What to do if your foot cramps, or how can you help yourself when experiencing a muscle spasm?2 photos

Many people have surely encountered the problem of muscle cramps, when suddenly their foot tightens while performing some exercise or activity. Ordinary cramps are not actually muscular in nature but rather neurological; they occur at the moment when a muscle that is already in a contracted position involuntarily tightens further. This can explain why swimmers are prone to cramps in their calf muscles. In other words, when performing leg movements with the foot extended (such as plantar flexion), it is the calf muscle, which is already in a contracted state, that is being forced to contract even more. Ordinary cramps usually stop when the affected muscle is passively stretched or when its antagonist muscle contracts actively. Since stretching can help relieve cramps, some scientists suggest that stretching exercises can be used for their prevention. For example, in a group of 44 patients who performed calf-stretching exercises three times a day for one week, all of them experienced complete relief from nighttime cramps. Another cause of cramps in some women is dysmenorrhea, a disorder of the menstrual cycle. The results of several studies indicate that the painful symptoms of menstruation can be prevented or at least alleviated by regularly performing stretching exercises in the pelvic area. Cramps that cause muscle tightness may also be due to a lack of water and carbohydrates in the body, as well as insufficient intake of essential minerals.