A muscle cramp is a painful tightness in a muscle due to a sudden, involuntary contraction. Various factors may contribute to muscle cramping, but the underlying cause is often unclear.
Muscle cramps may occur almost anywhere in the body, but some common areas include the legs and feet. People with digestive issues or menstrual cramps may experience muscle cramps in the abdomen.
Muscle cramps are mostly temporary and go away on their own. Some home remedies may help longer lasting cramps pass or ease the symptoms.
However, anyone experiencing persistent cramping should speak with their doctor to get a diagnosis. In some cases, treatment may be necessary.
This article discusses muscle cramps in more detail, including their causes, treatment, and prevention. It also explains when to see a doctor about this issue.
Muscle camps are sudden contractions in one or more muscles. These contractions are involuntary, meaning that a person cannot control them.
These cramps can cause uncomfortable symptoms, but, for the most part, they are temporary. The duration of symptoms typically ranges from seconds to minutes.
When muscle cramps occur, the person may feel a sudden tightening in the muscle or muscles in the area. It may feel as though they have flexed their muscle, even if they are otherwise relaxed. This tightening often does not stop and leads to pain in the area as the muscle overcontracts.
The muscle may also seem to twitch or spasm.
In some cases, such as with muscles close to the skin, the person may be able to see the contraction in the muscle. A hard knot or lump of tissue may form in the affected muscle.
Much of the time, it is difficult to identify the exact cause of a muscle cramp. As one articleTrusted Source notes, this is because what appears to be a simple cramp often involves the whole bodily system, affecting the person’s emotional and physical state.
Although there are many possible causes of a cramp, in many cases, the underlying cause is unknown. Some muscles may simply start cramping for a short time and then go back to normal. Cramps may occur anywhere in the body, but they most commonly affect the legs — specifically, the calves. One article notes that about 80%Trusted Source of cramps occur in the calf muscles.
The reason for this may be that people use the calves throughout the day. However, the exact cause may vary in each case.
