Introduction
Calf cramps are painful, mostly acute and not long lasting pain in the muscle area of the calves. They can occur at rest and suddenly, but also after and during great exertion. In most cases, a sudden onset of pain in the calf muscle area occurs.
This pain has a pulling and biting character and can also continue into the upper leg muscles. When touching the affected muscles, a strong hardening is quickly noticeable. The striated musculature of the body is made up of so-called actin and myosin, which are interlocked with each other.
The closest comparison can be made with a zipper. When a muscle movement occurs, the corresponding muscles contract. The different heads slide past each other and “lock” into a different position after the muscle has moved.
The smaller these distances are, the “finer” the muscle moves. In the case of a cramp, however, the heads skip corresponding resting points, resulting in entire stretches that do not lock in place. This is associated with corresponding severe pain.
In addition to the pain and the hardening of the muscles, there are also often functional limitations, i.e. habitual movements in the leg cannot be carried out for the period of time when the cramp occurs. Cramps usually last only a few seconds or minutes and loosen by themselves. Sometimes several cramp episodes can occur in quick succession, which is extremely disturbing and unpleasant.
An aggravating factor in muscle cramps is that the person suffering from a calf cramp tries to relax the muscles, but this does not succeed and leads to the opposite, i.e. an intensified hardening of the muscles, which in turn leads to increased pain. Many people tighten the leg, try to massage the hardened area with their hands and relax. In some cases this is successful.
More effective, on the other hand, is to keep the foot firmly on the floor. It is important to get the leg into a different movement. If the affected person stands on the corresponding leg and bounces on the floor a few times, the cramp usually disappears. With the disappearance of the cramp, the calf muscles are also loosened immediately. Immediately afterwards, however, there is a milder pulling pain that often lasts another day or two and is similar to a sore muscle.
