What are seizures?
Cramps are paroxysmal, involuntary contraction of muscles as a result of their overstrain. Convulsions occur suddenly and do not last long, but after a certain interval of time they can be repeated. They usually cause severe pain. Young people complain of painful cramps much less often than the elderly and children. Such muscle contractions occur predominantly at night when the body is warm and asleep, or during muscle activity.
The calf muscles are most susceptible to cramps, less so are the hips, back, neck and abdomen. Cramps can be both in one muscle and cover a group of muscles.
Causes of seizures
Cramps appear due to insufficient blood circulation in the muscles, especially during physical exertion. For some, convulsions appear and intensify when exposed to external stimuli – pricking the body with a needle, sudden loud sounds, alcohol abuse.
A factor in the development of seizures in athletes is a lack of salt in the body, caused by increased sweating.
Even repetitive movements, such as typing on a keyboard or moving a computer mouse, can cause seizures.
Night cramps are the result of a complex of psychophysiological disorders (low blood circulation and stress).
If the same muscle groups are under load, then when tired, they can also be subject to convulsive contractions. This is especially true for people who work standing up.
Sometimes convulsions are a consequence of diseases of the nervous system (epilepsy, tetanus, neurosis), poisoning, metabolic disorders or the activity of the endocrine glands.
Convulsions in children are associated with insufficient maturity of the brain and nerve fibers, weak inhibitory mechanisms. The development of convulsive readiness is influenced by harmful factors during pregnancy of the mother, childbirth and the postpartum phase, acting on the nervous system of the baby. Before childbirth, it can be toxicosis, intrauterine infection, drug intoxication, acute and chronic diseases of the mother; during childbirth – mechanical damage to the fetal brain; after childbirth – infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, complications after vaccination, traumatic brain injury.
Spasms of the calf muscles are also an independent disease, and may be accompanied by any disease (for example, varicose veins). They occur during a long walk, swimming.
Video: neuropathologist about the causes and treatment of seizures during sleep: