Doctor, am I deficient in calcium? 53-year-old Lao Liu told the doctor that recently, when he slept every day, he always woke up suddenly, because of the constant cramps, which was really uncomfortable.
When cramps occur, many people will first think of calcium deficiency, so they keep supplementing calcium, just like Lao Liu, he has eaten a lot of calcium, but the cramps have not improved, but they are getting more and more serious, what is going on?
Muscle spasm (commonly known as cramping) is a spontaneous tonic contraction of muscles. Muscle spasms that occur in the calves and toes are the most common and can be excruciating and can last from seconds to tens of seconds. Especially when cramping in the middle of the night, it often wakes people up in pain.
Calcium deficiency can indeed cause cramps, and as you get older, calcium will be lost faster, so when cramps occur, many elderly people will first think of cramps caused by calcium deficiency.
However, it is important to tell you that it is not just calcium deficiency that can cause cramps.
First of all, it depends on whether it is a physiological cramp?
What is physiological cramps? In fact, there is no organic disease itself, but the usual life does not pay attention to the details, which leads to the occurrence of cramps, such as putting the legs outside when sleeping, especially in autumn and winter, due to the cold temperature, under the stimulation of the cold, the muscles of the calf are prone to spasms, resulting in cramps.
In addition, some people are in a state of fatigue in the calf muscles after strenuous exercise or long-term exercise, which can easily lead to cramps, and some cramps may occur suddenly during exercise.
In addition, sleep itself can also easily lead to cramps, and sleeping too little or too long can cause cramps.
However, these physiological phenomena are often quickly relieved by cramps after changes.
Secondly, there is pathological cramps, which are caused by various diseases in the body, and the occurrence of cramps due to diseases.
1. Arteriosclerosis occlusion of lower limbs
Our lower limb arteries are prone to sclerosis occlusion, once there is sclerosis occlusion, the blood vessels will become very narrow, local blood flow may be reduced, or even interrupted, our muscles need blood to provide oxygen and nutrients, if the blood flow is reduced or there is no blood supply, then the muscles will spasm.
With the increase of age, the probability of arteriosclerosis of the lower limbs will also increase, because many people suffer from underlying diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, which can easily induce atherosclerosis, coupled with the fact that the lower limbs are at the end of the body, many people are sedentary for a long time, which is easy to aggravate the ischemia and hypoxia of the lower limbs.
2. Lumbar intervertebral disc herniation
The main cause of leg cramps with a herniated disc in the lumbar spine is compression of the spinal cord. In patients with a herniated lumbar disc, a herniated disc or the surrounding tissues of acute edema may compress the spinal cord or nerve roots inside, causing a disturbance in the nerve conduction of the leg muscles innervated by this nerve, resulting in cramps.
In fact, whether it is arteriosclerosis occlusion of the lower limbs or lumbar disc herniation, they are chronic diseases and cannot be cured, so cramps will always occur frequently.
If you don't pay attention to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, it can also lead to more severe cramps.
For example, if you suffer from arteriosclerosis occlusion of the lower limbs, you still smoke, drink too much, eat high-fat, high-calorie and high-salt foods, and lack of exercise, then it will only lead to a worse condition.
If you have a herniated lumbar disc and often bend over, in addition, you don't sleep on a hard bed when you sleep, and you go to sleep on a very soft bed, which may affect the health of the lumbar spine and cause the lumbar disc herniation to be more serious.