Leg Cramps

hollydolly said:
Oh I get leg cramp at night far too often for my liking..it's excrutiating...
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Dolly,
I do as well, they are just unbelievably painful. I'm told it happens as a result of not being fully hydrated. I'm one for drinking a lot of Coffee ( counter productive) but no water. I have been drinking some Propel since my latest, which is a Electrolyte water beverage, that does seem to help. My leg cramps are always at night!
 
needshave said:
Dolly,
I do as well, they are just unbelievably painful. I'm told it happens as a result of not being fully hydrated. I'm one for drinking a lot of Coffee ( counter productive) but no water. I have been drinking some Propel since my latest, which is a Electrolyte water beverage, that does seem to help. My leg cramps are always at night!
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I don't believe it's anything to do with not being hydrated for me , because I drink anything up to 3 litres of water or weak tea a day .

the medical field aren't exactly sure what causes muscle cramps.. but they say taking quinine tablets often helps but you must ensure they don't mess with any other meds you may be taking..

the NHS lists dehydration as one cause..here's the others


Cramps can sometimes be caused by:

  • ageing
  • exercise – putting too much strain on muscle
  • medicine for lowering cholesterol (statins) or high blood pressure (diuretics)
  • not drinking enough fluid (dehydration)
  • liver disease – because of too much alcohol
The reason for some cramps is unknown.
 
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Coffee is my drink of choice, but being it is a diuretic culprit or so they say, I have been drinking at least 24 oz of plain water throughout the day. I also eat a banana daily for potassium. Both additions have seemed to help - I seldom have night cramps. Works for me.
 
ManjaroKDE said:
Coffee is my drink of choice, but being it is a diuretic culprit or so they say, I have been drinking at least 24 oz of plain water throughout the day. I also eat a banana daily for potassium. Both additions have seemed to help - I seldom cramp at night. Works for me.
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I eat a ripe banana every day... still get occasional cramps

A friend of mine swears by topical magnesium. He states that ever since applying a coating of magnesium to the soles of his feet about 30 mins before bed he's never suffered cramps since..

Diet...

https://highfive.co.uk/blogs/guides/how-to-avoid-cramps
 
I used to get cramps in my calf muscles - sometimes even in the back of my upper legs. I heard if this happens the thing to do is to try to touch your toes to your knee - in other words, point your toes as far up as you can.

I don't get the leg cramps as much nowadays, but I get foot cramps where the big or little toe pulls horizontally away from the rest of the foot. I find that rocking my foot on the floor helps a little.
 
My eldest daughter swears by foot baths in epson salts, I bought myself a tub for that. According to the real web you get magnesium of manganese that way. Only downside is taking them too often, OD on one or the other is potentially unhealthy, that according to the experts not me.
 
They are awful but I have not had any in a couple of years.

When I did have them I was told to place an unwrapped bar of Ivory soap under the covers at the foot of my bed. When I felt a cramp coming on I was told to rub my feet against the bar of soap and it would stop the cramp.

It worked with Ivory and with other brands of soap.

I asked my PCP about it and he said if it works do it but he knew of no medical reason why it would.
 
debodun said:
I used to get cramps in my calf muscles - sometimes even in the back of my upper legs. I heard if this happens the thing to do is to try to touch your toes to your knee - in other words, point your toes as far up as you can.
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Yes that's what I do. Immediately the cramp comes on in my calf, I turn my toes up as if I'm trying to point them at my heart hard as I can and hold them there ... it really works... and eases the cramp in a minute..but it still leaves real soreness afterwards tho' doesn't it ?
 
hollydolly said:
I don't believe it's anything to do with not being hydrated for me , because I drink anything up to 3 litres of water or weak tea a day .

the medical field aren't exactly sure what causes muscle cramps.. but they say taking quinine tablets often helps but you must ensure they don't mess with any other meds you may be taking..

the NHS lists dehydration as one cause..here's the others


Cramps can sometimes be caused by:

  • ageing
  • exercise – putting too much strain on muscle
  • medicine for lowering cholesterol (statins) or high blood pressure (diuretics)
  • not drinking enough fluid (dehydration)
  • liver disease – because of too much alcohol
The reason for some cramps is unknown.
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Well, That's not necessary encouraging for me. It looks like I have placed on 80% of the potential catalyst for leg cramps. Mine seem to be activated by a quick sudden movement to get out of bed, which has been the norm for me. I try to take it a little slower and that seems to help. Thanks for the posting, it definitely will be a question for my next MD visit.
 
hollydolly said:
I don't believe it's anything to do with not being hydrated for me , because I drink anything up to 3 litres of water or weak tea a day .

the medical field aren't exactly sure what causes muscle cramps.. but they say taking quinine tablets often helps but you must ensure they don't mess with any other meds you may be taking..

the NHS lists dehydration as one cause..here's the others


Cramps can sometimes be caused by:

  • ageing
  • exercise – putting too much strain on muscle
  • medicine for lowering cholesterol (statins) or high blood pressure (diuretics)
  • not drinking enough fluid (dehydration)
  • liver disease – because of too much alcohol
The reason for some cramps is unknown.
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I get them. The cause is. Your feet are flexed downward and covered with a blanket . The same position when you are sleeping for hours. No circulation. So the muscles cramp. That's my own theory. Think of it. Why does it happen at night? I can lie down during the day. No blankets. No cramps. Forget all the other cures. They are useless.Why do they go away when you massage them? Circulation restored. It's no different than an athlete exhausting the muscles or a tennis player. If you drink lots of water you have to get up to relieve yourself so no cramps. It's a cure of sorts.
 
I get leg cramps at night as well. Pickle juice helps ease the cramp once it has started. Believe it or not, pickle juice is sold in small bottles for this very thing.
picklejuice.jpg

What do you do to relieve the pain or stop the leg cramp once it has started?
 
Camper6 said:
I get them. The cause is. Your feet are flexed downward and covered with a blanket . The same position when you are sleeping for hours. No circulation. So the muscles cramp. That's my own theory. Think of it. Why does it happen at night? I can lie down during the day. No blankets. No cramps. Forget all the other cures. They are useless.Why do they go away when you massage them? Circulation restored. It's no different than an athlete exhausting the muscles or a tennis player. If you drink lots of water you have to get up to relieve yourself so no cramps. It's a cure of sorts.
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I think you are on to something Camper - If I don't use a blanket or a very light one I don't seem to get as many cramps. I also like to try and keep my feet uncovered unless it is cold and then I might wear a pair of light socks.
 
I had two bad ones when I was 30 & around 40. None since (I'm 68).
I don't know if it was relevant, but when I was 30, I was 240 lbs overweight & my wife & I spent the whole day on our feet at a county fair.
The second one, was after I spent most of the day with relatives in Ohio, sightseeing; again lots of walking & standing.
Both times, I woke up swearing up a storm & after the second one, I limped the whole day after.

The reason I think my weight at the time was a factor is because at my normal weight, I've had a few very mild, annoying cramps that lasted only a few seconds. Maybe legs that are forced to support 405 lbs can cramp? :)
 
Gardenlover said:
I think you are on to something Camper - If I don't use a blanket or a very light one I don't seem to get as many cramps. I also like to try and keep my feet uncovered unless it is cold and then I might wear a pair of light socks.
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Not in my case.. because my room is very warm, so I have a featherweight comforter on my bed and nothing else aside from the sheet because I always feel the heat so keenly...believe me a bird wouldn't think my blanket was heavy
 
hollydolly said:
Not in my case.. because my room is very warm, so I have a featherweight comforter on my bed and nothing else aside from the sheet because I always feel the heat so keenly...believe me a bird wouldn't think my blanket was heavy
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Do you sleep on your back? No matter if the blanket is light or heavy. If your feet are flexed in one position for any amount of time you will get a cramp.

When you get up from a cramp and stand up the cramp goes away because you have unflexed your foot.
That's another thing I think. Your sleep position. I wonder if people who sleep on their sides get less cramps.
 
Camper6 said:
Do you sleep on your back? No matter if the blanket is light or heavy. If your feet are flexed in one position for any amount of time you will get a cramp.

When you get up from a cramp and stand up the cramp goes away because you have unflexed your foot.
That's another thing I think. Your sleep position. I wonder if people who sleep on their sides get less cramps.
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Maybe. It didn't work for me either time. I jumped out of bed immediately & tried walking around. The cramp just stayed until it decided to leave. I have heard pressure & massage helps. Also stretching the calf by learn forward against a wall while keeping your heels on the floor.
 
jujube said:
The cramps in the calves are bad enough, but the cramps in the back of the thighs are horrendous. All the massaging in the world doesn't help; I have to crawl out of bed and crabwalk about the bedroom for a period of time to get them to stop.
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Heat. Get heat on the back of the thighs. I have a bag that has rice or something in it that I heat up in the microwave. It's a miracle worker.
The hardest ones to get rid of are on the instep.
 
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