Why do people have leg cramps? Timely massage can relieve cramps. To prevent leg cramps, drink more soy milk and milk

Leg cramps are indeed a major problem in people's daily lives. In fact, they not only occur during sleep, but also often occur during outdoor activities and swimming in cold weather. Especially the latter two, which occur suddenly and may even cause injury to the body or endanger life, so don't take it lightly.

Why do people have leg cramps?

Leg cramps are actually a contraction of muscles that occurs when they are strongly stimulated. Muscle cramps in the calves and toes are the most common. So, why do people get leg cramps?

First, cold stimulation.

Second, fatigue, lack of sleep or excessive rest lead to the accumulation of local acidic metabolic products, causing muscle spasms.

Third, bad sleeping posture, such as lying on your back for a long time with the quilt pressing on your feet, or lying on your stomach for a long time with your feet against the bed, forcing certain calf muscles to be in an absolutely relaxed state for a long time, causing "passive contracture" of the muscles.

Fourth, nerve irritation may be caused by cervical or lumbar spine problems. "The symptoms of cramps caused by these reasons are basically the same, with no obvious differences.

Recently, Taiwan's "Health" magazine quoted the views of Lin Songkai, a rehabilitation doctor at the Sports Medicine Center of Taipei Lixin Hospital, who pointed out that leg cramps during sleep may also be caused by electrolyte imbalance, calcium deficiency, excessive water loss, and may also be related to some internal diseases (such as hypothyroidism) or drug side effects (taking certain antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs) and neurological diseases. Therefore, he suggested that you can drink a glass of diluted sports drink or light salt water before going to bed, and keep warm when sleeping.

However, if cramps are caused by electrolyte imbalance, calcium deficiency, nerve stimulation, etc., they often do not only occur in the legs and feet, but may also occur in other parts of the body, and they may recur. Therefore, we remind everyone that if you encounter such a situation, you should seek medical attention in time.

Timely massage can relieve cramps

Once a cramp occurs, the most direct way to relieve it is to massage the cramped area, use the thumb and the other four fingers of the other hand to forcefully align, and repeatedly pinch the muscles on the back of the calf of the affected limb from top to bottom for a few minutes. Tian Weiming, chief physician of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Orthopedics at the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Hebei Medical University, recommends that you can "do the opposite", that is, bend the toes in the opposite direction of the force, and persist for more than one or two minutes, and it will be effective. Specifically, if the muscles at the back of the calf cramp, you can bend the toes to lift the sole of the foot while straightening the knee joint; if the muscles in the front of the calf cramp, you can press the sole of the foot and bend the toes. After that, you can walk on the ground and push the ground with the forefoot of the affected leg to make the pain disappear.

To prevent leg cramps, drink more soy milk

To deal with "leg cramps", you should also "prevent them before they happen". Doctors recommend drinking more soy milk and milk, eating more vegetables, meat and other foods high in calcium; wearing more clothes when the weather gets cold, and keeping your calves warm when sleeping. Soak your feet in hot water before going to bed and pay attention to your sleeping posture.

At the same time, you can also massage the Weizhong point (the middle of the diamond-shaped depression behind the knee), place the tip of the middle finger of the other hand on the Weizhong point of the affected limb, and the thumb on the patella, and massage with appropriate force for 0.5-1 minute; Yanglingquan point (diagonally below the knee, in the depression slightly in front of the head of the fibula on the outside of the calf), place the tip of the thumb on the Yanglingquan point of the affected limb on the same side, and the other four fingers on the calf, and massage with appropriate force for 0.5-1 minute. This can improve blood circulation, which is especially effective for middle-aged and elderly people.