Muscle cramps are the painful knots that develop in the muscles. The individual man with muscle cramps experiences a cramping pain and hard lumps in the muscles. These muscle cramps are involuntary contractions or spasms in the muscles. They appear in muscle fibers or muscle groups, especially in the leg and front and back muscles of the thigh, arms, hands, neck and abdominal wall. They occur in the muscles due to overstraining of the muscles, dehydration, nutritional (vitamin and minerals) deficiencies, injury, pregnancy, and many more. It may end in a few minutes and few years. If vitamin deficiencies are overcome by vitamin supplements, muscle cramps are relieved.
Does Vitamin E Help Muscle Cramps?
Muscle cramps appear due to involuntary spasms in any muscle fiber of the body. Vitamin E improves blood circulation to the muscles. It also makes the blood thin and helps in the dilation of the blood vessels. Vitamin E supplements can help in improving muscle cramps. 1
Vitamin E is an antioxidant found in nuts, leafy green vegetables, and seeds. This vitamin is an antioxidant which is soluble in fat. It plays an important role in our health. It induces various functions of our body and triggers anti-oxidative reactions in the body.2 It is necessary for the health of skin, eyes, hair, and immunity. It helps in protection of the body against many conditions such as liver damage, kidney damage, heart disease, cancer, and eye damage. It assists in boosting up the immunity by clearing up of free radicals. This nutrient is considered essential for combating menstrual cramps.
Vitamin E is found in rich quantities in almonds, fruits, olive oil, greens, wheat germ oil, sunflower seeds, spinach, peanuts, avocado, broccoli, hazelnuts, and asparagus. The dietary need for vitamin E for a healthy individual is 8-10 mg per day.
Vitamin E also plays a significant role in the functioning of the muscles. It dilates the blood vessels and makes the blood thin. This is necessary for the healthy circulation of the blood. According to an article written by Phyllis Balch, Vitamin E is good as a pain reliever for the people who feel cramping pain which is related to varicose veins.
It is found that the deficiency of vitamin E may affect the health of the muscles. It is noted that the overuse of muscle cannot return back to a normal condition due to deficiency of vitamin E. Physicians recommend 1000 IU of vitamin E should be used as a supplement in the form of d-alpha-tocopherol. It may be effective in the improvement of muscle cramps. 2
Muscle contract and relax regularly to perform various functions of the body. When the muscles contract involuntarily and cannot relax for a few seconds to few minutes, then they are called muscle cramps. It usually appears after the overuse of muscles after strenuous activities like exercises or lifting heavy weight. Few conditions such as dehydration, deficiency of vitamins and minerals, pregnancy, alcohol misuse, stress, kidney failure, etc. may trigger muscle cramps. The main reason of the appearance of muscle cramp is due to poor circulation of oxygenated blood to the muscles.
Muscle cramps can involve any muscle fiber of the body. It usually develops in the skeletal muscles of the body that are involved in voluntary activities. It can appear at any age mostly in midnight. It is represented by hardening of the muscles and sudden pain in the muscles. It may develop suddenly and disappear on their own. It is common condition in many people. However, it may be an indicative sign of various conditions like diabetes, kidney damages, etc.
Defective or improper nutrition may lead to the deficiency of vitamins and minerals. It affects the blood circulation to the muscles. It thereby may result in involuntary contractions of the muscles.
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