Muscle Cramp

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KEY POINTS

• A muscle cramp is a painful spasm, or tightening, of a muscle. A muscle cramp usually happens from overuse of your muscles or from an injury. You may get a muscle cramp during or right after exercise. Cramps can also be caused by stress or by certain medicines.
• Muscle cramps may be treated with stretching, massage, moist heat, ice, medicine, and sometimes physical therapy. Also make sure you drink enough fluids.

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What is a muscle cramp?

A muscle cramp is a painful spasm, or tightening, of a muscle. You can get a muscle cramp almost anywhere in the body. It’s common to have a muscle cramp in the neck, back, shoulder, or legs.

A common name for a muscle cramp or spasm is charley horse. This term is especially used for cramps in the leg.

What is the cause?

A muscle cramp usually happens from overuse of your muscles or from an injury. You may get a muscle cramp during or right after exercise. The exact cause of muscle cramps from exercise is not known. One theory is that exercise causes the body to lose too much fluid and salt through sweating and this causes cramping. Another theory is that during vigorous exercise the brain keeps sending signals to the muscles to contract (tighten). The more a muscle gets signals to contract, the harder it is for the muscle to relax. Without a balance of contracting and relaxing, the muscle starts cramping.

Some muscle spasms, especially in the neck, may happen when you are feeling a lot of stress.

Muscle cramps can also be a side effect of many medicines.

Cramps in the calf of the leg often happen at night while you are sleeping. There are many theories about why this happens but the cause is not known.

What are the symptoms?

The area where you have the muscle cramp may hurt and may feel firm, tight, and tender when you touch it. It may be hard to relax the muscle. When you get a muscle cramp during exercise, the pain may get worse if you keep exercising.

How is it treated?

Most of the time you don’t need to see your healthcare provider for treatment. Here are some things you can do to relieve muscle spasms:

• You will need to change or stop doing the activity that is causing pain.
• Put an ice pack, gel pack, or package of frozen vegetables wrapped in a cloth on the sore area every 3 to 4 hours for up to 20 minutes at a time.
• Try stretching the muscle. For example, you can stretch a cramp in the calf of your leg by straightening your lower leg and pulling your toes up toward your head. It may also help to stand on the leg that is cramping.
• Moist heat may help relax your muscles and make it easier to use them. Put moist heat on the injured area for 10 to 15 minutes before you do warm-up and stretching exercises. Moist heat includes heat patches or moist heating pads that you can buy at most drugstores, a wet washcloth or towel that has been heated in a microwave or the dryer, or a hot shower.
• Drink enough liquids to keep your urine light yellow in color.

If you are not able to relieve your muscle spasms, your healthcare provider may be able to help. Tell your provider if your muscle spasms are severe, don’t go away with treatment, or keep coming back.

Tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines and supplements that you take. Ask if any of the products you are using may be causing muscle spasms.

Your provider may recommend:

• Stretching and strengthening exercises
• Other types of physical therapy, such as massage, to help prevent cramping

If you have severe cramps in your legs at night, your provider may prescribe some medicine to help.

How can I help prevent muscle cramps?

Stretching before you exercise can help prevent cramps. Also make sure you drink enough fluids. Sports drinks may be very helpful. Resting and stretching between periods of intense exercise may help.

Loosening the covers at the foot of your bed may help prevent leg cramps when you are sleeping. Correcting your posture when sitting a table or computer may help reduce spasms in your back or neck.