If you’ve ever had any type of muscle cramp, then we don’t need to tell you how painful they can be. Muscle cramps tend to be extremely excruciating, and worse yet, there’s no warning sign that they are about to hit. While they can occur at any time of the day, often times, they tend to happen while you’re asleep, causing a major rude awakening that, even if they only last for a few seconds, they’re so painful that it feels like a lifetime.
During a muscle cramp, the muscles involuntarily contract, feeling like a painful knot within your leg or other portion of the body that leaves you temporarily immobile. While they can occur anywhere in the body, some of the most common ones happen in the legs – commonly in the feet or thighs but more so in the calf muscle. Flexing the foot of the affected leg can help lessen the pain, but it may take a few moments for the pain to actually go away. Usually stretching or waiting the cramp out is the main way to best deal with the cramp at that moment.
Here are 10 possible causes for muscle cramps.
1. Muscle Overuse
Even if you’re not a professional athlete, there are times when you can overuse your muscles. Whether you enjoy running, weight lifting, or other forms of physical activities, even just lifting something heavy, or just from excess walking or movement, you may be putting your muscles to too much use. Take notice of the activities that you are doing during the day when a spasm hits to see if they could be a part of the reason why you are getting muscle cramps.
