{"id":4552,"date":"2022-06-21T07:39:31","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T11:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/?p=4552"},"modified":"2022-04-30T00:02:55","modified_gmt":"2022-04-30T04:02:55","slug":"treating-a-calf-cramp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/treating-a-calf-cramp\/","title":{"rendered":"Treating A Calf Cramp"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stretching Your Calf
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT \u2013 The Pain Relief Expert<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you ever jump up at night with your calf screaming in pain?<\/p>\n

Do cramps curl your toes and send shock waves all the way up your leg?<\/p>\n

Have you ever been exercising, running, or cycling, and suddenly your calf cramped and stopped you in your tracks?<\/p>\n

What Causes Calf Cramps?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>The National Institute of Health (NIH) states that \u201cthe cause of leg cramps is unclear.\u201d\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that encouraging!\u00a0 There are just so many potential causes of calf cramps that it\u2019s impossible to narrow it down. Some common causes are pregnancy, exercise, dehydration, insufficient levels of certain key nutrients, and electrolyte imbalances.<\/p>\n

Electrolytes are minerals that have an electric charge.\u00a0 You get them from the foods you eat and fluids you drink.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve learned that the vitamins and minerals that impact cramps are: B1<\/sup>, B12<\/sup>, D, magnesium, potassium, and calcium.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not a nutritionist so I\u2019m not going to expound on nutritional causes, deficiencies, or solutions.\u00a0 For that advice I suggest you go to a highly trained nutritionist for advice.\u00a0 I\u2019ve learned a lot by watching John McDougall, MD and T. Colin Campbell, PhD on YouTube.<\/p>\n

However, my world is muscles, so that\u2019s where I focus my attention in today\u2019s article.<\/p>\n

Muscle Contractions, Spasms, And Cramps<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>A little clarification of terms.\u00a0 A contraction is when the entire length of a muscle fiber shortens. A spasm is when a small section of the muscle fiber ties up into what is sometimes thought of as a knot. A spasm happens slowly, so you rarely realize that the spasm is occurring. However, a cramp is when 100% of the muscle suddenly contracts 100% of the way and becomes as hard as a rock and feels like it is all knotted up.<\/p>\n

There is a very complicated set of actions that enable us to do something as simple as picking up our cell phone and calling a friend.\u00a0 You don\u2019t need (or want) to know all the steps, so just suffice to say that each muscle fiber pulls with exactly the right power to make the movement we want to perform.<\/p>\n

For example, let\u2019s say you want to pick up a pen, maybe 10% of the fibers in your lower arm (that move your fingers) will contract.\u00a0 But if you want to pick up a bowling ball, maybe 25% of your muscle fibers will contract.\u00a0 If you then need to pick up your refrigerator, maybe 100% of your fibers will contract. (All numbers are guesses just to demonstrate a principle).<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether you are contracting 10% or 90% of your muscle fibers, they will always contract 100% of the way.\u00a0 Muscles don\u2019t start to contract and then make a U-turn and stretch – and that\u2019s the problem. The muscle will always contract 100% of the way before it will allow you to stretch it.<\/p>\n

If you try to stretch while the muscle is contracting, you are potentially tearing the fibers. So, the idea is to help the muscle fibers complete the contraction, and then<\/u> stretch.<\/p>\n

Treating A Calf Cramp
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

I suggest you try this now when nothing is happening.\u00a0 You sure don\u2019t want to be trying to figure it out while your calf is cramping.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n