What Is A Muscle Cramp?

‘Muscle cramps are a common and usually harmless condition where the muscles suddenly become tight and painful’

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/legcrampsunknowncause/pages/introduction.aspx

There are two types of muscle cramp

1. Exercise Associated Muscle Cramp 

This type of cramp can be caused by:

• Overuse / fatigue of muscles
• Shortened resting muscle length
• Electrolyte imbalance (altered potassium, calcium and magnesium levels)
• Poor recovery from a previous cramp
• Pregnancy

2. Nocturnal Cramp

This type of cramp can be caused by:

• Dehydration
• Pregnancy
• Poor circulation
• Medication such as statins, calcium channel blockers, steroids and diuretics

At Jonathan Clark Physiotherapy, our therapists can help to determine the cause of your muscle cramp and offer education and advice to help reduce this. We can discuss lifestyle factors such as fluid and vitamin intake, as well as modification of exercise programmes to ensure effective warm up and cool down phases.  

We can also provide tailored exercise and stretching programmes to length shortened muscles and restore joint range of movement. Our treatments also include tissue massage to aid circulation and loosen tight muscles.