My husband is experiencing very painful cramps inside his legs at night after going up and down stairs at work. Stairs cannot be avoided! We have tried calcium pills and Gatorade. Any other ideas???
2007-02-08 04:38:47 · 9 answers · asked by charlotte q 2 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Pain & Pain Management
potassium is sometimes helpful or he could have restless leg syndrome (RLS) in which case his Dr. could provide a prescription medication to relieve his cramps. good luck.
2007-02-08 04:46:27 · answer #1 · answered by 1dayatatime 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not all calcium is alike.
Look on your bottle of calcium and see if contains Calcium CARBONATE. If it does, this is the worst type of calcium that you could put into your body. It has a high concentration of calcium, but is mostly not usable by the body...in fact even harmful as the body stores it as it does a toxin and it builds up over time.
Read your food labels where it says INGREDIENTS...not the Nutrition Facts...you will be amazed at how many products contain Calcium CARBONATE. This is another Lie that has been sold to the public. Calcium CARBONATE is what is used to harden cement...a good brick layer knows exactly what this is. You can practically buy it by the truckload for just a few dollars...which is, I imagine, why it is being used in our food...it is cheap and the public has been lead to believe that one calcium is as good as another.
So, if what I have told is true and your husband has ingested Calcium CARBONATE...and even worse, if it was in a pill or tablet form, then have him try taking Calcium CITRATE. If it is possible to purchase it in a powder form, then this is best, otherwise, if you must, buy the pills but then crush them up and mix it in either water or juice for a minute or so and then swallow it. Same with the powder, mix it in liquid before swallowing it.
Calcium CITRATE is probably the most usable form of calcium for the body... it is also very alkalizing.
For leg cramps, also Magnesium can be taken. Magnesium is a natural for relaxing muscles. Always crush the pills and put it in liquid before taking for absorption. You may be able to find the two minerals in one product...Calcium/Magnesium Supplement...but remember to only get Calcium CITRATE.
Minerals do the body no good unless they are ionized before you take them, meaning mixed with water or liquid. A mineral in a pill or tablet form is as worthless as a car without a key... you are not going to get anywhere.
With either of these two minerals, if you should happen to take too much, you will experience loose stool. If this happens, then simple cut back on your dosage.
In most cases this will greatly help with leg cramps. But in addition to this, I will add one bit of folklore medicine. I hesitate to do so, as it is hard to explain their scientific basis, and with this one I have never been able to research as to why it so often works..and very well!
Well, here it goes...
Place a bar of soap...just ordinary face soap like IVORY ( Does not work with Dial or Dove for whatever reason)...under the bottom sheet at night.This is a very odd thing to do but it has worked for many people. I think that I have read that it is ok to even leave the soap in the wrapper and it seems to be ok to just place it towards the foot of the bed. My mother has used this for over a year since she heard of it and has not had a leg cramp since.
I hope this helps.
I am a Health Researcher --- find articles that I have written at the link below.
2007-02-08 07:58:03 · answer #2 · answered by Emjae 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your husband may want to stretch the calf muscles before and after going up and down the stairs. I also found that if I had too much calcium I got the leg cramps.
2007-02-08 04:44:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fastest relief - A couple swigs of molasses
Slower 1 or 2 bananas per day
Reason - they contain magnesium and potassium
For more information on muscles (the cause) pain and referred pain read The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies. It teaches what to do and has a 75% success rate.
2007-02-11 15:02:52 · answer #4 · answered by Keko 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How much potassium does your husband ingest? Leg cramps are the #1 indicator that his diet is lacking in potassium. Good sources of potassium are:
Dried fruits: raisins, prunes, apricots, dates
Fresh fruits: bananas, strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges
Fresh vegetables: beets, greens, spinach, peas, tomatoes, mushrooms
Dried vegetables: beans, peas
Fresh meats: turkey, fish, beef
Fresh juices: orange
Canned juices: grapefruit, prune, apricot
and some yogurts contain potassium as well.
As with anything regarding health, check with your doctor first to ensure that this is the problem.
As for a way to relieve the cramp? As a football mom, at the onset of a calf cramp, I suggest having your husband (while remaining in bed) arch his foot like he is standing on his toes to tighten the calf muscle. It works every time
2007-02-08 04:55:32 · answer #5 · answered by Ronald and Mary J 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This could be because of muscle fatigue or dehydration. Try exercising all parts of your body. It also sometimes is due to disuse atrophy. Consult a doctor if it persists. You can also look for information in the web. I found this website very useful. http://aches.in/cramps.html
2007-02-09 00:37:42 · answer #6 · answered by Karunya 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ibuprofen may help relieve the pain.
2007-02-08 04:41:49 · answer #7 · answered by Bear 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Believe it or not, menstral cramp pills will help.
2007-02-08 04:42:51 · answer #8 · answered by justme 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
u need to drink more water...Will you score me best answer please and I will give you the star :)
2007-02-08 04:42:58 · answer #9 · answered by Mickirs 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋