Muscle cramps are described as an involuntary contraction of muscle fibres that causes pain and occasional disfigurement, they also occur in most areas in the body such as calf, hamstring, quadricep and feet. Cramp often occurs during or after exercise and these are known as Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramps (EAMC), the other type of known cramp is Nocturnal cramps which occur at mainly at night-time resulting in sleep disturbance or functional disability.
The causes of EAMC and nocturnal cramps are unknown and differ in symptoms. The exact cause of a cramp is not fully understood but research has suggested the following reasons:
Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramps:
Nocturnal Cramps:
Other causes of cramp include:
The first step in treatment cramp is to determine the root cause of them, this could include:
Depending on the outcome of diagnosis treatment may include:
At Complete Chiropractic our team of therapist will work with you closely to improve your condition. For those who suffer with EAMC will seek the benefit of massage therapy as this will encourage muscles to relax and reduce the toxin build up within the muscle after physical activity. For Nocturnal suffers the Therapist would provide dietitian and lifestyle advice if required along with exercises and stretches depending on diagnosis. Other treatment benefits include: