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What are LEG CRAMPS?
- Cramp is a term often used
to refer to a painful, involuntary contraction of a single
muscle or a muscle group.
- Leg cramps frequently occur in
the legs of elderly patients and can be extremely painful.
- Severe leg cramps my be followed by residual tenderness and evidence of muscle fiber
necrosis, including elevation of serum creatinine kinase.
- Cramps in the calf muscles are so
common as to be considered normal, but more generalized cramps may be a
sign of chronic disease of the motor neuron.
- Complaints of muscle pain and muscle fatigue are among the most frequent
symptoms offered by patients. The decision as to which patients require
extensive diagnostic tests can usually be made by history, examination,
and routine blood studies.
- Muscle cramps can be particularly troublesome during pregnancy, in
patients with electrolyte disturbances (hyponatremia), and in patients
on hemodialysis.
- Spasms (abnormal movements of
muscle) may arise from abnormal electrical activity of the central
nervous system (CNS) mediated via the motor neuron or occur within the
motor neuron or muscle fiber itself.
Causes of LEG CRAMPS
- In many cases, it is impossible to determine the cause of
the leg cramps.
- Muscle cramps can arise
from spontaneous firing of special nerve groups followed by contraction
of certain muscle fibers.
- Cramps that are recurrent and localized to one muscle group may suggest nerve
root disease.
Treatment of LEG CRAMPS
- The decision to treat a
patient with leg cramps depends on the severity and degree of
impairment.
- If the pain is mild and self-limiting, topical and/or oral
non-prescription analgesics may be appropriate. (Specific products may be
recommended by a physician or pharmacist.)
- For more severe pain or if the pain is referred, the patient should
see their physician for further evaluation.
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