Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night with severe leg cramps? If you have, you know it’s a painful situation. Sometimes, you can even see the calf muscle contract and go into spasm right before your very eyes. Unfortunately, it happens to many people at one time or another. For the most part, muscle cramps are benign – that is, with a quick self-massage or by simply walking it off, the pain and spasm will subside. Sometimes, however, cramps can be much more serious than that.
A muscle cramp is a sudden, uncontrolled contraction of a muscle. Night cramps often occur in the calf muscle and usually right before falling asleep, but many people have experienced them while in a dead slumber. They generally last about a minute or less but can go on much longer. Either way, it seems like a lifetime when the muscle is cramping.
Many things can cause leg cramps – dehydration, excess weight, medication, and overtraining, to name a few – but I want to talk about a more serious form of leg cramping called deep vein thrombosis.
Deep Vein Thrombosis
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein, usually in the leg, but it can also form in an arm. Although a DVT can develop in the thigh or pelvis, the calf muscle is the most common area for these clots to occur.
A DVT feels a little different from a typical leg cramp. It’s more like a deep ache than a spasmodic contraction. It’s also frequently associated with swelling, discoloration, warm skin, fever, and visible surface veins (varicosities).
A DVT can be caused by several things, including surgeries (particularly of the hip, leg, or abdomen), pregnancy, prolonged bed rest, or sitting for a long time, like when on a plane. The elderly are particularly prone to developing deep vein thromboses, but anybody can acquire them, especially if they are inactive. Clots are formed from inactivity because blood can pool in the lower legs and stagnate there. Clotting factors are chemicals that stop our bleeding when we develop a wound. Why does this happen? Let’s take a look.
Blood circulates in the body through blood vessels—arteries and veins. Arteries carry blood away from the heart, while veins bring blood back towards the heart. The arteries, with their inherent squeezing muscle layer, are also helped by the heart, a large and powerful pump. The heart works tirelessly, 24/7, pumping blood to all areas of the body, including the distal appendages—the arms and the legs.
The veins, however, are not so lucky. They have to rely on muscular contractions of the arms and legs alone; there is no pump to help push the blood upward toward the lungs. Not a problem, though. All that is required is movement. It is one reason I push all my clients to keep moving. Movement is essential for many functions, not just your looks or weight – it’s like having a car that mostly sits in the garage – you’ve got to start it up and take it for a spin now and again. Otherwise, it’s not going to start at all one day.
When a body is inactive for an extended period of time—even as short as five hours, like on a cross-country flight—blood can stagnate, and a clot can form. DVT is a serious situation because if a clot dislodges, it can travel to the lungs and lodge there. This is called a pulmonary embolism, and it can kill you quickly.
The Answer Is?
If you suspect a DVT, please consult your medical doctor. Several treatment options are available; it will be relatively painless if you catch it soon enough. But, as they say, the best cure is prevention. So, how can you prevent a DVT? You do so by engaging in regular cardiovascular activity – running, swimming, biking, break dancing – to keep your blood flowing. Weight training is also excellent, but I wouldn’t substitute it for cardiovascular exercise.
And, of course, stretching – yes, stretching! I’ll say it again and again and again. You’ve got to do it – regularly! Not only does it provide a multitude of benefits, but the disadvantages of not doing it are unreasonable – DVT happens to be one major one. And finally, to reiterate another adage of mine: drink plenty of water. Water adds volume to your blood, and voluminous blood flows better.
So, don’t let a deep vein thrombosis or a blood clot cramp your style. Do cardiovascular exercises regularly, stretch, and drink plenty of water. If you are on a long flight, get up at least once every hour, walk around, and do calf raises and other airplane stretches. Most importantly, keep moving—it’s one of the best medicines I know.
*Come back next month and catch Part Two of Don’t Cramp Your Style.
– July 3, 2007 (original publication date)
