Muscle cramps are painful spasms of muscles that can occur anywhere in the body. People think mostly of cramps that occur in the legs, sometimes called charley horses, but you can get cramps in your feet, arms, shoulders, hips, hands or back. Muscle cramps are often marked by the body stiffening in the cramped area, and an inability to relax the area for several minutes to sometimes several hours.

There are many causes of muscle cramps. You can get them if you have worked out too hard, especially if you don’t stretch first. They also can result if you’ve used a specific muscle group or muscle, much more often than you normally do. For instance you could get cramps in your arms or fingers after extensive raking of a yard. Kids may occasionally get cramps in the fingers from too much writing at school, especially if their pencil grip is too tight.

Another common cause of muscle cramps is dehydration. If you fail to drink enough water, especially when you’re being physically active, and particularly if the weather is warm or hot, you may suffer from cramps immediately after or even during activity. Sometimes people have cramps that occur at night instead.

Other causes of muscle cramps include things like depletion of certain minerals, mainly magnesium and calcium. If you get cramps frequently it may help to have a serving of dairy products before you head to bed at night. This can also sometimes help calm cramping associated with menstruation. Routine failure to get enough calcium and magnesium can translate to chronic cramping, and if you endure cramps all the time you should see your doctor about potential treatments and to look for causes.

If people have poor blood supply to the legs, they may get muscle cramps there when they are active. The cramping will usually stop when activity ceases. You should see a doctor if these cramps prevent you from being active. A few others causes may include imbalance of thyroid hormone, onset of diabetes, and chronic low blood sugar.

The occasional bout of cramps is usually not cause for concern though it can be uncomfortable. If you frequently get muscle cramps this may indicate underlying medical problems, though not always. It is truly advisable to seek medical attention and advice if cramps will not relent. You also may be able to avoid some muscle cramps by eating a diet that contains good levels of calcium and magnesium, by making sure not to overstrain muscles when exercising, by warming up before physical activity, and by making sure to avoid dehydration.