What Causes Cramp In Feet? [In-Depth Look]

Foot cramps occur when you experience painful spasms of the muscles in your feet.

This can be one of the most painful forms of cramp that your body can experience.

The cramp can be at the bottom/arches of your feet, the top, or even in the toes.

At best this form of cramp is uncomfortable, and at worst, debilitating.

But what are the most common causes of foot cramps? Read on to find out more.

What Causes Cramp In Feet?

Many forms of cramp can be traced down to three common causes, and foot cramp is no exception.

If you are experiencing any of the following then this may be causing your foot cramps:

• Overexertion
• Electrolyte/Nutrient Imbalances
• Dehydration

Other common causes could include the following:

• Poor Fitting Shoes
• Diabetes/Peripheral Neuropathy
• Pregnancy
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Foot Dystonia

Also some medications have been known to have cramp as a side effect, for example the following:

• Asthma Medication
• Osteoporosis Medication
• Parkinson’s Disease Medication
• Statins
• Alzheimer’s Disease Medication
• Neostigmine (Prostigmin)
• Blood Pressure Medication
• Diuretics (or any medication which flushes your system out)

Overexertion, Overuse, Or Injury

Perhaps you have been spending too much time on your feet? Or you play a lot of sports? Or you have a foot injury but are not in a position to rest your foot until full healed.

Any of these scenarios could be enough to cause you cramp in your foot.

The human foot contains over 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments. And an overexertion in any of these muscles could cause you to experience the pain of foot or toe cramp.

You may consider yourself in top shape physically, but you may also not appreciate how much work your foot actually does. This makes anyone susceptible to foot cramp.

It may also be that your are not in particularly good shape physically, but you are doing too much too fast.

This could either be by pushing yourself too soon whilst doing exercise, or simply being on your feet for too long during your job and day to day activities.

If you are carrying an injury you may find yourself putting extra weight through your other leg and foot.

This extra strain on your good foot may be enough to trigger an episode of cramp.

Electrolyte/Nutrient Imbalances

Electrolytes are minerals and salts within the body responsible for maintaining many normal bodily functions.

These functions may include muscle and nerve activity, hydration, blood pressure and blood pH, and also tissue repair.

Muscles require specific electrolyte balances in order to maintain normal function.

Changes in these levels may lead to muscle contractions and foot and toe cramps.

Essential electrolytes and nutrients for foot muscle function include magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium.

Reductions in levels of these electrolytes and nutrients don’t only cause painful foot

cramping due to muscle spasms, but in some cases may also be potentially life threatening.

Deficiencies in Vitamins B6, D and E have also been associated with cramp.

Dehydration

Dehydration is associated with a depletion of electrolytes, which will then in turn lead to muscle spasms and cramps.

Muscles require adequate water, glucose, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium to allow the proteins within them to produce a normal contraction.

A reduced or abnormal supply of these elements can lead the foot muscle to possibly develop spasms.

Foot cramp from dehydration can be quite painful, however it usually does not result in permanent damage.

Poor Fitting Shoes

Do your shoes feel too tight? Do you have trouble wiggling your toes? Poor fitting shoes have been linked directly to foot cramp.

If you feel like parts of your foot are falling asleep, or numb, then this is a sign that your footwear are almost certainly too small.

If you are experiencing foot cramp ensure you get your feet measured  so you are wearing the correct sized shoes.

Peripheral Neuropathy

Pain or numbness/loss of sensation in your feet is given the term peripheral neuropathy [1].

This can be caused by a pre-existing medical condition, such as Diabetes.

It has however also been associated with genetic issues, exposure to toxins, an injury, an infection, or metabolic issues.

Although peripheral neuropathy does not cause foot cramps as such, it can cause pain, which is often mistaken for cramp.

Pregnancy

Foot cramps can be commonplace during pregnancy [2].

Foot cramps (especially at night) can be common in the third trimester of pregnancy due to pressure from the uterus on the veins transporting blood up from the legs.

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis is caused by the straining of the part of your foot that connects your heel bone to your toes [3].

It’s not always clear why this happens, but you are at an increased risk of getting Plantar Fasciitis if you:

• Exercise on hard surfaces
• Exercise with a tight heel or calf
• Overstretch the sole of your foot during exercise
• You suddenly do more walking, running or standing up
• Have shoes which have poor cushioning or support under the heel and arch
• You are very overweight

Foot Dystonia

Foot dystonia is an uncontrollable and often painful muscle contraction which is localised in the foot [4].

In children and young adults muscle spasms in the foot or leg can be an early sign of a generalised dystonia.

If foot dystonia appears in older adults (aged 30+) it is likely to be a focal dystonia.

Focal foot dystonia is a neurological disorder and anyone experiencing this should be referred to a neurologist specialising in movement disorders.

What Helps Cramp In Feet and Toes?

Fortunately there are several ways in which you can reduce and even prevent cramp in your feet.

Check out our article on how to stop cramp in feet by clicking this link.

Conclusion

As you can see, when it comes to understanding what causes cramp in feet, there can be a range of causes.

The average person may wish to consider the basics first.

Are you overexerting the foot? Does your diet have the nutrition required to prevent cramps? And are you ensuring you are drinking enough fluids?

Also consider if you have any existing medical conditions which may have foot cramp as a symptom.

And if you do have an existing medical condition be mindful of the medication you are taking. We have listed the types of medication which may cause foot cramp. You may wish to take a closer look at the documentation included with the medication as this will often list typical side effects.

We hope this article has been useful in helping you understand what causes cramp in feet.

For more articles like this check out curemycramp.com.