muscle cramps

Few years ago, I was having cramps and numbness on both of my legs and feet.  I thought that it was muscle cramps.  My family doctor suggested that I try leg muscle exercises, stretching or gently massaging the muscle.  those treatments did not resolve the problem.  I took medicine such as tylenol and aleve to relieve the pain.  I was always wondering what the root causes  of  muscle cramps are.  What are the treaments for this illness? Would my illness be healed?

I learned from human anatomy class that, in order to move our muscles, our brain sends signals to the voluntary muscles and coordinates the movements that we want. The voluntary muscles contract as they're being used and they become tighter. The muscles then relax when the movement is complete. When the contraction cycles are done repeatedly, as in exercising, the fibers become stronger and the muscles get larger. However, sometimes the muscles contract on their own, causing a muscle cramp.

Sadly, after few hours of research, I coudn't find any good treament information for this illness.  According to the Muscle Cramp article on the Mayoclinic.com website, " A muscle cramp is a sudden and involuntary contraction of one or more of your muscles. If you've ever been awakened in the night or stopped in your tracks by a sudden charley horse, you know that muscle cramps can cause excruciating pain. Though generally harmless, muscle cramps can make it temporarily impossible to use the affected muscle. Long periods of exercise or physical labor, particularly in hot weather, may lead to muscle cramps. Some medications and certain medical conditions also may cause muscle cramps.  You can usually treat muscle cramps at home with self-care measures."


Source:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/muscle-cramp/DS00311

Below is an example picture of muscle cramps