Leg cramp!

[Phil Thien]

So last night, at approx. 2am, I awoke with what I could best call a sense of euphoria. I had this super-comfortable feeling come over me, the temp was perfect, my nose was uncharacteristically extremely clear, I felt like I was sleeping on a cloud. I was laying there smiling, counting my blessings.

That lasted for approx. 10 seconds, and then I got the most God-awful leg cramp. This happens approx. once a year. It is interesting that I always wake right before the leg cramp.

Any good home remedies for leg cramps? I generally pound on my leg with my fist, and squeeze my upper lip, and I thrash about so my wife wakes up (and can appreciate my agony). Sometimes I have a banana, but I doubt the potassium from a banana is particularly fast-acting.

[Moses Yoder]

Camomile tea, drink water, eat less sugar. There are other teas but the dosage and preparation is critical, they should be administered by someone who is educated about them.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Salt,

Don't treat repeat leg cramp as something to ignore though Phil, I did and spent 11 days in ITU on the critical list with blood clots in my lungs (PE) from what I thought was cramp and turned out to be DVT.

cheers

Dave

[Phil Thien]

Salt,

Don't treat repeat leg cramp as something to ignore though Phil, I did and spent 11 days in ITU on the critical list with blood clots in my lungs (PE) from what I thought was cramp and turned out to be DVT.

cheers

Dave

Wait, too much salt or too little salt, causes cramping? Or salt is the remedy?

It really only happens about once a year, but wow when it happens, it is not fun.

[Phil Thien]

Camomile tea, drink water, eat less sugar. There are other teas but the dosage and preparation is critical, they should be administered by someone who is educated about them.

Well the cramp only occurs about once a year. I don't want to drink tea every night to avoid something that may only happen once a year.

I don't like the taste of tea.

But I do get plenty of water.

[George Bokros]

I usually walk around to stretch the leg out and walk the cramp out. I believe my Dad was told by his doctor to take quinine tablets. I would check with your doctor or at least webmdcom

[Bruce Page]

I get the big leg cramp once or twice a year, usually after a big stretch while laying in bed. I just try to walk it off but it hurts!
I used to get the twitching leg cramps almost nightly. I finally discovered that if I drink a minimum 24 oz of water mid afternoon, it will prevent the cramps.

[Leo Graywacz]

Put a bar of soap at the foot of the bed.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Usually too little salt Phil, it moderates the water content in the body so reducing cramps (or as Bruce said, drink more water)

That said I'm not that kind of Doctor (MD Vs Ph.D) so any advice is based on experience or hearsay

cheers

Dave

[Moses Yoder]

I would be very surprised if there is an instant remedy for cramps. Anything you would do to loosen the muscle I think would have to enter the muscle through the bloodstream but of course I am not a doctor, just applying common sense. If there were a pattern to the occurrence you might eventually pin point something that is causing it but the once a year occurrence kind of eliminates that. I have already gotten bad cramps in my feet and I think the best thing is just to get up and walk it off. I was just reading that the most common cause of cramps is over exercising while not getting enough fluids.

[Harold Burrell]

You might also want to check and make sure you are getting enough calcium.

[Chris Parks]

I used to get cramps in my feet regularly until I was told by several health professionals it was due to the lack of Magnesium and I now take a capsule a day and no longer have the problem. One cramp a year sounds very random for any specific treatment but when it happens pull your big toe back and this stretches the calf muscles which are in spasm.

[Larry Frank]

If something only happens once a year, I would not start taking anything. I would try to figure out what I did or ate in day before that may have caused it. I think you are lucky if it only happens once a year........

[paul cottingham]

Look up standing calf stretch. I can't remember what it is called, but that should work. I used to get them all the time swimming, as did many of my teammates. It comes from the single calf muscle pushing up from behind the double calf muscles ( soleus and gastrocnemius i think) and gets pinched between them.

we would stand a few feet from the wall, and lean forward, leaving the affected foot flat on the floor. This would stretch it back out. Hurts, but works.

i believe it is generally caused by an imbalance of sodium and potassium.

Hope this helps.

[Bob Turkovich]

Phil, you didn't say which leg muscle is cramping (although I believe for most people it's in the calf) but stretching the offending muscle is the best way to alleviate the pain.

I've been fighting leg cramps for over 30 years. Always occurs from dehydration and the resulting loss of potassium (per my doctor). I'm an avid golfer who prefers to walk (not ride a cart) but I sweat heavily and I often get the cramps later that day or evening.

For years my problem was in the calf muscles and the simple stretch Paul described worked wonders (or just straighten your leg with the toes pulled back - it's the same stretch). About two years ago, I started getting them in the inner thighs and have had a couple of episodes where both thighs cramped at the same time. I later checked the internet for the thigh stretch and the only one I could find was "lie down on your back on the floor, put your butt up against the wall and place your legs spread-eagled on the wall". Yeah, right... Massage and hot packs were the only thing that worked (and it took awhile.)

There are a lot of people on the internet who recommend drinking pickle juice to alleviate the cramps but I can't stomach the juice. A cyclist recommended swallowing plain yellow mustard instead. I've tried that 4 times now and the success rate is 4 for 4. Must be something about the salt/vinegar content that shocks the spasm. One of the times was after playing a particularly hilly course a couple of hours from the house. On the drive home, we had stopped at a fast food restaurant when the cramp occurred. I grabbed a couple of mustard packets and gulped them down. The cramp was gone in about 30 seconds. I now stash a few packets in the glove box and night stand.