What causes frequent calf muscle cramps, especially at night, in elderly women? Are there any home remedies for this?



Calf muscle pain is very common amongst most individuals around the world. One of the major questions asked by many is what causes calf muscle pain. Calf muscle pain in adults and calf muscle pain in children is most often because of the strain on this muscle or over use of it with exercise or playing games. Children are often known to play rough and strenuous games which cause them injuries which they may not notice until much later. In adults there could be several reasons for calf muscle pain like a plantaris muscle rupture or Achilles tendonitis or rupture. Baker’s cyst is another cause for pain behind the knee because of fluid collection and if there is a rupture the fluid moves into the calf region. Blood clots can block the circulation to the legs and cause pain in the calves either because of injuries or circulation problems.

Calf muscle cramps are a painful experience and to treat or relieve calf muscle cramps the causes have to be diagnosed.  Cramps in the calf muscles are common but this is not a constant discomfort and fomenting the area or stretching the leg often relieves the pain or the cramp. If the pain is severe and does not decrease and causes difficulty in walking one should consult a doctor. Other reasons for seeing the doctor because of pain in the calves is if there is a swelling or any outward signs of soreness and fever.

Muscle Cramps at Night:

Muscle cramps at night especially those of the calf muscle are known to occur due to a calcium deficiency. However, this problem is more common among the elderly and pregnant women. Drinking milk does not help the condition; instead it makes it worse because of the phosphorous in the milk which prevents the absorption of calcium. Instead a non-phosphate calcium supplement would help for improving a calcium deficiency.

Muscle cramps at night could also be the result of shallow breathing which deprives the body of oxygen. If the person also suffers from a problem of sleep apnea there could be muscular cramps during the night. Taking a few deep breaths could help relieve the cramps is they are associated with this.

Treatment:

Muscle cramps treatment would depend on the cause of the cramps and this would have to be diagnosed before it is treated. A new medication Gamma Hydroxybutyrate is in the process of being investigated which is supposed to reduce the cramps in the legs at night. Cramps also respond to a dose of vitamin E but this should be taken after consulting a doctor. For those who lead a sedentary lifestyle exercise like cycling on a stationary bike could help to improve the circulation and relieve cramps in the night.

Remedies:

Muscle cramp remedies or remedies for calf muscle cramps are very largely sought after. Calf muscle cramps while running or calf muscle cramps while walking or even calf muscle cramps while sleeping could be treated using simple remedies. To relieve the cramps one should either rest the muscles if they have been strained; put a hot or cold pack on them to relieve the pain; stretch the leg so that the calf muscles also get stretched and this often relieves the pain; get physio- therapy for the pain or even use anti inflammatory mediations.

What Causes Muscle Cramps:

There are several causes for muscle cramps and the doctor would have to diagnose the cause and provide treatment to relieve them. Sometimes illnesses and conditions like thyroid, anemia, hypoglycemia, Parkinson’s disease and diabetes could also cause cramps or this could be because of the side effects of certain medications.

answered by M W

Natural causes for calf muscle cramps-

Frequent calf muscle cramps are due to lack of blood supply or nutrition to the particular area.It is very common with age .It occurs due to electrolyte defiiciency after heavy walking or exercise and people who stand the whole day.Home remedy-Take 500 gms bottle gourd make afresh juice then add2 tsp's of cinnamon powder and 1 tsf honey .Drink this every morning regularly for 1 month.

answered by D M K


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