What can you do about leg cramps?

Question

I woke up to the most horrible leg cramp in my left leg. I'm 36 wks. It was horrible!!! Since I cant reach my legs anymore...I grabbed a hold of my hair and had it in a tight grip, that's how much it hurt. Anyway of relieving them?

Answer 1

eat bananas or ask your doctor about a potassium supplement..

Answer 2

First, to ease the pain of leg cramps, you have to make a right angle with your foot and your leg, basically straigten your leg parallel to the floor, and have your toes pointing straight up. This tightens the muscle, best way stop the cramping. If you do this, you may have pain for a few minutes, but then it's gone. If you don't stretch it out, you can feel the pain much longer.

Second, you need more potassium in your diet, eat more bananas. It is very common in pregnancy.

Answer 3

Next time you get a cramp, point your foot up as if you're trying to make it parallel to your shins. Also, leg cramps are sometimes brought on by potassium & calcium imbalances. So, if you drink a lot of milk, try eating a banana to balance your calcium intake.

Answer 4

I had these HORRIBLY during my pregnancies. I never did figure it out with my first baby. But the second time what worked was straightening my leg out and stretching my toes back (like you're trying to stretch your toes toward your knee). Don't take your hand and try to pull your toes back. Just flex your toes back without touching your leg/foot - don't try and point your toe, that will make it worse!
Hope it works for you too!

Answer 5

Keep hydrated, try walking around a bit-exercise the muscles, would do you good to help musles relax, sleep in a comfortable place which will allow you to easily get up without suddent movement which usually gives you one in the first place.

When I used to swim my teacher used to say cramps happen due to dehydration and lack of excercising the muscles to relax.

Answer 6

When you get those, extend your leg out straight, then bend your toes back toward you. It will automatically get rid of the cramp! Works for me! I get them all the time...they aren't fun, I know! Also, try stretching before you go to bed, that helps too.

Answer 7

uhm...when you get leg cramps..try hard not to move your leg . Let it stay on that position until the pain lessens.

if you think you can bear the pain, try to stretch your leg out very slow. Then try pressing your other leg on the back of leg (cramps) as if your massaging it...

it works for me ...

Answer 8

Warm but not HOT bath and walking before you go to sleep helps a lot. I ONLY GET LEG CRAMPS WHEN I DON'T WALK FOR THE DAY!! Good Luck!!

Answer 9

bananas calium and more postassium and iron my doc said.. they hurt and i did excatly the same thing grab my hair and screamed like a baby its hurt so much hey..do some walking every day aswell drink plently of water that help and before u go to sleep and when u wake up stiffen ur body up like as if ur a wooden board appreantly that help my doc told me to do that buti was scared that it would cause more of them but i mean docts know best lol

Answer 10

I read in my pregnancy book about putting your feet on cold tile or whatever and your hands in warm water. Also it can be a lack of calcium or potassium or something I believe.

Answer 11

DURING PREGNANCY SOMETIMES THE BABY PRESSES ON A NERVE AND IT WILL CAUSE LEG CRAMPS. SOMETIMES CHANGING POSITIONS WILL HELP DECREASE THE LEG CRAMPS. I HAD LEG CRAMPS ALSO DURING PREGNANCY AND I CAN FEEL YOUR PAIN.