Muscle Cramps in Thighs

Commonly, muscle cramps in thighs happen while you are doing physical activities like exercise or lifting heavy weight etc. It is the result of an involuntary contraction of thigh muscles, which gives rise to a sharp pain. Due to the spasm, the thigh muscles become stiff and painful. Usually, the pain may last for hardly a few seconds or a minute and sometimes, it may continue for 15 minutes or so. However, the tenderness and discomfort of the cramped muscle may bother you for the next 24 hours. In some cases, muscle spasm in thighs recur a number of times in a short span of time. Though muscle cramps in thighs can occur to any person, pregnant women, obese people, elderly people are more susceptible to this problem. There are two muscle groups in the thighs which get affected by muscle cramps. They are quadriceps or the front thigh muscles and hamstrings or inner thigh muscles.

Causes of Muscle Cramps in Thighs

There are several reasons behind muscle cramps in thighs. Among them, the most common are overuse of muscles, strain in the muscles, injury in the muscles. Basically, muscles are made of a bunch of fibers whose expansion and contraction facilitates movements in our body. Due to inactivity, the fibers become inflexible. Under such condition, if someone starts doing rigorous exercises without any prior stretching of the muscles of the thigh areas, the muscle fatigue occurs and it is bound to give muscle cramps.

Dehydration is another cause of muscle cramps. If a person is doing some physical activity or exercise in a hot weather condition, it is likely that the body fluids supplied to the muscles get drained out very fast because of sweating. As a result, large amount of essential nutrients like magnesium, calcium, potassium, etc., that are responsible for keeping the muscles in a relaxed state, are lost in the process. This results in inner thigh muscle cramps. When the thigh muscles are overused by heavy exercises like leg presses or sitting in the same position for a long time, then the supply of oxygen in these muscles decreases and this kind of muscle spasm occurs.

Due to problems in the circulatory system of the body, insufficient amount of blood is supplied to the thigh muscles and this causes muscle spasms in thighs. Peripheral arterial disease is one such disorder, that may cause thigh muscle cramps at night. Other medical conditions responsible for muscle cramps in thighs include pregnancy, diabetes, spinal cord problems, underactive thyroid, kidney failure, alcoholism etc. Side effects of certain form of medications like, diuretics used for treating high blood pressure, birth control pills can cause muscle cramps too. To know more you can refer to medical causes for leg cramps .

Muscle Cramps Home Remedies

If the thigh muscle cramps are due to dehydration, then it is essential that you increase the intake of fluids, to replenish the lost fluids. For other causes of muscle cramps in thighs, here are some of the most effective home remedies:

Massage: Due to the muscle spasm, the muscle of the affected area tends to become taut. For an instant relief from this condition, a gentle massage helps a lot. Make sure the direction of the strokes of the massage are the same as the thigh muscles. It brings about improvement in the blood circulation of the affected part of the thigh and gives relief. To know more read on massage.

Applying Ice pack: This is an excellent remedy for muscle cramps in thighs. Rub the ice pack on the cramped muscle of the thigh, for say about 10 minutes. Or else, you can continue to do so till the area becomes red. Such a reddening effect suggests that the underlying blood cells are stimulating the muscles into a relaxed state.

Heat Compression: It can be done using two methods of heat compression. One, take a heating pad and apply it to the cramped muscle. This improves the blood circulation and relaxes the muscles. Another method is taking a bath under a hot shower. Keep the temperature of the water as much as you can bear comfortably. Allow more and more of the shower water to flow over the affected thigh muscle and you can feel the soothing effect of the warm water.

Stretching Exercise: Some simple stretching exercises work wonders on muscle cramps in thighs, particularly, of the inner thigh area or the hamstrings. Just stretch the leg that has muscle cramps in the forward direction and point the toes upward and hold the position for a around 30 seconds. Then put down the foot and you will find that the stiffness due to the cramp is gone. To get more information read:

• Remedies for Muscle Cramps
• Treatment of Leg Cramps

Other Natural Remedies: Chamomile tea has a form of amino acid that can act as muscle relaxers. Hence, when you have muscle cramps in thighs drink 5 cups of chamomile tea every day, for two weeks, to obtain the best results. Both apple cider vinegar and honey are good in curing muscle cramps in thighs. Prepare a mixture, by mixing two teaspoonful of apple cider vinegar and one teaspoon of honey into a glass of warm water. Drinking this mixture daily will not only help in relieving the cramps but also prevent further recurrence. To know more:

• Chamomile Tea Benefits
• Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey Benefits

Most of the time, it has been observed that muscle cramps in thighs do not have any serious consequences on our health and one can get relief with the help of home remedies only. However, if you find that the pain due to muscle cramps is so severe, that muscle cramps treatment tried at home are not showing effective results, then you require medical intervention. Consult your doctor immediately.