my calves have been sore all day and im not sure and when i try to stretch them i can feel it coming so i stop --- if i twist my clf or move it too much a certain way i know i am going to get a charlie horse. what should i do?
2007-12-30 19:20:41 · 10 answers · asked by Jessica 3 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Pain & Pain Management
Do you live on a farm? Your calves are sore and you are worried about a charlie horse. Keep the calves but tell Charlie to get lost.
2007-12-30 19:24:58 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Hi Jessica,
I have not tried this myself but found it recently in a health book at Amazon. The reason I am not sure whether this works is because I have not needed to try it since I read about it (I get charlie horse very occasionally).
Another issue is that if this advise works, it only works on the symptom, not the cause. The advise you get from most people here, to add potassium to your diet, would probably help better against the cause.
Another factors that can help against the cause are:
1. drink a good amount of water. Avoid sodas and juices if possible.
2. try to get at least a moderate amount of exercise, especially for your legs. If you are on your feet long hours each day, try to give your legs a chance to relax, e.g. by sitting down and massaging your calfs.
3. eat as healthy food as possible. Avoid junk foods as they often contain large amount of fats (which affect blood circulation), sugars, salt and not much nutrients.
In any case, the advise that I meant to give you from the book is as follows:
At the first twinge of tightness in the calf, stretch your leg out straight and at the same time, bend your foot at the ankle, push your heel away from your body and point your toes toward your nose. This will extend your calf muscles. Hold this position until all pain is gone. It may feel good to also gently massage the calf muscles.
2008-01-03 01:24:16 · answer #2 · answered by jjoensuu 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
take a potassium supplement and call me in the morning
2007-12-31 14:21:53 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like a diet problem, low on potassium, maybe other vitamins. You can start by eating a couple of bananas a day and see what that brings, oranges, etc, anything with potassium in it.
I won't recommend potassium additives due to some people can't take them, not without seeing a doctor first.
When a "charlie horse" hits, start by walking around or rubbing it.
2007-12-30 21:54:48 · answer #4 · answered by cowboydoc 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Potassium and lots of water intake helps. Also, stretch your calf muscles all throughout the day, and especially before going to bed - I get charlie horses in the middle of the night - i used to wake up with tears streaming down my face. lightly massaging your calf during a charlie attack helps.
2007-12-30 21:46:18 · answer #5 · answered by Crissy H 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, the other answers are correct. Potassium is one mineral that you might be lacking. Strawberries are also reasonably high in potassium, however, I don't think you're going to find any in the winter time.
Are you, per chance, taking any type of drug for ADD, for instance, Adderall or a similar stimulant medication? If so, you might want to consider adding a magnesium supplement (in pill form) to your diet. Some of the ADD meds. have been known to wash some of the magnesium out of a person's body, causing painful muscle cramps; often these cramps are felt in the arch of the foot and in the leg.
Good luck. I hope one or some of these remedies help you.
2007-12-30 19:56:23 · answer #6 · answered by SafeJourney 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Bananas, oranges, anything with potassium in it, that will work. It helps to stand as flat-footed as you can until it releases it's grip. I've heard that a good amount of water consumption is beneficial too.
2007-12-30 19:31:18 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you have any kind of brace then ide suggest sleeping in that. dont twist it any certain way that you think may harm it, and you should probably go to a doctor if it doesnt get any better.
2007-12-30 19:26:57 · answer #8 · answered by Converse-_-Betch 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I used to get a lot of those when I was a teenager. People kept telling me it was "growing pains". Pains is right. You might be low on potassium...eat some bananas or take a multi-vitamin. Try taking a hot/warm bath to help relax your calf muscles. Also, if you do get a charlie horse, immediately stretch your leg out straight and pull your toes toward you to stretch out the calf.
2007-12-30 19:26:35 · answer #9 · answered by electricnachos347 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
eat a banana, drink some orange juice
potassium helps
2007-12-30 19:25:24 · answer #10 · answered by Nate 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋