Definition
Muscle cramps are sudden and involuntary, painful contractions of the muscles, which usually end without external influences and are only of short duration. The cramps can be triggered by various factors and affect different muscle groups – for example the foot muscles. Nevertheless, the mechanism behind the development of muscle cramps is still only partially understood today.
Causes for cramps in the toes
These are the most common causes of cramps in the toes: Muscle cramps in general are divided into three categories based on various aspects. 1. symptomatic and 2. idiopathic cramps are rather rare. The former always occur as a symptom of an underlying internal or neurological disease, whereas the cause of idiopathic cramps is not known.
However, by far the largest number of cramps fall into the 3rd category of paraphysiological (i.e. not disease-related) cramps, which under certain conditions also occur in healthy individuals. Paraphysiological: Among the causes for the development of paraphysiological cramps are mainly disorders of the electrolyte balance. A deficiency of the electrolytes magnesium and calcium is particularly common.
Electrolyte shifts can occur, among other things, when there is increased sweating. Ultimately, this leads to an excessive release of calcium in the muscle cells, which in turn causes a painful permanent contraction of the muscle. Another cause of a disturbed electrolyte balance is high alcohol consumption.
Alcohol inhibits the release of the so-called anti-diuretic hormone, which is responsible for the reabsorption of water in the kidney. A deficiency of this hormone when consuming alcohol causes too much water to be released via the kidneys – this leads to dehydration of the body, which in turn can cause cramps. Symptomatic: There is a long list of diseases that can lead to symptomatic muscle cramps in the toes, but also in general.
These include internal diseases such as arterial occlusive disease or hyperthyroidism. However, diseases of the muscles themselves or neurological diseases such as polyneuropathy can also cause cramps. Finally, side effects of medication can also be responsible. Some of the drugs known to cause muscle cramps include diuretics (drugs to flush out water) and beta blockers.
- Magnesium or calcium deficiency
- Alcohol consumption
- Arterial occlusive disease
- Drug side effects (diuretics or beta blockers)
- Hyperthyroidism
- Polyneuropathy
