Causes

In general, cramps in the legs can have various causes. Elderly people are more often affected by cramps in the legs. The reason for this is the usually reduced drinking amount of older people or the unbalanced diet.

This disturbs the fluid and mineral balance. In addition, of course, with age the muscles shorten and muscle mass is reduced. Magnesium plays an important role in the mineral balance.

If a magnesium deficiency occurs, the damping, muscle-relaxing properties of magnesium are missing and uncontrollable impulses and muscle cramps occur. A magnesium deficiency is often caused by an unbalanced diet. Also nervous diseases, the so-called polyneuropathies, which can have different causes, can be responsible for calf cramps.

Likewise, an underactive thyroid gland can be responsible for cramps in the legs. In addition to the thyroid glands, the four parathyroid glands also play a role, more precisely an underfunction of these. The parathyroid glands produce parathormone, which regulates the calcium balance, among other things.

If too little parathormone is produced, the calcium concentration drops and the phosphate concentration rises. Since calcium mediates the tensing of muscles, overexcitable muscles are formed and as a result muscle cramps occur. In addition to these common and largely harmless causes, there are also rarer causes with a higher disease value.

If the symptoms of a calf cramp occur repeatedly, possibly not only limited to the legs and feet, and additional symptoms such as pain, swelling or numbness occur, the cause can be more serious. One cause may be severely restricted kidney function, as the kidney is responsible for maintaining the fluid, acid-base and electrolyte balance. Patients who require dialysis (dialysis = blood washing) in particular sometimes suffer from frequent calf cramps because their mineral balance is disturbed.

Diabetics are also prone to calf cramps. Initially, the calf cramps are also caused by disturbances of the electrolyte balance, but later, if the sugar levels are poorly adjusted, nerves are damaged and a so-called polyneuropathy develops, which can cause cramps and numbness. The so-called diabetes insipidus disease also leads to disturbances of the electrolyte balance.

The cause of this is either a hormone deficiency from the pituitary gland or a functional disorder of the kidney, so that it cannot respond properly to the hormone from the pituitary gland. As a result, there is an increased feeling of thirst with a strong urge to urinate, similar to diabetes mellitus, the sugar disease. The adrenal glands also have an influence on the electrolyte balance.

Various hormones are produced in the cortex of the adrenal glands, including glucocorticoids (e.g. cortisol) and mineralocorticoids (e.g. aldosterone). Both hormone classes are important for the mineral balance.

If the adrenal cortex is underfunctioning, this mainly affects the potassium and sodium balance. There are two opposing causes for cramps in the legs, among others. On the one hand, the muscles may be understrained, but on the other hand, they may also have been overstrained.

Overstressing occurs particularly in competitive athletes if they do not allow their bodies enough rest. If strong sweating and too little fluid intake are added, the fluid and electrolyte balance is additionally disturbed. Electrolytes are important minerals that are needed by nerves to transmit stimuli to the muscles so that they either tense or relax.

Magnesium and potassium are particularly important for the muscles. In contrast, muscle cramps often occur even after a longer break from training, when the muscles have shortened due to the lack of exercise. People who do little or no sport usually get muscle cramps at night.Overall, it can be said that over- or underuse of the muscles, a temporary lack of fluids and minerals (for example through vomiting and diarrhoea), pregnancy and metabolically induced nerve damage in the context of alcohol or a sugar disease are the most common causes of cramps in the legs.

Alcoholics or people with an increased alcohol consumption also frequently experience cramps and sensations in their legs. These symptoms are to be seen as signs of a deficiency due to an unbalanced diet and as signs of nerve damage and should be perceived as a warning signal. Infections with massive vomiting and diarrhea can lead to cramps due to the high electrolyte and fluid loss. Some drugs can also cause calf cramps. These include drugs for high blood pressure, cholesterol reducers, chemotherapeutics, asthma sprays, laxatives and hormonal contraceptives.