Has a muscle cramp ever woken you up in the middle of the night? Or stopped you in your tracks in the middle of an activity? If you’re like most people, chances are your answer is "yes." Muscle cramps, or "charley horses" as they are sometimes called, are extremely common and occur when muscles involuntarily contract and cannot relax. While it is not known exactly why muscle cramps develop, there are some proven methods for preventing and treating them. 

Cramps can affect any muscle under your control. Cramps can involve part or all of a muscle, or several muscles in a group. The most notorious sites for cramps are the calves, thighs and arch of the foot. Cramps in the hands, arms, abdomen and along the rib cage are also very common.

When a person experiences a muscle cramp, the muscle that is cramping feels harder than normal to the touch or may even show visible signs of twitching. The intensity of muscle cramps range from feeling like mild twitches to excruciating pain.

Causes of Muscle Cramps
Unfortunately, cramps can occur anywhere, anytime to anyone. No one is immune. You could be young or old, very active or normally very sedentary, and you could develop a muscle cramp doing just about anything. Some common causes of muscle cramps are insufficient stretching before exercise, exercising in the heat, and muscle fatigue. Athletes who become fatigued and dehydrated while participating in warm-weather sports frequently develop muscle cramps.