Heat Cramps

Heat cramps: Painful muscle spasms in the abdomen, arms, or legs following strenuous activity. The skin is usually moist and cool and the pulse is normal or slightly raised. Body temperature is mostly normal.

Heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke
Disease Information
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Heat Cramps (Hyperthermia)
During Hot Weather
Hot Weather Health Emergencies
Other Heat-related Health Problems
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Heat cramps are painful, involuntary muscle spasms that usually occur during heavy exercise in hot environments. The spasms may be more intense and more prolonged than are typical nighttime leg cramps.

Heat cramps are the earliest symptoms of a heat-related illness.
Symptoms of heat cramps include profuse sweating with involuntary spasms of the large muscles in the body.
Heat cramps also may be a symptom of heat exhaustion.

heat cramps
heat exhaustion
heat stroke
What are heat cramps?
Heat cramps are the mildest form of heat injury and consist of painful muscle cramps and spasms that occur during or after intense exercise and sweating in high heat.

Heat cramps are the mildest form of heat injury and consist of painful muscle cramps and spasms that occur during or after intense exercise and sweating in high heat.
What is heat exhaustion?

Heat cramps. Heat cramps are caused by initial exposure to extreme temperatures or physical exertion. Signs and symptoms of heat cramps usually include profuse sweating, fatigue, thirst and muscle cramps.

Heat cramps - these are muscle pains or spasms, usually in the abdomen, arms or legs. They may occur after strenuous activity in a hot environment, when the body gets depleted of salt and water. They may also be a symptom of heat exhaustion.

Heat cramps
Heat cramps are painful muscle spasms that occur after strenuous activity that produces a lot of sweat. Sweating causes a loss of water and salt from your body. It is the low salt level in the muscles that causes them to cramp.

Heat cramps: Heat cramps are treated by drinking a lot of fluids, massaging the cramped area, and stretching the cramping muscles.

Heat Cramps
Heat cramps are painful cramps in the stomach, arm, and leg muscles. These cramps are caused by not replacing salt and fluids during intense, prolonged exercise in the heat.
Treatment for Heat Cramps ...

Heat Cramps
Heat cramps usually affect workers who sweat a lot during strenuous activity. This sweating depletes the body's salt and moisture levels. Low salt levels in muscles causes painful cramps.

Heat Cramps Overview
Heat cramps are painful, brief muscle cramps that occur during exercise or work in a hot environment. Muscles may spasm or jerk involuntarily. Cramping may also be delayed and occur a few hours later.

Heat Cramps are cramps that usually occur in the stomach when exercising, distinctly different from muscle cramps. Heat cramps are predominately caused by the loss of salt from excessive sweating.
Heat Exhaustion ...

Heat Cramps
This disorder is characterized by sudden cramps in the abdomen and the extremities when a person has been doing heavy work in a temperature above 1000 F. (380 C.) and has been perspiring profusely.

HEAT CRAMPS:
Heat cramps are caused by either too little or too much fluid intake that leads to a decrease in the body’s sodium level.

Heat Cramps, First Aid
First aid and self-care information for heat cramps. Heat cramps are a form of heat illness. Heat illness occurs when a person's core body temperature rises above a safe level of the body's internal temperature range.

Heat cramps ... darker urine
Heat exhaustion ... reduced urination
Heerfordt syndrome ... increased urination
HELLP syndrome ... excess protein in urine, reduced urination, reduced urination, reduced urination, blood in urine, blood in urine ...

Heat-Related Illnesses (Heat Cramps, Heat Exhaustion, Heat Stroke)
Children and teens are at greater risk for heat-related illnesses for several reasons. They adjust more slowly to changes in air temperature.

Heat cramps, which occur in muscles after exercise because sweating causes the body to lose water, salt, and minerals (electrolytes Opens New Window).

Avoiding exercising in extreme heat helps prevent heat cramps. Heat cramps can also be avoided by drinking ample amounts of water before prolonged exercise in hot weather.

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heat exhaustion - a form of heat-related illness that is more severe than heat cramps and results from a loss of water and salt in the body. It occurs in conditions of extreme heat and excessive sweating without adequate fluid and salt replacement.

If the problem isn't addressed, heat cramps (caused by loss of salt from heavy sweating) can lead to heat exhaustion (caused by dehydration), which can progress to heatstroke.

Heat stroke often occurs as a progression from milder heat-related illnesses such as heat cramps, heat syncope (fainting), and heat exhaustion. But it can strike even if you have no previous signs of heat injury.

In adults, the cause is often epilepsy, heat cramps, strychnine, or food poisoning.

Heat exhaustion is a less emergent form of heat illness that is treated primarily by cooling and oral or IV fluid replacement. Heat cramps may also occur and seem to be related to salt depletion.

Water, mineral, and ion depletion may be so severe that painful spasms of the muscles, commonly called heat cramps, occur.

See also: Cramps, Cramp, Stroke, Heat stroke, Symptom