Leg cramps in the elderly

Introduction Some elderly people experience leg cramps during sleep at night or during the day. There are many reasons for cramps in the elderly. Usually people tend to associate leg cramps with calcium deficiency, because calcium deficiency does cause leg cramps. However, the elderly leg cramps are not caused by calcium deficiency. A considerable part of the elderly have leg cramps associated with poor blood circulation in the legs. The muscle spasms that are born in the calves and toes are the most common, and the pain is unbearable during the attack. Especially when the cramps are in the middle of the night, people often wake up. For a long time, they can not relieve pain and affect sleep.

Cause

Middle-aged and elderly people have almost experienced calf cramps. Calf cramps, medically known as gastrocnemius tendon. In the past, people often thought that this was caused by calcium deficiency. In fact, many reasons can cause leg cramps in middle-aged and elderly people.

1. Lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans

According to the data, those middle-aged and elderly patients with frequent cramps, especially at night, some mistakenly believe that calcium deficiency, calcium supplementation for a long time, delays the diagnosis and treatment of lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans, resulting in amputation, a profound lesson. Therefore, middle-aged and elderly people, especially those with cardio-cerebral vascular disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and family history of diabetes, should have atherosclerosis when they have symptoms such as lower limb pain, leg cramps, and inconvenient walking. Occlusion.

2, lumbar disc herniation

According to clinical research, the incidence of leg cramps can be as high as 70% in patients with confirmed lumbar disc herniation.

3, spinal degenerative disease

With the increase of age, the spine of the middle-aged and elderly people will undergo degenerative changes, such as bone hyperplasia, due to the compression of the spinal nerve roots and the decrease of blood flow in the spinal nerve roots, leg cramps occur.

4, drug-induced leg cramps

There have been reports of leg cramps due to taking antibiotics such as azithromycin. Therefore, middle-aged and elderly people who often take a variety of drugs should pay attention to the precautions and adverse reactions of drugs.

5, nutritional leg cramps

Malnutrition can cause muscle cramps, especially when the vitamin B1 is deficient.

6, aging leg cramps

Leg cramps are a common manifestation of aging in the elderly.

7, other aspects

Cold stimulation, excessive fatigue or strenuous exercise, swimming, long walks or mountain climbing, varicose veins of the lower extremities can also cause calf cramps.

an examination

Related inspection

Determination of trace elements in trace elements in humans

Generally, leg muscles can be involuntarily contracted. It is best to go to the hospital for a lumbar examination and trace element examination to determine the cause of treatment.

Differential diagnosis

Differential diagnosis of elderly leg cramps:

1, the body tonic convulsions: body muscle rigidity, bursts of twitching, angulation of the horns (head back, the whole body is curved back and bowed), eyes up or gaze, unconscious.

2, limited convulsions: only local muscle twitch, such as only one side of the body twitch, or facial muscle twitch, or finger, toe twitch, or eyeball rotation, nystagmus, blinking action, gaze and so on. Most of them are unconscious. The fashion of the above ventilating can be a few seconds or a few minutes, in severe cases, several minutes or repeated episodes, and the convulsion lasts for more than 30 minutes.

3, febrile seizures: mainly seen in children from 6 months to 4 years old when the high heat occurred in the wind. The febrile seizures are short-lived, and the recovery is quick after the pumping. Most of them occur in the early stage of fever. In a fever of the disease, there is often only one episode of convulsion, which can rule out diseases and other serious diseases in the brain. The EEG is normal.

The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments.