why are my legs cramping so bad?
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Overuse of a muscle, dehydration, muscle strain or simply holding a position for a prolonged period can cause a muscle cramp. In many cases, however, the cause isn't known. Although most muscle cramps are harmless, some may be related to an underlying medical condition, such as: Inadequate blood supply.
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Menstrual cramps happen because of contractions in the uterus, or womb, which is a muscle. If it contracts too strongly during your menstrual cycle, it can press against nearby blood vessels. This briefly cuts off the supply of oxygen to the uterus. It's this lack of oxygen causes your pain and cramping.
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What Causes Leg Cramps on Keto. Keto-related leg cramps are typically due to an essential mineral imbalance (usually magnesium but also possibly sodium and potassium) as well as dehydration. This imbalance tends to occur only before your body begins regularly leveraging ketones for energy rather than glucose.
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Foot cramps happen when a muscle in your foot suddenly squeezes and can't relax. The feeling you get ranges from a slight tic to an intense spasm that causes a lot of pain. Foot cramps are usually harmless. Often, you can take care of the pain yourself at home.
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It's no surprise to hear that menstrual cramps can be painful. But how painful? Painful menstrual cramps — technically called dysmenorrhea — can cause pain that's "almost as bad as having a heart attack," Dr. John Guillebaud, a professor of reproductive health at University College London, told Quartz.
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Cramps are caused by prostaglandins (say: pross-tuh-GLAN-dinz), chemicals a girl's body produces to make the muscles of the uterus contract. The contracting muscles help push the blood out through a girl's vagina during her period. You probably know periods usually come once a month.
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No one knows for sure why women get more leg cramps during pregnancy. It may have to do with changes in blood circulation and stress on your leg muscles from carrying extra weight. Your growing baby also puts pressure on the nerves and blood vessels that go to your legs.
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Peripheral artery disease and high blood pressure If high blood pressure is left untreated for a long time, it can put extra strain on the arteries in your arms and legs and may cause the blood vessels in the legs to narrow, causing painful cramps.
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You're not alone — many pregnant women get these lower leg cramps, often in the middle of the night in the second and third trimesters. Experts aren't sure what causes "charley horses" (the nonclinical name for painful cramps in your calf muscles). Although they can be extremely painful, charley horses are — luckily!
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It's not normal, however, to have bad period cramps that entire time. Two or three days of menstrual discomfort is considered to be normal. Cramps may start the day of or day just before the bleeding starts, but they should not continue all the way until the end of your period.
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Leg cramps during pregnancy might be caused by fatigue, the uterus pressing on certain nerves, or decreased circulation in the legs from the pressure of the baby on blood vessels. They might also be caused by calcium or magnesium deficiency, or dehydration.
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The cause is usually having too many prostaglandins, which are chemicals that your uterus makes. These chemicals make the muscles of your uterus tighten and relax, and this causes the cramps. The pain can start a day or two before your period. It normally lasts for a few days, though in some women it can last longer.
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Leg pain and cramping can also be a sign of vascular claudication, which occurs when there's a narrowing of the arteries in the leg caused by peripheral artery disease. Pain occurs because your leg muscles are not getting enough blood.
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cramp will often occur in both legs or at least in more than one area; as opposed to a blood clot, symptoms of which will most typically be concentrated in one leg. cramp and pulled muscles will cause pain but not necessarily hot skin or redness in the affected area.
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A smaller body of research also suggests that diabetes can increase your risk of experiencing leg cramps, potentially due to swings in blood sugar levels, certain medications, and long-term complications such as diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage).
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3. Muscle Cramps Are a Dehydration Symptom, Likely From Heat Illness. When your body loses enough fluid, it's unable to cool itself off adequately, leading to heat illness, notes OrthoInfo. One symptom to look out for is muscle cramps, which can happen while exercising, particularly in hot weather.
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Studies show that lack of potassium, sodium or calcium is linked to frequent leg cramps. Daily servings of fruits like oranges, melon, or bananas, and drinking milk or tomato juice can help prevent painful leg cramps. Experts also advise avoiding caffeine.