Muscle cramps can occur anywhere but most commonly affect the calf muscles. Since the pain can make you limp like a old horse, calf muscle cramps are colloquially called a “Charley Horse“. These cramps are often ‘physiologic’ with age-related muscle & tendon loss or exercise stress-related, which sets up imbalance between stimulatory receptors (muscle spindles) and inhibitory receptors (Golgi Tendon Organs). Frequent cramping, however, might deserve looking for underlying disease or make a connection to their known disease.
Here’s my way of helping me remembering & recalling causes of muscle cramps:
C – Clot (DVT), Calcium low/high, Also common in COPD
R – Renal Failure & dehydration, Rhabdomyolysis
A – Anemia, Arterial disease, ALS
M – Magnesium low/high, Medications (Statins, Diuretics, Beta-blockers, Antipsychotics)
P – Potassium low/high, Pregnancy
S – Surgery, Stress on muscle, Sedentary, Swollen Legs (CHF/Cirrhosis)
If you know anyone suffering from frequent calf muscle cramps, a device like this is an effective treatment. By stretching the calf, it activates the Golgi Tendon Organ receptor which then relaxes the muscle & breaks the spasm. To reduce your risk of age or exercise-related cramps, stay hydrated, doing easy calf muscle workouts and calf stretches on a weekly basis is a good idea.
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