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Review
. 2013 Jan;41(1):3-10.
doi: 10.1097/JES.0b013e3182724817.

Origin and development of muscle cramps

Marco Alessandro Minetto  1 , Aleš Holobar, Alberto Botter, Dario Farina
Affiliations
Review

Origin and development of muscle cramps

Marco Alessandro Minetto et al. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

Cramps are sudden, involuntary, painful muscle contractions. Their pathophysiology remains poorly understood. One hypothesis is that cramps result from changes in motor neuron excitability (central origin). Another hypothesis is that they result from spontaneous discharges of the motor nerves (peripheral origin). The central origin hypothesis has been supported by recent experimental findings, whose implications for understanding cramp contractions are discussed.

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