Muscle cramp

Cramp is a sudden, involuntary, painful muscle contraction or spasm. Idiopathic cramps are common. About 80% of cramps involve the calf muscles. The average duration of a cramp is 8–9 minutes in adults and about 2 minutes in children. The duration of a cramp can be reduced by actively or passively stretching the affected muscle. Only about a quarter of cramp cases are associated with other conditions or diseases. Cramps are more common in pregnant women, during stretching exercises, in patients undergoing dialysis, and in patients with liver cirrhosis. Benign cramps often occur at night.

Source | Author Doctor Nikas Samuolis, reviewed by Prof. Virginijus Šapoka | Vilnius University | Faculty of Medicine | Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Oncology