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Muscle Cramps
(Of Skeletal Muscles)
POWER POINTS
A muscle cramp is an involuntarily and forcibly contracted muscle that
does not relax.
Almost everyone experiences a cramp at some time in their life.
There are a variety of types and causes of muscle cramps.
Numerous medicines can cause cramps.
Most muscle cramps can be stopped if the muscle can be stretched.
Muscle cramps can often be prevented.
What are muscle cramps?
When we use the muscles that can voluntarily be controlled, such as
those of our arms and legs, they alternately contract and relax as we
move our limbs. Muscles that support our head, neck, and trunk contract
similarly in a synchronized fashion to maintain our posture. A muscle
(or even a few fibers of a muscle) that involuntarily (without
consciously willing it) contracts is called a “spasm.” If the spasm is
forceful and sustained, it becomes a cramp. A muscle cramp is thus
defined as an involuntarily and forcibly contracted muscle that does not
relax. <SNIP>
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Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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