What causes leg cramps in children?

Children will always encounter problems of varying sizes as they grow up. Various problems occurring to children will not only affect their lives and studies, but will also have an impact on their physical condition. Many children have symptoms of leg pain and leg cramps. Most parents will be worried and anxious, not knowing the reason. In fact, parents do not need to worry too much. Let us understand what causes leg cramps in children?

Causes and solutions for cramps

The scientific name for cramps is muscle spasm, which is a spontaneous tonic contraction of muscles. Muscle cramps most commonly occur in the calves and toes. The pain is unbearable when they occur, especially in the middle of the night when cramps often wake people up in pain. The pain cannot be relieved for a long time and it affects sleep.

The most common causes of cramps are as follows:

① Cold stimulation from the external environment, such as low room temperature at night in winter, using a quilt that is too thin during sleep, or exposing legs and feet outside the quilt.

② Fatigue, lack of sleep, rest or excessive rest can lead to the accumulation of local acidic metabolic products, which can cause muscle spasms. Walking or exercising for too long, which causes excessive fatigue in the lower limbs, or lack of rest and sleep, can cause lactic acid accumulation. Sleeping and resting too much or too long can slow down blood circulation and cause carbon dioxide accumulation.

③ Decreased estrogen levels and osteoporosis in elderly women can cause low blood calcium levels, increased muscle irritability, and frequent cramps.

④ Bad sleeping posture, such as lying on your back for a long time with the quilt pressing on your feet, or lying on your stomach for a long time with your feet against the bed, forcing certain calf muscles to be in an absolutely relaxed state for a long time, causing "passive contracture" of the muscles.

What should you do when cramps occur? Taking different countermeasures according to different causes can quickly relieve cramps and relieve pain. When cramps occur, just do the opposite, that is, bend your toes in the direction opposite to the force and persist for more than 1 to 2 minutes, and the effect will be achieved. Specifically, if the muscles in the back of the calf cramp, you can bend your foot so that the sole of the foot is lifted up, and at the same time try to straighten the knee joint; when the muscles in the front of the calf cramp, you can press down on the sole of the foot and bend the toes forcefully.

To prevent cramps, you should pay attention to the following points:

① Drive away the cold and keep warm.

②Pay attention to your sleeping posture.

⑧Do not walk or exercise for too long.

④ Participate in physical exercise appropriately ⑼

⑤ Supplement some vitamin E if necessary.

⑥ Appropriate calcium supplementation. Foods containing lactic acid and amino acids, such as dairy products and lean meat, can promote the dissolution of calcium salts and help absorption.

Common leg cramps are actually calf muscle spasms, which manifest as calf muscles such as the gastrocnemius suddenly becoming very hard and painful, which can last from a few seconds to tens of seconds.

Regarding the condition of leg cramps in children, parents should first look for the cause from the child's own development. Severe leg cramps can be judged whether the child's body is lacking in calcium and trace elements. Bone development and growth, and pain during physiological development may cause leg cramps. You can massage your child and supplement more trace elements.