What Causes Cramps?
We all have them from time to time – sudden cramps that hold muscles tightly locked and unable to respond to our frantic efforts to release them.
Muscle cramps can be anything from a slight tic or twinge to the most agonizing pain, last from a few seconds to 15 minutes or longer, and occur just about anywhere in the body.
Their main symptoms include sudden, sharp pain accompanied by muscle contractions, which create a lump of tissue that may be visible under the skin. This feels hard to the touch and may twitch.
Different cramps, different names In the back of the lower leg, this kind of spasm is called a “charley horse.” Alongside the rib cage, it’s a “stitch in the side.” In the thumb and first two fingers of your writing hand, it’s “writer’s cramp.”
What causes cramps? According to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, most cramps are caused by overuse of a muscle from strain or by repeatedly holding a position, as well as from dehydration or injury. Leg cramps can result from insufficient blood circulation, nerve compression, and mineral depletion. [source: Taste for Life]
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