When your feet get cramps, you can’t walk or even stand comfortably. As for getting rid of cramps, then you should determine the cause and choose the best option for your feet.
Nighttime foot cramps are closely related to nocturnal leg cramps, so you might also feel these sensations in your calves or thighs.
Whatever the case, foot cramps during the night are more typical in individuals over the age of 50 and in women who are pregnant.
Causes
Inactivity
Sitting for extended periods of time or otherwise being non-active might make the muscles in your feet more apt to cramp.
Sitting with bad posture might likewise hinder blood flow to your feet or lead to nerve compression– two danger aspects for developing cramps.
Even your sleep position might be a consider flow and nerve concerns. So, you might desire to take a look at how you sleep to see if it may be contributing to nighttime cramping.
Overexertion of the muscles
On the other end of the spectrum, working the muscles in your feet too hard may make them vulnerable to cramping.
The muscle fibers in your feet constantly agreement and broaden to enable motion. If you do too much of an activity prematurely or work your feet too strenuously, you might experience fatigue in your muscles.
Tiredness depletes your body of oxygen and permits waste items to develop throughout the day and produce cramping and spasms during the night.
Inappropriate shoes or difficult surface areas
Using poorly fitted shoes or shoes without adequate assistance throughout the day may tax foot muscles also. Not just that, however standing or dealing with concrete floors or other tough surface areas can have a similar impact.
The foot muscles work extra tough to support the weight of your body. Improper footwear may likewise hinder the foot’s flow, cutting off blood and oxygen and producing painful spasms even when you’re off your feet.
Dehydration
Perhaps you’re not drinking sufficient water or you have a bout of diarrhea or other health problem that dehydrates you. Even exercising in hot weather condition can dehydrate you quickly, draining your body of precious fluids, salts, and minerals, like potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
When your body gets low in fluids and electrolytes, your muscles end up being more vulnerable to spasms and cramps. You continue sweating and losing fluids while you sleep. This why your foot cramps may develop in the overnight hours.
Nutrient deficiency
Deficiencies in vitamins B-12, thiamin, folate, and other B vitamins might cause nerve damage.
Magnesium and potassium shortages might lead to leg and foot cramps.
If you believe you may have a nutritional shortage, contact your doctor. An easy blood test can expose your levels and suggest to your doctor if any supplements or other treatment for underlying conditions is needed.
Note that taking a lot of supplements may actually trigger more damage than good.
Alcohol
Drinking alcohol may cause nerve damage and a condition referred to as alcoholic neuropathy. Symptoms consist of anything from muscle cramping and weak point to numbness and tingling in the arms or feet.
Not just that, however alcohol usage might also contribute to dehydration and nutritional shortages in crucial B vitamins.
Simply as with other nutritional deficiencies, lacking these vitamins might impair nerve function, making symptoms like muscle spasms worse.
Pregnancy
Women who are pregnant are more prone to leg and foot cramping during the night, particularly in the second and third trimesters.
Regrettably, scientists don’t know exactly why this is the case. Possible reasons might include:
- extra weight on the feet as baby grows
- dehydration
- nutritional deficiencies, particularly in magnesium
Health problems and medications
Medical conditions related to nighttime foot constraining include:
- structural issues, like spine stenosis and peripheral arterial disease
- metabolic issues, like kidney disease, anemia, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or type 1 or type 2 diabetes
- other conditions, like nerve damage, osteoarthritis, and Parkinson’s disease
Specific medications may also make you more prone to cramping. These consist of high blood pressure medications, statins, diuretics, birth control pills, etc.
If you’re on dialysis, this can also make you more prone to cramping, too.
Best Way to Get Rid of Cramps in the Foot
If among the following triggers or conditions is triggering your feet to cramp, your physician will advise the very best course of treatment.
Too-tight shoes
If your shoes are too tight or badly made, have your feet determined and verify the size you’re using against the size of your shoe. If the size is right, it may be that your shoes don’t have the appropriate support. You might need to switch shoe styles or brands and include helpful insoles or arch supports to relieve the feet cramping.
Dehydration
Sometimes it’s easier to get rid of a problem than you think. And, perhaps, from spasms in the feet, too, you can get rid of simply and without medication. If you’re detected with dehydration, your doctor will treat you according to the seriousness of your condition. For mild dehydration, you may be advised to drink lots of extra water and include an electrolyte beverage to assist renew fluids. Try making this delicious electrolyte beverage at home.
If you’re seriously dehydrated or can’t keep water down, your doctor might recommend intravenous (IV) fluids. In extreme cases, you might be hospitalized until symptoms have actually resolved.
Overexertion
If you’re overexerting yourself, your medical professional will suggest relaxing. While you probably require to continue working out, you may need to reduce just how much you’re doing till your muscles are ready to take on more.
Low levels of nutrients
If low potassium (hypokalemia), calcium (hypocalcemia), or magnesium (hypomagnesemia) is causing your muscle cramps, your medical professional may suggest supplements. For mild cases, oral supplements will bring your levels up. In serious cases, you may need IV potassium.
Nerve damage
If your medical professional detects nerve damage as the cause for your foot pain, they’ll want to determine the reason this has occurred. Medications for pain relief, topical creams (like capsaicin or lidocaine), antidepressants, and medications used for epilepsy might all assist alleviate nerve pain from peripheral neuropathy. Other treatments for neuropathy may consist of:
- physical treatment
- surgery
- plasmapheresis
- TENS therapy
- IV immune globulin
Medications
If your doctor figures out that your medication is triggering the cramps in your feet, they may want to change your prescription. In this manner, they can assess possible adverse effects of the new medication, and whether it will also cause your feet to cramp.
Questions and Answers
What does a foot cramp feel like?
Foot cramps are a kind of muscle cramp that takes place usually either in the arch of the foot, near the toes, or on the upper part of the foot. Sometimes the patient may feel as if a dozen needles are stuck in the foot. It is worth noting that the discomfort from a spasm is difficult to confuse with other pain.
How do you get rid of a cramp on the bottom of your foot?
In fact, spasms in the feet are most often felt on the sole of the foot. Therefore, the treatment of these spasms will be the same as we described above.
How do you massage a foot cramp?
Foot massage is a simple and pleasant process that should be done by anyone who suffers from spasms. Here is a good massage option to ease the pain from spasm attacks in the lower legs and feet in particular:
- Keep your foot and toes in the stretched position as you massage the area.
- Massage your foot and find the hardened muscle that is cramping. Utilizing your thumbs, massage the hardened area of the cramp. You may require to be fairly firm and aggressive over the hardened muscle to produce relief. Continue to massage the area up until the muscle starts to relax.
- Begin to massage the surrounding area, returning to the main trigger point as you massage. Operate in either circular or stretching movements with your hands as your massage the areas.
- Pull your toes upward as you massage if they are being drawn down or if your arch is cramping.
- Utilize a down pull to stretch your toes if they are constrained in a position that is pulling them up. Continue your massage for 2 to 3 minutes, or till you feel the cramped muscle has relaxed and is no longer painful.
