Health & Nutrition Health and Nutrition - February 2018.edcoan.ir | Page 87

Muscle cramps differ from
stiffness or leg pain. A cramp
occurs when a muscle contracts
involuntarily in a sudden,
intense manner, producing a
lump of tightened muscle you
can feel with your hand. It’s
typically a response to a stress
or chemical imbalance in the
muscle’s environment.
Sorting Out The Cause
Some common causes of muscle
cramps include:
X Muscle overuse, strain or
prolonged exercise.
X Being dehydrated and losing
too much salt due to exercise
or due to prolonged illness
involving vomiting
or diarrhoea.
X Certain medications.
X Low levels of blood calcium.
Less commonly, muscle
cramps may be caused
by diseases affecting your
peripheral nerves – the nerves
that extend from your spinal
cord to nearly all other parts
of your body.
Peripheral nerves are the
conductors of information
between your brain and
your organs, blood vessels,
muscles and skin. Damage to
a peripheral nerve (peripheral
neuropathy) can interrupt
communication lines between
the brain and the area served by
the damaged nerve.
Peripheral neuropathy that
produces muscle cramping
may occur with a number
of conditions, including
diabetes, thyroid disease and
autoimmune diseases such as
rheumatoid arthritis.
When To See Your
Doctor
Muscle cramps often have
no identifiable cause. But if
you have frequent, severe
muscle cramps, a doctor’s
visit is appropriate. You’ll
likely have tests that include a
neurologic exam and possibly
A cramp occurs when
a muscle contracts
involuntarily in a
sudden, intense
manner, producing
a lump of tightened
muscle you can feel
with your hand.
Gently stretch the contracted muscle for relief
HEALTH & NUTRITION February 2018 87