How to Get Rid of Toe Cramps
Once you have toe cramp, one thing you should know is how to get rid of it. This cramp can cause you pain and make you cannot move freely during the day. Six out of ten people in the world mush have experienced toe cramp once in their life. Scientifically speaking, the research reveals that toe cramp is usually the result of calcium deficiency, dehydration, or bad wearing habit of footwear. However, many people believe that a deficiency of minerals is the primary reason of toe cramp, especially potassium.
Potassium is classified as a mineral and responsible for electric impulses in human body. It is very substantial to keep human heartbeat in normal pace and it is also significant at making the muscle contraction to run smoothly. In fact, toe cramp develops when the muscles in the toe area strongly contracts for several times and cannot relaxed as soon as the contraction ends. That is the reason why a deficiency of potassium can cause toe cramp. Losing a lot of potassium can be caused by excessive sweating or urine. No matter what causes you toe cramp, finding the solution to at least reduce the pain is the first thing to do.
Toe cramp can happen for three seconds to several minutes depending on how long the muscle contraction in your body works. For some people, it lasts longer and it happens regularly as they get older. Even though toe cramp used to be perceived as normal body process, however it does mean that you can take it for granted, primarily if you are experiencing this cramp frequently. Once you do, asking for help from your personal pediotrist can be a good way to do before it is too late. However, there are some ways you can try to at least reduce the pain when the toe cramp strikes you. Here is some tips on how to get rid of toe cramps.
Toe Cramp Strikes : What to do
There is nothing more annoying than having toe cramp when you are at work or with someone you love. First, when the cramp strikes, you can put off your shoes and massage your toe, primarily where it feels painful. However, do not massage it hardly. Make sure you massage it slowly starting from the bottom of the toe to the surrounding of it. Massage is considered to be one of the best way to make the blood circulation normal, which is partly the contributing to the pain of the cramp you feel. By massaging your toe, the blood circulation will work normally and finally reduce the pain.
The second treatment, as simple as it may sound, is walking. The good thing is that walking is also good to stimulate the blood circulation in human body. Once you walk when the toe cramp strikes, it will push more blood to get into the cramp area and finally reduce the pain right away. Try to walk for a few seconds after you feel the cramp. Next treatment is by soaking your toe in warm water. Warm water is the best way to get your muscles relaxed after the contraction. Make sure the water is not too hot for your feet. In an emergency case, when you do not have the tools to soak your feet, you can try to compress your toe with hot or cold water. Take a small towel and soak it for few seconds in hot or cold water before you put it on the toe area. Usually, this treatment will erase the pain in just a few seconds after you put the compress, but you should keep the compress on the toe for several minutes (five to fifteen minutes) to get the pain disappeared completely.
As mentioned earlier, toe cramp is primarily caused by potassium deficiency. Hence, taking some supplements which contain potassium can be one of the way to deal with toe cramp fast. If you do not have any supplements containing potassium, vitamin E supplement is an alternative which you can always pick. Nonetheless, you should probably discuss supplements you are taking with your pediotrist or your doctor first.
Other treatment you can always try when the toe cramp strikes is stretching your toe. Just be careful when you do that and make sure that you do it slowly. Stretching your toe will improve the bone structure which will make the muscle contraction become less painful when it does. Keep stretching the toe for several minutes even though the cramp start to disappear. This will help you to erase the toe cramp completely. Whenever you are doing your activities, you can also start wearing toe strecther.
What to do to Prevent Toe Cramp
In fact, toe cramp is not just something you can cure, but also something that you can avoid. More often than not, toe cramp is caused by unhealthy lifestyle and bad habit in wearing footwear. Making sure that you take a closer look at your unhealthy habit can be a useful way to get yourself away from any toe cramp. Here is some tips you can work on from now on.
Firstly, make sure that you are always hydrated or not lacking of liquid. Always have a bottle of water in your bag can be a good way to stay hydrated. Make sure you drink enough water while you are at work. As mentioned earlier, potassium is one of the mineral that you should take daily since it is essential in reducing the tension of the muscle contraction. That is why you can always try to consume dairy products, fruits, or vegetables that can contain potassium, such as bananas, oranges, and potatoes. If you are a big fan of these fruits, you can make it juice.
The last thing to prevent toe cramp is by wearing proper shoes or any footwear. The best footwear for those experiencing toe cramp usually is the ones that have more space for toe to move freely when we are walking. Try to make time to shop the best shoes for your foot. At the end of the end, no matter how many the tips or treatment there are, your motivation on how to get rid of toe cramps is what matters the most.