what causes leg cramps?

Question

I've been having leg cramps at night usually when I'm asleep. I understand it can be a normal thing but it isn't the ones where your leg cramps up and toes crunches together, mine is actually very painful. While I'm tossing in bed, I can feel it coming when I stretch or bend, and I have to wake my bf up to tug on it for about a minute and massage the calf at the same time. Last night he did that and right when he stopped it came back again immediately and he had to do it all over again just longer. I've tried straightening it out but that doesn't help at all and I'm at the point where I do want to cry out ( and I can stand pain) but this is just so terrible, its hard to explain. And my calf is sore for about 2-3days after. What can it be?

Answer 1

sexiphobia or cramps in your sex organ

Answer 2

I also occasionally experience a "charley horse" which is the kind of cramp you are describing when you have to tug on your foot and massage your calf to make it disappear. These kind of cramps ARE very painful, so I understand your distress. My mother gets them as well, and will wake up screaming to my father "pull my leg, pull my leg"!! What I have found helpful is to consume foods with potassium - bananas, yogurt, orange juice as soon as the attack occurs, which happens while I'm sleeping too. They should go away quickly after the potassium gets into your system. Of course, that doesn't mean that they won't come back some day in the future, but at least you'll know how to deal with them. Good luck!!

Answer 3

Magnesium and/or potassium deficiency.

Much pain is from muscles below is an example of what may help (based on headaches).
Begin with a couple swigs of molasses or a couple of bananas (natural muscle relaxers) daily - magnesium (which regulates many things in the body) and potassium (a needed building block for muscles).
Drink at least 1/2 gallons of water per day. Running a body low on water is like running a car low on oil is the analogy the head of neurology at UCDavis told my husband about 10 years ago.

Now to the cause - muscles - your back, neck shoulders and head have tender spots. They are knots in the fibers of the muscles called trigger points. It makes the muscles tight which makes them press on nerves and other things causing the pain.

The cure - start with a professional massage, (if this does not do it you probably need a chiropractor as well) you will also want to go back over any place you can get to 6-12 times per session up to 6 times per day rubbing (or lightly scratching on your head) every where that is tender until the knots go away. The place where the skull connects to the spine press up under the edge of the skull (to get to those muscles).

For more information read The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies. It teaches what to do and where the pain comes from.

Answer 4

if u have an underlying neuro or other medical condition this may not apply to you but if not cramps are caused by uraic acid in your m uscles.L;ike running when uget cramp.i would try drinking tonic water during the day and before bedit contains a neutralizing ingredient.oh and eatig bananas will increase ur pottasium levels which may be lacking too!

Answer 5

I have leg cramps all the time, it feels like someone is twisting the muscle. My pain is a result of bulge disk in my lower back, this will cause leg pain. Hope this helps..

Answer 6

Low Potassium Eat some Bananas and take a multi Vitim they will stop in a few Hours.

Answer 7

Sounds like muscle spasms that can be caused by a number of things.

Go to your doctor and he/she might give you a prescription for something like Flexeril to help with that, depending on what they think the cause is.

I get those myself as part of arthritis but yours is probably something else if much younger.

Answer 8

You have too much calcium going to those muscles while you are resting. Calcium levels is what triggers for a muscle to contract.

Answer 9

Lack of potassium in the diet it bananas and other foods rich in potassium..

Answer 10

contraction or overshortening usually of muscles

Answer 11

low potassium....you need to see your doctor..try to eat some bananas they are high in potassium...