leg cramps

[Leap Year]

I know this sounds really stupid and I can't justify it intellectually, but I have a very close friend who had constant leg cramps at night. After exhausting doctors remedies, she finally tried the "bars of soap" remedy. I don't know how, but it worked. It doesn't make sense, but who cares, it worked. She just puts three or four bars of soap at the bottom of her bed under her sheets... no more leg cramps. This is a very cheap remedy, so what the heck. You have nothing to lose! Give it a try. If it doesn't work (and I don't know why it should other than it does) what have you lost?

[+ Charlie]

I also had leg cramps on Lipitor, and they went away as soon as he switched me to a non-statin alternative.

[devonhunter]

as a dancer/fitness trainer, my suggestion is that you NOT put weight on a cramping leg. the muscle(s) is/(are) already overloaded as it is. as others have mentioned, you want to lengthen the muscle without causing it to bare loads. gentle stretching, dorsal flexion of the foot (pulling your toes up towards the knee) will help with cramping in the calf/soleus, massage, and hot baths all help the muscle fibers to release and/or lengthen.

 

but you can get cramps in other parts of your body as well. the guideline to remember: gently lengthen the muscle in the parallel but opposite direction of the pulling.

 

calf: dorsal flexion at ankle (pull toes up toward knee)

 

hamstring: hip flexion with straight knee (sit with both legs straight in front of you and reach for your thighs/knees/ankles/toes; or, lay back with knees bent and soles on the floor while lifting the cramping leg into the air with a straight knee and gently pulling behind the knee, so that the leg comes towards the chest)

 

"ribs/"obliques/intercostals: take a lateral stretch AWAY from the side that is cramping. you may do this standing, kneeling, sitting, or laying down. what matters is that you lengthen the side that is cramping

 

thighs: lay down on the floor with your knees bent and your soles on the ground. lift the leg that is cramping, wrap your hands with interlaced fingers around the shin of that leg, and gently pull the lower leg in so that the heel approaches the butt. avoid bouncing or jerking.

 

hips: depends on the direction of the cramp. front of hips: get two chairs. with the first chair, place it with the back to you. the second is behind you, seat facing the back of your body. put your hands on the front chair for support, and then lift the leg on the side that is cramping. place the foot on the chair behind you, heel up to the ceiling. side of hips: lay on the floor with knees bent and soles on the floor. bring up the knee on the side that is cramping. with the opposite hand, pull the knee across your body and towards the floor. back of hips: see butt.

 

butt: lay on the floor with knees bent and soles on the floor. lift the leg on the side that is cramping. turn the elevated knee out, so that the ankle of the elevated leg can lay across the thigh of the resting leg. the cramping leg should be resting roughly perpendicular across the thigh of the propping leg. for deeper stretch: lift the propping leg off the floor, which will press the cramping leg closer into the chest.

 

lower back: lay on the floor with knees bent and soles on the floor. lift both feet off the floor, wrap the hands BEHIND the bent knees, and hug your legs into your chest.

[edjames]

be very careful about self-medicating yourself. Certainly increased consumption of water is a good thing but once you start fooling around with vitamins and mineral supplements, well, be warned.

 

Increased digestion of of potassium can result in abnormally elevated serum potassium concentrations, referred to as hyperkalemia. Hyperkalemia occurrs when potassium intake exceeds the capacity of the kidneys to eliminate it. Acute or chronic renal (kidney) failure, the use of potassium-sparing diuretics, and insufficient aldosterone secretion (hypoaldosteronism) may result in the accumulation of excess potassium due to decreased urinary potassium excretion. Oral doses greater than 18 grams taken at one time in individuals not accustomed to high intakes may lead to severe hyperkalemia, even in those with normal kidney function (4). Hyperkalemia may also result from a shift of intracellular potassium into the circulation, which may occur with the rupture of red blood cells (hemolysis) or tissue damage (e.g., trauma or severe burns). Symptoms of hyperkalemia may include tingling of the hands and feet, muscular weakness, and temporary paralysis. The most serious complication of hyperkalemia is the development of an abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia), which can lead to cardiac arrest (30). See Drug interactions for a discussion of the medications that increase the risk of hyperkalemia.

 

I do not understand your reluctance to seek medical advice.

 

Good luck.,

 

ED

[edjames]

Actually--while Ed didn't give bad advice--I think he was a little too pessimistic. A lot of people have leg cramps--and the majority of people have no serious underlying problem. However--Joseph has just revealed he has MS--in that case--the cramps may have something to do with his MS--and he really needs to talk with a neurologist who specializes in MS.

 

I would rather err on the side of good judgement than be lying in a grave. Pessimistic, perhaps, but I've seen too many who ignored the headaches and wound up dead of a anyerism, ignored the chest pains and wound up dead of a heart attack, ignored the coughing and congestion an wound up in the hospital with pneumonia. There are consequences to our actions and if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle, then there is no reason not to seek medical advice when you are confronted with a problem. Joseph posted a request for input into his leg cramps. It's up to him to decided what the best course of action for him is...

[josephga]

been taking 1 potassium tab for 3 days now and increased my water intake to close to 1 gallon a day an so far no more leg cramps

[OneFinger]

I used to go through periods of leg cramps. Someone suggested it was a calcium deficiency so I've started taking an over-the-counter calcium supplement.

 

Seems now that the only time I get cramps is when I forget to take the supplement for a couple of days.