If you have ever experienced calf muscle cramps, then you know that these involuntary muscle contractions can be painful. They are known to affect mostly athletes or people who train very hard.
A common part of the leg that is affected by muscle cramping is the calf. The calf has two sets of muscles: the gastrocnemius and soleus muscle.
What causes this cramps has not been exactly established but the following are some of the causes believed to be associated with it.
Severe calf cramping has been known to cause muscle damage to the affected area. For instance, the muscle fibers can easily be torn due to the strength of the involuntary muscle contraction. Pain will accompany it once the contraction has happened.
If you feel that you are about to suffer from cramps in calf, then you should stretch out your muscles for as long as possible. Relieve some of the symptoms by gently massaging the muscles of the affected area so as to stimulate blood flow.
Some people have a theory that if you pinch your upper lip, you will start a nervous chain reaction that will stop the cramping. Ensure that you seek the help of a professional who will advice you on how to prevent future leg cramps and on rehabilitation options.
Common calf muscle cramps treatment methods include sports massage, prevention of body dehydration (take a bottle of water with you), and extra salt intake.
A massage therapist can advice you on how to stretch your muscles to prevent future injuries. They also use a variety of sports massage methods that will relieve the pain and improve the condition of the calf muscles.
The therapist is also likely to advice you to increase your intake of salt. However, whether the lack of salt in the diet is a common cause of leg cramps is debatable because athletes who consume processed foods usually consume a lot of salt. Many consider salt to be one of the causes of this condition.
Sports massage is good for those who suffer from calf cramps. It helps to stimulate the flow of blood and stretches the muscle. It is soothing after a bout of leg muscle cramps and can help prevent cramps in the future. A lack of blood flow is known to be one of the main cramps in legs causes.
When the calf muscles go into a spasm, blood is squeezed out of the muscle similar to the way you squeeze water from a sponge. This hinders the muscle from getting enough nutrients.
They may become damaged if the spasm is severe. A sports massage serves the purpose of releasing muscle tension and stimulating the flow of blood back to the muscle. It also helps to stretch the muscle transversely or to the side, which normal stretching cannot do.
One thing that is important to note is that massage should not be done when the injury is at the acute stages. It should be done 48 hours after the injury. When the injury is still acute, there is still some bleeding. A massage and the heat will only increase the bleeding rather than stop it.
Hope these easy tips will help you to get rid of calf muscle cramps at night or day time!
