Leg cramps is a common medical condition that is seen in foot clinics and orthopedic clinics around the world. Though it is usually a medical condition, there are many instances where the leg cramps can occur for simple reasons and the management of the leg cramps can also be very simple. A person has to know what causes leg cramps so that they will be able to manage the condition effectively or at least be able to do first aid for the condition if the condition causes major problems and looks very dangerous.
There are many reasons for a person to get leg cramps. One of the primary reasons for the leg cramps is dehydration of the individual. A person who has not had a balanced diet or a person who has been heavily overworked can have dehydration because of sweating. The loss of the water from the body can also have associated loss of various salts that can cause the person to have leg cramps. The common minerals that are lost when the person usually gets leg cramps are loss of minerals like Calcium, Potassium and Magnesium. The loss of these things causes the individual to have leg cramps because the muscles are not able to function without them.
Injury to the leg can also be a common cause of leg cramps. There are many people who have a lot of injuries occurring in their legs. These injuries can be in the muscle or in the ligaments. Whichever part of the leg is injured, the person has the muscles going into spasm. This is another of the major causes of the person to have leg cramps. When the individual has injuries and the muscles are in spasm, it causes the person to have leg cramps. In fact muscle spasm is considered to be another of the major causes of leg cramps. Other than injuries, muscle cramps can also occur in an individual when the person has cramps due to some other reasons.
A person who has been walking for a long time or doing strenuous activity for a long time will also have a high chance of having leg cramps. This could either be because of the presence of any injuries to the leg because of the sustained work that the muscle has been doing. The spasm could also be due to the build up of lactic acid that is produced when the muscle works for a long time.