OUCH!!!!!!! Horrific leg cramps???

Question

My diet has not changed, but lately I have been experiencing the most torturous leg cramps I've ever felt. On more than one occasion, my legs have drawn up so tightly that I literally could not move to stand up or walk.

What could be causing this?

Any suggestions on remedies? I don't have insurance or money so I can't see a doctor.

Thanks!

Answer 1

First and foremost..drink lots of water. Dehydration can cause it. The second thing is potassium. Go buy a bunch of bananas. Third thing, calcium. Eat calcium rich foods or a calcium supplement. Those are the three most common causes of leg cramps.

Answer 2

Hi!

First, I would want to know how old are you, what is your weight, are you pregnant if you are a female, do you exercise a lot, and if you are taking any medications:

1. If you are taking medication, one of the most common adverse effects of cholesterol medications (i.e. Lipitor) is leg cramps, especially if you are taking a high dose of it. Also, some blood pressure medications (i.e. "water pills") can cause the same, as they make you urinate a lot more and they work in a way that it reduces your potassium indirectly. That's why a lot of elderly people have to take prescription strength potassium supplement with their water pills, so the have their potassium levels right, and they wont get muscle cramps along with many other potassium related symptoms.

2. If you are not taking any medications and you are "healthy" (meaning no cancer, heart problems, recent surgeries, etc) most likely it could be something called "electrolyte imbalance". Potassium is a very important element in your body, it is one of the electrolytes, and if you dont have enough of it, the first sign of depletion is muscle cramps.
You might be sweating a lot, or doing more physical work, or simply, your diet just doesnt contain enough and your body is signaling with cramps. You can simply resolve that by eating potassium rich foods/drinks: i.e. banana, Gatorade. Or buying a daily multi vitamin and taking it at least for 1 month.

3. Finally, but not least - often muscle cramps can occur more often when people are stressed and just cant relax a particular muscle well. Again, resolving stress, or taking a multi vitamin with some Vitamin B -s in it might help a little.

I hope this was helpful! Good luck.

Answer 3

This could be caused by many things and because of the severity of your symptoms, you really should try to see a doctor if possible. Maybe there is a clinic nearby that could work with you on cost. I do know that being deficient in certain vitamins or minerals can sometimes cause leg cramps, so you might consider a good supplement. Your local health food store could recommend the best one. While your diet may not have changed, your nutritional requirements may have. For example, excess stress can increase your needs. Do more research online--webmd.com can be a good place to start. Good luck.

Answer 4

How about a bevy of soultions?

Magnesium Orotate (or any of the -tates, not magnesium oxide - will cause diarrhea) helps with muscle spasms. Try Magnesium Apsorotate by Soloray (available at The Vitamin Shoppe http://www.thevitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp;jsessionid=GXPUTELJEKGSOCQUC4WVAFQKCQL1AUNE?id=SO-1154 ) Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxer.

Quinine is known for helping leg cramps. Found in tonic water at your local grocery. Add a squeeze of lime to make it palatable. (Just a general aside... did you know that the reason gin and tonic is such a popular British drink is because the gin increases the palatability of the tonic water... and the reason the British drank quantities of tonic water while in African countries is because the quinine also wards off malaria!)

Stretching can help with leg cramps.... try yoga, especially the downward dog and assorted leg stretches, not just stretches for the calves.

Massage can help get the knots out. Always rub deep strokes TOWARD the heart to avoid creating varicosities (varicose veins).

Drink more water.... leg cramps can be a sign of dehydration.

And, finally, during a cramp.... try to stretch the leg (yes, I know, it's excruciating!). And use ice packs on the area to kill the cramp. It is contrary to logic, but it works.

Hope some of this helps you.

Answer 5

Taking a calcium supplement might help also. Take a warm glass of milk and chew on tums at bedtime. Take 400 milligrams of magnesium, this is one of the best home remedies for leg cramps. Chamomile tea has a very relaxing effect. When I really hurt in my legs I take a hot shower and run the water down my legs, as hot as you can stand it. Another pain reducer is Cramp Bark, have 1-2 tsp three times a day great home remedy. Also one tsp of calcium lactate, one tsp apple cider vineger, and one tsp honey in a glass of lukewarm water. Try Vitamin B complex for several weeks and see it it reduces the pain. I've heard that accupressure can help and learning the technique. Maybe a massage therapist or a chiropractic physician. Adjusting, massage and manual trigger point therapy can be used to treat cramps directly, as in someone with low back spasm. Sometimes we don't get enough of one perticular vitamin in a mult vitamin source. These are recommended as a treatment: Calcium 2000 mg/d Magnesium 4.5 mg/kg of body weight Sodium 300 mg/kg of body bicarbonate weight Potassium 3500 mg/d Vit. E 600 IU/d Ginkgo 650 mg/d Vit. C 3g/d The pain is agony, hopefully these tips will help with your road to pain reduction.

Answer 6

There's an old home remedy that says for leg cramps, eat a tablespoon of plain yellow mustard. It supposedly relieves the pain with in a half hour or so. I've never tried it because I don't really get leg cramps. I think it is a vitamin deficiency though.

Answer 7

I believe these are also commonly known as "Charlie horses" when your leg cramps up and the muscle gets extremely tight. A co-worker of mine had this same condition and said that the pain was unbearable. He told me this comes from being dehydrated and can also come from exercising without enough hydration. Apparently the muscles in your leg aren't getting enough water or fluid and are constricting due to dehydration. This often happens to me in my foot. My only suggestion for a remedy is make sure you are drinking plenty of water and you might want to cut down on soft drinks or any drinks that contain sodium and eat less sodium (salt) in your diet.

Answer 8

You need to add potassium to your diet. Try eating more bananas and potatoes are ok too. But eat more potassium and drink a lot of water. I used to get leg cramps all the time while I was prego and trust me the bananas work almost right away!

Answer 9

check your shoes. Get new ones, lay off the heels and flip flops, correct size and arch support. eat more bananas. take Motrin. drink a lot of water.

my husband had the same thing cause by shoes that were too small. He carries the mail and works 6 days a week, so after a few months in shoes that were a size too small it threw everything out of wack and landed him in the hospital with leg cramps so bad he couldnt walk and you could see them with the naked eye.

Also, try a chiropractor, that worked wonders for him.

Answer 10

Tonic water, bananas, and well fitting shoes can help. Go to a shoe store that specializes in shoes with arch support (normally looks like an old people store) but it really can help with anything. Stretch the muscles and tendons before any major exercise. I recomment putting muscle cream on in the mornings at before you go to bed. If you are a smoker, QUIT! I know it isn't easy but your body could be having a reaction to the chemicals and fumes from the smoke/cigarette. Hope this helps! MayMay