Introduction
A cramp is the contraction of the muscles, which is usually short-lived and is distinguished from a muscle spasm or contracture. The causes of cramps are manifold and are partly based on previous illnesses. There are also muscle spasms without any disease value.
Paraphysiological cramps
Muscle cramps can be divided into three major groups. Firstly, there are the paraphysiological cramps, which are among the most frequent cramps and whose cause is a change in the electrolyte balance, for example due to heavy alcohol consumption, excessive sweating, physical activity or hyperventilation. Elderly people are also susceptible to paraphysiological muscle cramps, as the muscles shorten with age and low fluid intake is an additional risk factor.
In addition, a woman’s electrolyte balance is altered and thus disturbed during pregnancy and also during the menopause, so that paraphysiological muscle cramps can also occur here without any disease value. In these cases, the ratio of fluid and salts in the blood shifts due to reduced fluid intake or increased mineral loss. Too little salt and minerals lead to disturbance of muscle excitation and premature muscle contraction.
Idiopathic cramps
Another group of muscular spasms are idiopathic spasms. The exact cause is not yet known, but a genetic predisposition can be suspected.
Symptomatic cramps
The last group includes symptomatic cramps that are caused by serious underlying diseases. These include diseases of the cardiovascular system, the brain and nervous system, the hormone balance, in particular of the thyroid gland, the musculature, circulatory disorders and also orthopedic causes such as malpositions, diseases of the psyche or the side effects of medication as well as poisoning.
Convulsions, colics, spasms
In addition to the three different groups of causes, cramps can also be subdivided according to occurrence and type. For this purpose, convulsions, colics and spasms are differentiated. Convulsions are cerebral seizures that often follow one after the other, which can be observed in epilepsy, for example.
Here, not only individual muscle groups are affected, but muscle twitches occur all over the body. In contrast, colics mainly affect hollow organs of the gastrointestinal tract or the urinary system. Here, cramps of the smooth musculature occur.
These are very painful and usually occur in attacks. These cramps can be caused by inflammation or stones that block a duct system, such as the ureters. Spasticity, on the other hand, is an inherent tension of the skeletal muscles, which is due to damage to the brain or spinal cord.
However, spasms are also referred to as spasms when the blood vessels or bronchi are cramped. They are then called vasospasm or bronchospasm. A bronchospasm can, for example, occur as a result of bronchial asthma and lead to respiratory distress.
Tonic spasms are long-lasting and very painful spasms that can be triggered, for example, by tetanus. In addition to the direct therapy of the cramps, it is important to identify the correct cause and possibly an underlying disease in order to alleviate the symptoms and also to treat it. The latest study results discuss whether the cause of the muscle cramps is mainly caused by a neuromuscular imbalance. Researchers and sports scientists assume that there is an imbalance between the so-called Golgi tendon organs and the muscle spindles, which leads to an increased muscle frequency and thus to muscle cramps. However, this hypothesis will be examined in more detail in the following studies.
