A muscle cramp is a sudden, involuntary contraction of one or more muscles, according to the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit organization dedicated to clinical practice, education and research.
In addition, he explained that muscle cramps usually go away on their own and are rarely serious enough to seek medical attention. However, a doctor should be consulted if the cramps:
- They cause intense discomfort.
- They are related to swelling, redness, or skin changes in the legs.
- They are related to muscle weakness.
- They happen often.
- They do not improve with self-care.
- They are not related to an obvious cause, for example, strenuous exercise.
This is because while most muscle cramps are harmless, some can be related to undiagnosed conditions such as:
- Inadequate blood supply. Narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the legs (atherosclerosis of the extremities) can cause pain. similar to leg and foot cramps when exercising. These cramps often go away soon following you finish the exercises.
- Nerve compression. Compression of the nerves in the spine (lumbar stenosis) can also produce pain similar to leg cramps. The pain usually gets worse the more you walk. Walking in a slightly bent position (such as when pushing a shopping cart) may improve or delay the onset of symptoms.
- Decrease in minerals. Not enough potassium, calcium, or magnesium in your diet can contribute to leg cramps. Diuretics (medicines often prescribed for high blood pressure) can also lower these minerals.
In fact, most cramps occur at night and, therefore, the Salud 180 portal revealed that to relieve them, the contracted muscle must be stretched, even if pain is felt. Then, apply warm water compresses for 20 minutes. Subsequently, perform gentle massages and, finally, it is important to walk so that the muscle relaxes.
Another way to relieve pain and prevent it is to increase your potassium intake, since, according to the National Institute of Health of the United States (NIH, for its acronym in English), The body needs potassium for almost everything it does, including proper kidney and heart function, muscle contraction, and nerve transmission.
Thus, it should be noted that this mineral is found in many foods, such as: bananas, avocados, dried apricots, prunes and raisins, orange juice, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, kidney beans, soybeans, walnuts, milk, yogurt, meats, poultry, and fish.
However, the average daily recommended amounts in milligrams (mg) are as follows:
- Babies, up to 6 months: 400 mg
- Babies from 7 to 12 months: 860 mg
- Children from 1 to 3 years: 2.000 mg
- Children from 4 to 8 years old: 2.300 mg
- Children from 9 to 13 years old: 2.500 mg
- Girls from 9 to 13 years old: 2.300 mg
- Adolescents from 14 to 18 years old (boys): 3.000 mg
- Adolescents from 14 to 18 years old (girls): 2.300 mg
- Adults over 19 years of age (men): 3.400 mg
- Adults 19 years and older (females): 2.600 mg
- Pregnant teens: 2.600 mg
- Pregnant women: 2.900 mg
- Breastfeeding adolescents: 2.500 mg
- Breastfeeding women: 2.800 mg
In any case, the information given above in no way replaces medical advice and therefore the first thing to do is consult a health expert so that he or she can guide the process and indicate what is most appropriate for each person. .
