Leg cramps (night cramps)

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goodtoknow says: You can get leg cramps for all sorts of reasons, often through straining a muscle, but medication or illness can cause them too.The muscle spasm tends to happen when resting, often affecting one of your calf muscles. The cramp can last for a few seconds or longer and it may be painful for some time afterwards, although massaging may help. Avoid them by doing gentle calf -stretching exercises daily. If you suffer with cramps a lot see your doctor who can give you medication to reduce them.

For a full medical explanation of the causes, symptoms and treatments of leg cramps from patient.co.uk, read on.

Leg cramps are common. The cause is not known in most cases. However, some medicines and some medical conditions can sometimes cause leg cramps. Regular calf stretching exercises may prevent leg cramps. Quinine tablets may be advised if you have leg cramps regularly.

What are leg cramps?

A leg cramp is a pain that comes from a muscle in the leg. It is due to a muscle spasm which is when a muscle contracts too hard. It usually occurs in one of the calf muscles, below and behind a knee. The small muscles of the feet are sometimes affected.

A cramp pain typically lasts a few minutes. In some cases it lasts just seconds, but in some cases it can last up to 10 minutes. The severity of the pain varies. The muscle may remain tender for up to 24 hours after a leg cramp. Leg cramps usually occur when you are resting - most commonly at night when in bed. (They are often called night cramps.) They may wake you from sleep. It can become a distressing condition if your sleep is regularly disturbed.