plaques like rice porridge in our arteries. These plaques are often accumulated due to insufficient lipid metabolism in the body. The presence of plaques causes the blood vessels to narrow and become blocked. When blood vessels are blocked, blood circulation is poor, leading to ischemia and hypoxia in the surrounding tissues, which in turn destroys the stability of physiological functions and causes numbness and coldness in the lower limbs. It will get better after rest.

Therefore, many postoperative patients with hyperlipidemia often experience calf muscle cramps at night due to lack of activity of the affected limb, with atherosclerosis being the main cause. In addition, cramps and pain often occur because of poor blood circulation and inability to transport metabolic waste out of the body in time.

3. Weak body.

Many people go to the gym to work out hard, but when they get home and lie on the bed, they suddenly get cramps. This is actually because the exercise intensity is too high, especially anaerobic exercise, the muscles contract excessively in a short period of time, and a lot of acidic metabolic waste is produced. These acidic substances cannot be excreted, so they stimulate the surrounding muscles and cause cramps. Therefore, after exercise, you should stretch and relax your muscles in time to eliminate the excessive acidic metabolic products accumulated during exercise, so as not to stimulate calf cramps.

4. Cold stimulation.

Low temperature is a common factor causing cramps. Cold can stimulate the leg muscles to contract strongly and cause cramps. Be sure to keep warm before going out.

5. Excessive sweating.

Sweating will take away water, calcium, magnesium, potassium and other electrolytes in the body. The loss of a large amount of trace elements will destroy the balance of the body's internal environment and induce muscle cramps. Just like plants will wither without water, lack of water in the body and muscles will also cause a series of symptoms.

6. Local compression.

Too heavy bedding pressing on the soles of the feet, or poor posture, compressing the legs and feet, can cause "passive contracture" of the muscles and insufficient blood supply. Improper sleeping posture often causes cramps.

7. Caused by certain diseases.

Certain congenital diseases or nerve damage, such as stroke, epilepsy, tetanus, etc., can cause muscles to lose normal nerve control, become overexcited, and easily spasm and cramp. Therefore, frequent muscle spasms and other pathological manifestations in the body should be a sign of vigilance.

In short, there are many reasons for cramps. It is not advisable to blindly supplement calcium once cramps occur. Sometimes the symptoms of cramps are physiological and can be self-adjusted. If cramps occur frequently and for a long time and do not improve, you should go to the hospital to clarify the cause and receive treatment under the guidance of a professional doctor.