A 17-year-old male was working vigorously on a summer construction crew building

Question

A 17-year-old male was working vigorously on a summer construction crew building a new section of a freeway. In the intense heat of the day, he began to experience severe pain in the muscles of his limbs and caropoedal spasms. The cramping made his muscles feel like hard knots. The foreman of this crew instructed the young man to drink some salt water he had available and rest a while.

1. What was the cause of the cramping?

2. Describe caropodal spasms.

3. Why is the ingestion of salt and water beneficial?

Explanation / Answer

** Kindly correct your spelling, It is carpopedal spasms.

Carpo means wrist and pedal means foot. Capopedar spasms are contractions in hand and foot. I will simplify your answer.

When sodium is low in the body, then depolarisation of nerve will not take place. So, no action potential will be established. And muscle fibres will not be contracted. This results in spasms.

Ingestion of salt water increases sodium so that depolarisation of nerve and muscle fibre takes place. In depolarised condition only, the muscle fibre will contract.

Hypocalcemia is another cause of carpopedal spasms. Calcium interacts with sodium channels and blocks them. Blocking of sodium channels keeps the nerve and muscle in permanent depolarised condition. In carpopedal spasms strong contractions occur in muscles of hands and legs.

What I conclude is that sodium deficiency and carpopedal spasms two opposite conditions.

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