The Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) recommends that women and men see their family doctor when they experience cramps more than twice a week without being caused by muscle fatigue or lack of blood supply, since they are an important alert to detect chronic-degenerative diseases.
The clinical coordinator of Internal Medicine of the Hospital General de Zona (HGZ) 2-A “Troncoso”, Dr. Gustavo Acevedo Steinmann, pointed out that cramps are a sudden contraction of the muscles that are mainly caused by muscle exhaustion or some hydroelectrolyte imbalance, although it could also be a symptom related to thyroid problems, kidney disorders or diabetes mellitus.
He stressed that beneficiaries who present frequent cramps should go to their IMSS Family Medicine Unit (UMF) where they will be provided with multidisciplinary care, it will be identified if they have diabetes, chronic kidney failure or suffer from another disease that alters electrolytes, to determine appropriate medical management.
“The recommendation about cramps is that if they are not associated with any physical activity as such, it is important that they go to their doctor, to their Family Medicine Unit to study any added pathology,” he urged.
He added that people who present sudden and involuntary contractions of one or more muscles, which is generally in the lower extremities such as legs, calves or toes, should consume foods rich in potassium such as tomatoes, oranges and bananas, in addition to always keeping well hydrated with plain water.
The clinical coordinator of HGZ 2-A “Troncoso” explained that a cramp is generated in any part of the body due to an alteration of electrolytes, such as sodium, calcium and potassium, and its presence can be from a common manifestation in the muscles, to an alert of inadequate control of chronic-degenerative diseases.
He added that some people with long-term diabetes mellitus have changes in muscle fibers but are unaware of their health status until symptoms such as cramps appear, so it is important that these patients adhere to regular medical check-ups at their nearest UMF.
“The cramps are very painful in most cases, although the intensity of the pain varies depending on the contraction, they can occur in multiple situations and the way to solve them is normally to do a passive stretch of the extremity, which consists of extending from straight way and without moving the part of the body where the discomfort is occurring,” he said.
Gustavo Acevedo Steinmann added that another aspect that must be considered regarding the appearance of cramps is a sedentary lifestyle, which leads to muscular immobility and prevents adequate blood circulation and correct oxygenation of the muscles, in addition to constituting a risk factor for obesity.
“The cramps can occur at any age, however they are more frequent from the fifth decade of life due to the conditions that occur at this stage of life,” he said.