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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Cramps In Calf Muscle?

I ran the Tough Mudder course (16 km mountain run and 20 obstacle courses) and experienced cramping in my calf, however the calf was cavitating and pulsing, it stopped after 5 or 10 minutes as I continued the course then happened an hour later on the other leg, what would have caused that? I have been training for about 4 months and am in pretty good shape.
Mon, 8 Sep 2014
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Orthopaedic Surgeon, Joint Replacement 's  Response
Hello,
Thanks for your query.
Your description suggests that you are getting cramps in the calf muscles.Cramps are painful spasms in a muscle and are often caused by overuse, dehydration, or nutritional deficiencies.
Infact, till date there is no clear cut evidence for the cause of muscle cramps. But the most common cited theories include -
- Altered neuromuscular control
- Dehydration
- Electrolyte depletion
- Poor conditioning
- Muscle fatigue
- Doing a new activity

In rare situations, night leg cramps can be associated with an underlying disorder, such as peripheral artery disease — in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to your limbs, Diabetes or spinal stenosis.

Self-care Activities that might help prevent night leg cramps include:
• Drinking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration
• Stretching your leg muscles or riding a stationary bicycle for a few minutes before you go to bed
• Massaging the cramped muscle with your hands or with ice
• Walking or jiggling the leg
• Taking a hot shower or warm bath
• Foods such as bananas, potatoes, prune juice and dried fruit may be helpful in relieving muscle cramps
• Including calcium fortified foods like seafood and fish, almonds, flaxseed, oats, parsley, prunes, sesame seeds, tofu and kale, can help to stave off muscle spasm. Vitamin D supplements will also help in relieving myalgia's

I do hope that you have found something helpful and I will be glad to answer any further query.
Take care
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What Causes Cramps In Calf Muscle?

Hello, Thanks for your query. Your description suggests that you are getting cramps in the calf muscles.Cramps are painful spasms in a muscle and are often caused by overuse, dehydration, or nutritional deficiencies. Infact, till date there is no clear cut evidence for the cause of muscle cramps. But the most common cited theories include - - Altered neuromuscular control - Dehydration - Electrolyte depletion - Poor conditioning - Muscle fatigue - Doing a new activity In rare situations, night leg cramps can be associated with an underlying disorder, such as peripheral artery disease — in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to your limbs, Diabetes or spinal stenosis. Self-care Activities that might help prevent night leg cramps include: • Drinking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration • Stretching your leg muscles or riding a stationary bicycle for a few minutes before you go to bed • Massaging the cramped muscle with your hands or with ice • Walking or jiggling the leg • Taking a hot shower or warm bath • Foods such as bananas, potatoes, prune juice and dried fruit may be helpful in relieving muscle cramps • Including calcium fortified foods like seafood and fish, almonds, flaxseed, oats, parsley, prunes, sesame seeds, tofu and kale, can help to stave off muscle spasm. Vitamin D supplements will also help in relieving myalgia s I do hope that you have found something helpful and I will be glad to answer any further query. Take care