Leg Cramps?

Question

What is the best thing to do for leg cramps? I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with a cramping pain in my calf muscle. What do I need to do to keep this from happening?

Answer 1

are you a smoker??
i'm not trying to be smart, but i had them every single night,didn't know what it was to have agood nights sleep, i feel so sorry for you, really,doctors told me it was a circulation problem brought on by smoking, i kept on smoking but i would tub my legs an calf area with an xtra strong heat rub for arthritic pain, it really worked, i started to get a nights sleep instead of walking the floors all night to get the pain out, i also have to take a pill ,Crestor, for cholesterol and they say cholesterol pills cause leg pains so they gave me a capsule of Quinine to take each night, something worked!! anyway, i did quit smoking an i only take 1 quinine a week an i am pain free, first time in many years, i hope something here works for you as i know the pain you are going through , good luck an God Bless !!i am not allowed salt an i eat bananas for another problem,

Answer 2

If you smoke - quit.

If you exercise, stretch your muscles before working out.

Make sure you are getting enough potassium especially if you perspire heavily, are on water pills, are vomiting a lot or take a lot of laxatives. You can get potassium from orange and tomato juice, sports drinks, or potassium pills that are sold over the counter. If your kidneys are okay, your body will flush out whatever it doesn't use.

Don't sit for hours in one position especially before bed. Get up and walk around.

Before going to bed, stand and hold onto the back of a chair. Raise yourself up and down on your toes about 20 times to stretch the calf muscles and Achille's tendons.

An aspirin before bed can be helpful if you are able to take them.

Leg cramps can be a sign on peripheral artery disease. If they continue, get it checked.

Keep a hair blow dryer by your bed. It's the fastest way to relieve a leg cramp. BUT make sure you don't leave it in bed as it can be a burn or fire hazard.

Answer 3

Take magnesium supplements, before going to bed stretch you legs. I stand a few feet from the wall and then put on foot back behind me and arms straight, hands on wall, then bend opposite leg at knee and bend that knee until I can feel a good stretch in the long leg, if not then I move the foot back more. I hold this stretch for count of ten raise heel of long leg off floor re-leaving pressure to leg and then push heel back to floor for another count of ten. Switch legs and repeat.
Do this every night and in morning.

Answer 4

Chew on a banana. Not being rude. Bananas are high in POTASSIUM ( think I spelled that right,spell check is dead) They or vitamin suppliments will probably help.! Had same prob and it worked for me. Do you perspire a lot?? I think the lack of salt might contribute to it as well. If you perspire a lot it can deplete your system of electrolytes( theres another word) Get onto a medical site and see what they might suspect....

Answer 5

My leg cramps, charlie horses are very painful and sometime I wonder if I am gonna come out of this horrible pain...what do i do when this happens > I walk rub, drink no good,,,please is there a nother answer >

Answer 6

More water is definitely good, but you probably
need some potassium. Eat a banana a day,
they contain a lot of it. Or get some vitamin
pills with potassium.

Answer 7

My problem went away when I started taking Vitamin E for circulation. Haven't popped up in the middle of the night since.

Answer 8

Sound like you lack postassium. Eat more bananas. Or check and see if you can find other foods with potassium. I can't think of any. But, those darn cramps hurt,Don;t they?

Answer 9

that usually means you don't have enough sodium in your diet. That happens to me a lot so i stretch my foot out flat. even though it hurts for a second, it loosens the muscle right away.

Answer 10

Your potassium level is low.
Eat a banana every day, or take supplements.