Also called: Also called: Charley horse
Muscle cramps are sudden, involuntary contractions or spasms in one or more of your muscles. They often occur after exercise or at night, lasting a few seconds to several minutes. You have probably had a muscle cramp before. It is a very common muscle problem.
Muscle cramps can be caused by nerves that malfunction. Sometimes this malfunction is due to a health problem, such as a spinal cord injury or a pinched nerve in the neck or back. Other causes are
- Straining or overusing a muscle
- Dehydration
- A lack of minerals in your diet or the depletion of minerals in your body
- Not enough blood getting to your muscles
Cramps can be very painful. Stretching or gently massaging the muscle can relieve this pain.
- Muscle Cramp(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00200
- Muscle Cramp(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/muscle-cramp/DS00311/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Leg Cramps (DSHI Systems) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.freemd.com/leg-cramps-unilateral/visit-virtual-doctor.htm
- Heat Cramps: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/first-aid-heat-cramps/FA00021/METHOD=print
- Night Leg Cramps: What Causes Them?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/night-leg-cramps/AN00499/METHOD=print
- Stiffness, Cramps and Twitching(Muscular Dystrophy Association) - http://www.mda.org/publications/Quest/q73ss.html
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Muscles(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/muscles/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/musclesspanish/htm/index.htm
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Muscles
(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/muscles/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/musclesspanish/htm/index.htm
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Muscle Cramp
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Muscle+Cramp%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Factors associated with acute diarrhoea in children in Dhahira, Oman:... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18720621&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Update on tizanidine for muscle spasticity and emerging indications. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18671474&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Are statin medications safe in patients with ALS? - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18608105&tool=MedlinePlus
- Muscle Cramps -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=muscle+cramp[mh]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+2+Years&tool=MedlinePlus
- Muscle Cramps - http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v:project=medlineplus&binning-state=group%3d%3dMedical%20Encyclopedia&query=Muscle+Cramps
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons - http://www.aaos.org/
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National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/
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Your Muscles(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/muscles.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/cuerpo/muscles_esp.html
- Dystonia - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dystonia.html
- Muscle Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/muscledisorders.html
- Sports Injuries - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sportsinjuries.html
- Bones, Joints and Muscles - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonesjointsandmuscles.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Muscle Cramps is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/