What Are The Causes For Cramps In Fingers And Toes?

Posted on Thu, 5 Dec 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 5 Dec 2013 Answered on

Thu, 2 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Thank you - I get muscle cramps in my fingers and toes.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (-5 hours later)

Brief Answer: different possible causes Detailed Answer: Hi, thanks for using healthcare magic Muscle cramps can be related to different possible causes. The most common are : (1) electrolyte imbalance- deficiency in sodium (found in salt), this can also occur with low levels of calcium, magnesium or potassium (2)it can also occur in some vitamin deficiency such as vitamin b12 deficiency (3)side effect of medications : some medications such as some statins used for high cholesterol (your cholesterol medication is a combination of 2 tablets ,one of which is a statin) Diuretics- blood pressure medication that cause fluid loss can do this, none of these were listed in your medication list (4)dehydration (5)chronic illnesses such as diabetes, liver or kidney disease (6)in some persons the cause is not known To determine the exact cause your doctor will need to examine you and conduct some blood tests checking the electrolytes mentioned, your hydration status, kidney and liver function. The treatment would depend on the exact cause, where it is related to hydration and sodium the use of more fluids and the addition of salt will help. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar