Muscle Cramps in Hands

I am sure many of you have experienced muscle cramps in hands. You experience a weird kind of numbness as if your hand has been paralyzed and when the pain starts to reduce, you feel as if hundreds of pins and needles are being poked into your muscles. These cramps can occur suddenly and sometimes they can be extremely painful.

What is It?

Cramps are involuntary reactions of our muscles that can occur in any part of our body, mainly the calf muscles, the back and the front of our thighs, and our abdominal area. These cramps are common, but at the same time they can be extremely painful and sometimes when they become severe, they might even leave a bruise on the skin of the person.

These usually occur when the muscles are working continuously without any rest or when the supply of blood, is cut short.

Causes

This condition usually occurs to a person who uses their hand muscles a lot. Sometimes, when we keep our hand in the same position for a long time, suddenly you might feel that your whole arm has become paralyzed. This is because the supply of blood which is required by the muscles, is cut off.

These cramps can also occur when we have been using our hands strenuously and the muscles have not been rested for long.

Another cause is deficiency of minerals such as sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. This deficiency might occur if the person is not following a proper healthy diet, which is rich in all these minerals. Some medicines or some therapies, such as chemotherapy might lead to certain side effects, muscle cramps being one.

Heavy exercises or sometimes problems of dehydration, pregnancy, or maybe lack of Vitamin D in the body, can also be responsible.

Treatment

Now that we know what are the various causes of muscle cramps, let us see how we can prevent it and also what are the remedies for this.

While working, if you suddenly feel that the muscle in your hand is getting cramped, then the first thing that you have to do is to stop your work and try and stretch your hand or just rub/massage the affected area vigorously, in order to heat up the muscles.

The heat generated, will relax them. You can also just stretch your hands and even flex your fingers, in order to relieve the pain.

Include lots of magnesium, sodium, calcium, and potassium in your diet. Eat lots of nuts and beans and other foods that will provide you with these minerals. Dairy products and oranges and bananas, are rich in calcium, hence you should increase the intake of these products.

These cramps might also occur due to old age or arthritis. In this case, the person should take in pure vegetable juices, such as carrot juice or juice of green leafy vegetables. Sometimes, an ice pack placed on the affected area can help a lot.

Usually, when we get these cramps, the muscles automatically relax after sometime. However, sometimes, when the condition becomes too severe or painful, then one has to visit a doctor so that he/she does not suffer from serious problems like tendonitis or carpal tunnel syndrome. Also, if these cramps occur quite frequently, then medical attention is needed.

To stay away from cramps it is important that a healthy lifestyle is maintained. One should exercise regularly, and eat properly. This will not only keep you away from cramps, but will also improve your overall quality of life.

Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.