Treatment and Prevention of Muscle Cramp

It’s not uncommon for an individual to get muscle cramps frequently during the night. In fact, many people can attest to how painful a muscle cramp can be in the middle of the night, especially since it can be described as a involuntary contraction that may start in the leg suddenly without warning. For most people, they normally describe the tightening of their muscles as a very painful and excruciating experience.

What are the Causes of Muscle Cramps?

Though some people may experience this kind of pain more than others, it is important to note that there is a diversity of reasons why these muscle cramps may appear. Some of the more commonly known reasons are listed below.

• Cold water
• Various kinds of medications like steroids, diuretics and statins
• Overuse of muscles due to certain types of exercising
• Pregnancy Cramps that caused by a decrease in the amounts of minerals, in the body. In specific, the body may be lacking in a sufficient amount of calcium or magnesium in the latter months of a woman’s gestation period.
• Medical illnesses and diseases like multiple sclerosis, thyroid disease, peripheral arterial disease and kidney disease.
• Sitting for a long periods of time without taking breaks to move around.
• Legs placed in awkward positions while the individual is asleep.
• Dehydration

Ways to Prevent Muscle Cramps

When an individual identifies the cause of their muscle cramps, they can begin to seek out the best type of relief that they need. However, one of the best ways to handle these problems is to prevent them before they happen. This said, here are two common ways that people can use to prevent muscle cramps from occurring. 


Stay Hydrated. Because dehydration is on the top of the list of common causes, people should make sure that they are drinking enough water during the day so that they will not be dehydrated when they retire. By drinking more water or liquids prior to going to bed, the person can eliminate the night muscle cramps that they normally experience, if this is the cause.

Make sure the body is balanced with the proper amount of minerals. Since some muscle cramps are due to the lack of certain minerals, it is important for the person to amp up the minerals in their diet programs to eliminate these pains. As it was previously stated, calcium and magnesium are essential to the body so the person should eat the appropriate amounts and take supplements when required to eliminate their muscle cramps.

Treatment for Muscle Cramps

Even though the best cure for muscle cramps is to prevent them from reoccurring by first identifying the cause and finding a viable solution, it is still important to know how to treat muscle cramps if they do reoccur. The treatments for different types of cramp normally consists of the follows.

Do Stretching exercises. When the person feels their muscle contract, they can treat their pain by stretching out their muscles very slowly and gently.

Massage gently. If the individual wants to eliminate this kind of pain, they can also receive a gentle massage in the area that is tighten. Massages can help with loosing the muscles so that the pain will disappear.

Luis Fandos M.D. is a certified anesthesiologist from Babylon, Long Island, NY.