Have I complained about foot cramps lately??
Sabine_Stroehm
Posts: 19,263 Member
They suck! Worse than calf charley horses even.
Everything I've read says it's either "dehydration, Vitamin E, or B6 or Magnesium. And very common in menopause.
DISLIKE.
Anyone else get them? Mine tend to start at the ball of my foot on the big toe side and then radiate both directions.
Everything I've read says it's either "dehydration, Vitamin E, or B6 or Magnesium. And very common in menopause.
DISLIKE.
Anyone else get them? Mine tend to start at the ball of my foot on the big toe side and then radiate both directions.
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Replies
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Just had one that woke me up last night. Hmm...hadn't thought of it as part of menopause.0
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Drink enough water, do those supplements on general principle, but most importantly, get moving, and work on those feet. There's no need to have one's feet fail at this time of life. Do dancers' exercises that really warm up the feet. My body worker told me that his older dancer clients don't have trouble with cramps or feet failing them because they've kept them in working order over the years. That's all I needed to hear, to point the way. And I do dance(not professionally and not ballet now). Sure, dancers' feet, especially female ballet dancers', take a beating with point shoes and all, but for general dance, working through those feet will surely help. I know - I'm 65, and my feet are FINE as a result of following through.
Do NOT fall into the trap of chalking every little thing up to menopause - this will do more than anything to discourage women from doing anything about their health and fitness at a time when they really need to. Sure, things do change at menopause, and after, but we can learn to work with them and be healthy and fit as we are able.0 -
Yes, I've been getting foot cramps, sometimes starting at the balls of the feet, but most often on what would be the ring finger equivalent while drying my feet during my post-workout shower. I got a foot cramp the other night at a rather inconvenient and awkward moment with my spouse, too. :blushing: That kind of puts the damper on things momentarily.
My mother suffers from leg cramps something dreadful and they seem to be helped when she is faithful about soaking in a hot tub post-exericise, whenever possible. She is an active woman still, but the cramps started when she hit menopause and will wake her up out of a sound sleep, shrieking and hobbling off to the bathroom to get a hot washcloth to help loosen up the muscle.
I hope to not get the leg cramps, and try to stretch out the foot cramps. Being dehydrated a bit does seem to make the problem worse. I don't know if there is any truth to it, but potassium is something I have read can help prevent muscle cramps.
Foot cramps are the worst!0 -
I run 3-6 miles a day. I stretch well and often. I lift weights. I cycle. I walk 2-4 miles a day. I drink about 100 ounces of water a day. And I get regular massages. I'm about as active as I can be with a full time job lol.:happy:Drink enough water, do those supplements on general principle, but most importantly, get moving, and work on those feet. There's no need to have one's feet fail at this time of life. Do dancers' exercises that really warm up the feet. My body worker told me that his older dancer clients don't have trouble with cramps or feet failing them because they've kept them in working order over the years. That's all I needed to hear, to point the way. And I do dance(not professionally and not ballet now). Sure, dancers' feet, especially female ballet dancers', take a beating with point shoes and all, but for general dance, working through those feet will surely help. I know - I'm 65, and my feet are FINE as a result of following through.
Do NOT fall into the trap of chalking every little thing up to menopause - this will do more than anything to discourage women from doing anything about their health and fitness at a time when they really need to. Sure, things do change at menopause, and after, but we can learn to work with them and be healthy and fit as we are able.
My sister complained of foot cramps with menopause, so have several of my friends. It's pretty common, actually. I don't attribute everything to menopause, but yes, when something new randomly appears, like painful charley horses in my feet, I do consider whether it may be due to the hormonal changes I'm undergoing. It probably is in this case.0 -
I do get foot cramps, but only in one foot -- and I injured that foot earlier this year. The cramps are in my arch and dissipate with stretching. Sometimes my foot actually "cracks", which alleviates the cramp immediately. So, yeah, I don't think this is related to menopause, but since you asked, I thought I'd join in and complain along with you! :drinker:0
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Good overall general work Sabine! But there are really good foot exercises like what dancers do to warm up the feet and in general, like barre exercises(or anywhere you can lightly hold on to something for stability). Pilates mat classes are very good for this too. When I was first taking Pilates mat, my feet would often cramp up, simply because I wasn't used to the kind of work yet. Now, only very occasionally, and usually it's because maybe I didn't hydrate quite enough, or had skipped my calcium-magnesium.
What I meant about chalking every little thing up to menopause doesn't mean to say that some changes aren't present - it does vary from woman to woman. However, we can learn to work with them. Anyhow, best of luck!0 -
I run in barefoot shoes, so feet warm ups are key. I try to do them, and calf warm ups daily. I really do think it's a change with age...especially given that my sister complains of exactly the same issue, and for her it began with "the change" as well.Good overall general work Sabine! But there are really good foot exercises like what dancers do to warm up the feet and in general, like barre exercises(or anywhere you can lightly hold on to something for stability). Pilates mat classes are very good for this too. When I was first taking Pilates mat, my feet would often cramp up, simply because I wasn't used to the kind of work yet. Now, only very occasionally, and usually it's because maybe I didn't hydrate quite enough, or had skipped my calcium-magnesium.
What I meant about chalking every little thing up to menopause doesn't mean to say that some changes aren't present - it does vary from woman to woman. However, we can learn to work with them. Anyhow, best of luck!
(I also think the light headedness that comes and goes is related to menopause... as does my OBGYN)0 -
Well! A couple of weeks ago I started taking a magnesium supplement and the foot cramps seem to be gone! Knock on wood. Here's hoping!0
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Well! A couple of weeks ago I started taking a magnesium supplement and the foot cramps seem to be gone! Knock on wood. Here's hoping!
I, too, get excrutiating foot cramps. My toes will curl, my foot will harden and curve, my calves will get a charlie horse. It is painful, very painful. When my daughter still lived here, she would massage them out. Now I am alone and have to massage and work out the cramps myself. Very hard to do when bending down to reach the foot aggravates the calf cramps.
My dr says this is due to a lack of calcium. Which could be true since I rarely, if ever drink milk. I do like cheeses and yogurts. No I cannot and do not do soy. They are killers -- deathly allergic, me and my daughter, son is okay.
Maybe I should start taking supplements and Sabine, I will try the magnesium. Thank you.0 -
It's been a while, and no more foot cramps! I think Magnesium was the key for me. Good luck!Well! A couple of weeks ago I started taking a magnesium supplement and the foot cramps seem to be gone! Knock on wood. Here's hoping!
I, too, get excrutiating foot cramps. My toes will curl, my foot will harden and curve, my calves will get a charlie horse. It is painful, very painful. When my daughter still lived here, she would massage them out. Now I am alone and have to massage and work out the cramps myself. Very hard to do when bending down to reach the foot aggravates the calf cramps.
My dr says this is due to a lack of calcium. Which could be true since I rarely, if ever drink milk. I do like cheeses and yogurts. No I cannot and do not do soy. They are killers -- deathly allergic, me and my daughter, son is okay.
Maybe I should start taking supplements and Sabine, I will try the magnesium. Thank you.0 -
I get them ! In fact had them last night, ugh0
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Foot and leg cramps. The foot ones are the worse. You can just FEEL the musles seizing up as you watch your foot turn into itself. Fighting it by stretching in the other direction, while muttering vile and nasty words, is what I do.
All of the suggestions do help, but I think that there is just some resignation that this is just ANOTHER part of the "change" that we weren't made aware of.0 -
What, where your foot feels like it is folding in half, causing you excrutiating pain? Oh yes. And those embarrassing moments with spouses . . . oh yes. Other big time is when I press my foot against the faucet when taking a bath.
I had them at 40 really badly, they went away for a decade, now they are back. For me, it isn't exercise. It is specific types of stress that my feet seem more vulnerable to when I am low on minerals. Like night cramps in the legs, yoghurt with bananas and nuts will help keep it at bay.
My mother suggested standing with your toes on the edge of a stair and standing up on tip toes and then stretching downwards. That also seems to help - mostly because it realigns my foot bones. I danced very seriously for many years and have VERY high arches that get higher and higher as I get older. The most important thing for me, however, is recognizing EARLY when it's about to hit and stretching my feet to they never cramp up.0 -
Wow i didnt realise this was connected to menopause. I get terrible foot cramps only in my left foot which started around 2 years ago. It always affects just my toes but the pain can knock the breath right out of me. Im still fit and active, jog 3 miles 3 times a week, walk a lot etc but still get them. Think i will also try the suppliments mentioned above.0
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Leg/foot cramps can be caused by low potassium levels. If you've omitted bananas from your diet, you may want to add them back. Another idea is to replace your regular salt with Morton's Lite Salt which has half the sodium of regular table salt and added potassium.0
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Hmmm interesting. I get the ll the take supplements and eat plenty of fruit & veggies and also I drink between 10-14 glasses of water daily so I guess it MUST be menopause???!!! They suck I know that!!!! It hurts really badly!0
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Cantalope has lots of potassium to for those who don't like bannas0
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Veggies too.Cantalope has lots of potassium to for those who don't like bannas0 -
Don't want to give anyone anything extra to worry about, but....
Hubby and I both had been having a lot of muscle cramps, his were in his legs, mine was in my side and calf.
In April we were both diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Since we have been on meds and gotten our blood sugars down the cramps are gone, completely. Just a little food for thought.0 -
I've been tested. All good here.Don't want to give anyone anything extra to worry about, but....
Hubby and I both had been having a lot of muscle cramps, his were in his legs, mine was in my side and calf.
In April we were both diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Since we have been on meds and gotten our blood sugars down the cramps are gone, completely. Just a little food for thought.
(And I don't have any of the risk factors).
I haven't had a single foot cramp in months! (knock on wood).0 -
I get both foot and hand cramps. They are terrible. I do have a liver problem and one neurologist thought that might be sending things out of whack (a technical term
), but he really wasn't sure. He suggested magnesium supplements and I rarely get them anymore! I was amazed at how well this worked. I was miserable with these cramps and they were severe and frequent. Be sure to get your magnesium tested once in a while if you try this, though, to make sure you aren't over-doing it.
I am taking 500mg twice a day and will have a test in January to make sure I am not getting too much. I feel much better, though, and it has helped my chronic constipation a bit as well.
Although, it sounds like yours went away (yay). Still, for future reference in case they return or for anyone else who gets them. 0 -
I get both foot and hand cramps. They are terrible. I do have a liver problem and one neurologist thought that might be sending things out of whack (a technical term), but he really wasn't sure. He suggested magnesium supplements and I rarely get them anymore! I was amazed at how well this worked. I was miserable with these cramps and they were severe and frequent. Be sure to get your magnesium tested once in a while if you try this, though, to make sure you aren't over-doing it.
I am taking 500mg twice a day and will have a test in January to make sure I am not getting too much. I feel much better, though, and it has helped my chronic constipation a bit as well.
Although, it sounds like yours went away (yay). Still, for future reference in case they return or for anyone else who gets them. 0
