A person injures a muscle or a group of muscles by doing a physical activity too long, too often, too quickly, or without preparing the muscles beforehand.
The good news is that many muscle injuries can be prevented.
And if they develop, minor injuries can be treated at home.
With ice, an over-the-counter pain reliever, and rest, most injured muscles usually heal within a few days.
Muscle cramps often happens out of the blue.
You may be feeling fine while, running, swimming, biking, or playing ball.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a knife like pain jabs you in your leg, abdomen, shoulder, or arm.
You may even be awoken in the middle of the night by muscle pains in your legs.
Just about everyone occasionally gets abdominal cramps that come with an upset stomach.
A cramp, or series of them, takes place when a smooth muscle or an entire muscle group in your body suddenly seizes up involuntarily.
The most common locations for cramps are the thigh muscles, either in the hamstrings in the back of the thigh, or the quadriceps at the front.
However, no muscle group is spared from cramping.
The back of the thigh, abdomen, back, neck, shoulders, hands, and feet can all cramp up.
Fortunately, most muscle cramps do not last for long.
The exact cause of most cramps is not known.
Abdominal cramps are associated with intestinal problems brought on by infection or food poisoning.
The digestive muscles become involved as the body tries to rid itself of the virus or bacteria causing the stomach problems.
Muscle cramps often seem to happen during exercise or shortly afterward.
Many sport experts, therefore, believe lack of conditioning, stiffness, or over training can cause cramps.
Cramps are more common when people work out in hot weather.
The loss of certain chemicals in the body due to sweating is associated with muscle cramps.
To function well, muscles need fluids, particularly electrolytes.
These chemicals contain salts, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
Sweating and urination carry these important chemicals out of the body during and after heavy exercise.
The body may also become dehydrated due to insufficient intake of water.
Dehydration is associated with muscle cramps.
Using common sense can prevent most cramps.
Get in shape before starting any major sport.
Do short warm-ups to send blood to muscles before the activity.
Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water ahead of your thirst.
Frequent cramping or excessively painful cramps should be checked out by a doctor.
Tips:
- Gentle massage helps to ease the pain of most muscle cramps.
- Gently bending and stretching sore or cramping muscles can help during exercise.
If the pain is too much, you should stop the activity and give your muscles time to rest and heal.