Muscle Cramps

Muscle cramps are pain in your muscles when they suddenly tighten. Muscle cramps last from a few seconds to several minutes.

• Muscle cramps usually come on without warning

• Muscle cramps are common in healthy people, especially middle-aged and older adults

• Cramps can happen during or right after hard exercise, or while you're in bed at night

• Muscle cramps very rarely are a symptom of a nerve problem

Common causes of muscle cramps:

• Harmless cramps that happen for no reason

• Exercise (either during exercise or right after)

You're more likely to get cramps if:

• Your calf muscles are tight from not stretching

• You sit for long periods of time

• You don't have enough minerals (electrolytes) in your blood, which can happen if you take diuretics (water pills), are in your last months of pregnancy, or have problems such as or alcohol use disorder

• You're on dialysis for kidney problems

• Your thyroid doesn’t make enough hormone (hypothyroidism)

• You take certain medicines

See a doctor right away if you have muscle cramps and any of these warning signs:

• Cramps in your chest, arms, or belly

• Weakness or losing feeling in parts of your body

• Muscle twitches

• Cramps started after you lost a lot of body fluids from throwing up, sweating a lot, having diarrhea, or taking diuretics (medicine that makes you urinate [pee] more)

Call your doctor in 1 to 2 days if:

• You frequently have leg cramps that come while walking and go away as soon as you stop

• Your cramps started after you began taking a new medicine

• You drink a lot of alcohol

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and do a physical exam.

Sometimes, doctors will do blood tests to check for other problems that can be causing your symptoms.

If your cramps are caused by another health problem, doctors will treat that problem.

If your cramps are the harmless but painful kind, you can relieve them by:

• Stretching the muscle

For example, if the cramp is in your calf, stretch your calf by pulling your toes up toward your head (the runner's stretch or standing gastrocnemius stretch).

• Gently stretch your muscles before you exercise or go to bed

• After you exercise, drink water and other fluids (especially sports drinks, which have electrolytes)

• Don’t do a lot of hard exercise right after you eat