Kelley says three out of four leg cramps occur at night, but why do they happen in the first place? One or several of the factors below-combined with your individual physiology-could explain why you’re waking up in pain. “You will find plenty of disparate opinions, but the simple truth is that nobody really knows why these occur,” says Scott Garrison M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor of family medicine at the University of Alberta who has published multiple studies on nocturnal leg cramps. However, once the cramp resolves the muscle may feel sore for a few days.” Leg cramp causesĭespite how common they may be, there is not one definitive cause of leg cramps. “Most are short-lived, lasting for a few seconds to a few minutes. “Anatomically, they are an intense and spontaneous muscle contraction,” Dr. Casey Kelley, M.D., A.B.O.I.M., integrative medicine doctor and founder and medical director at Case Integrative Health, says leg cramps at night are a common complaint. While we’ve all experienced a leg cramp at one point or another, they appear to be more common after age 50, shows a 2017 study in BMC Family Practice. “They are often called a ‘charley horse.’” “It is a sudden, sustained contraction or tightening of a muscle,” says Karena Wu, P.T., D.P.T., physical therapist and owner of ActiveCare Physical Therapy. Leg cramps are ill-timed Charley horses-characterized by a sharp muscle contraction that can last several seconds to minutes-that usually affect the calf and foot, although they can also strike your hamstring. Keep reading to learn what leg cramps are, the common causes of nocturnal leg cramps, and possible treatments. According to a study published in American Family Physician, up to 60% of adults say they’ve experienced leg cramps at night-that special kind of muscle spasm that rudely interrupts a full night’s sleep. If painful leg cramps at night wake you up, you’re not alone.
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