Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Muscle Cramps

Muscle cramps are sudden, involuntary, and typically painful contractions of one or more skeletal muscles that arise abruptly and resolve over seconds to minutes, often leaving residual soreness. The contraction reflects sustained, high-frequency motor-unit firing, and on the prevailing peripheral model it originate…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 6 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 12× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2832-4048 🗓 Reviewed July 2026

Overview

Muscle cramps are sudden, involuntary, and typically painful contractions of one or more skeletal muscles that arise abruptly and resolve over seconds to minutes, often leaving residual soreness. The contraction reflects sustained, high-frequency motor-unit firing, and on the prevailing peripheral model it originates from hyperexcitability of motor-neuron terminals rather than from the muscle fiber itself. Cramps are classified by context: exercise-associated cramping linked to neuromuscular fatigue and altered reflex control; cramps related to fluid and electrolyte disturbance involving sodium, potassium, calcium, or magnesium; nocturnal leg cramps common in older adults; and secondary cramps accompanying pregnancy, metabolic and endocrine disease, neuromuscular disorders, hemodialysis, or drug exposure. Risk factors include strenuous or unaccustomed exertion, dehydration, heat stress, and certain medications. Diagnosis is largely clinical, with attention to frequency, distribution, and any underlying systemic cause, and investigation reserved for atypical, persistent, or generalized presentations. Management combines acute measures, including passive stretching and massage of the affected muscle, with strategies aimed at the underlying contributor, such as correcting fluid and electrolyte balance, reviewing implicated medications, and addressing metabolic disease. Understanding cramps therefore bridges muscle physiology, motor-neuron excitability, and systemic homeostasis, distinguishing benign self-limited episodes from those signaling treatable disorders.

Research published in this journal

6 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

2020

The Effect of Food Intakes on Musculoskeletal Pains

Nasim Habibzadeh SeyedehCorresponding author
PhD student in Sport Science, School of Health and Life Sine, Department of Sport Science, Teesside University, United Kingdom
Skeletal Muscle doi:10.14302/issn.2832-4048.jsm-20-3519

How this research is being cited

The 6 articles above have been cited 12 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Muscle Cramps, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Skeletal Muscle (ISSN 2832-4048).

Journal editorial board
Gerhard Meissner · United States Min Du · United States Jeong-Rae Kim · South Korea

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.