charlie horse?

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Erienneb
Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey there,
so sometimes (especially in the morning) if I stretch too deeply or move my legs a certain way they completely seize up and it's incredibly painful. I think I remember reading somewhere that this could be caused by a potassium deficiency, but I'm not sure. It is so painful and usually leaves that calf sore for days. I was wondering if anyone else experienced this and if you had tips for how I could avoid it happening?

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  • CarmenSandiegoInVA
    CarmenSandiegoInVA Posts: 235 Member
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    Yes it is a lack of potassium. Make sure to eat a banana everyday.
  • Erienneb
    Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
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    I hate bananas :( haha
    What else has good levels of potassium?
  • cbelden05
    cbelden05 Posts: 25
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    Yes it is a lack of potassium. Make sure to eat a banana everyday.

    Here is some info from a website I found for my mom, who wound up in the hospital because her potassium levels dropped way to low.

    My favorites are avocados, cantalope, and orange juice. This shows how much eat food gives you

    Foods with Potassium Serving Size Potassium (mg)
    Apricots, dried 10 halves 407
    Avocados, raw 1 ounce 180
    Bananas, raw 1 cup 594
    Beets, cooked 1 cup 519
    Brussel sprouts, cooked 1 cup 504
    Cantaloupe 1 cup 494
    Dates, dry 5 dates 271
    Figs, dry 2 figs 271
    Kiwi fruit, raw 1 medium 252
    Lima beans 1 cup 955
    Melons, honeydew 1 cup 461
    Milk, fat free or skim 1 cup 407
    Nectarines 1 nectarine 288
    Orange juice 1 cup 496
    Oranges 1 orange 237
    Pears (fresh) 1 pear 208
    Peanuts dry roasted, unsalted 1 ounce 187
    Potatoes, baked, 1 potato 1081
    Prune juice 1 cup 707
    Prunes, dried 1 cup 828
    Raisins 1 cup 1089
    Spinach, cooked 1 cup 839
    Tomato products, canned sauce 1 cup 909
    Winter squash 1 cup 896
    Yogurt plain, skim milk 8 ounces 579
  • Erienneb
    Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
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    Thank you so much! I can deal with a lot of those foods. :)
  • zoeluiisa
    zoeluiisa Posts: 392
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    Sounds like cramp. I used to get it a lot when I lived in a Africa - was told I needed more salt because I was dehydrated, but that's possibly an old wives tale.
  • MeganG12345
    MeganG12345 Posts: 66 Member
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    I used to get those when I ran a lot. For immediate relief try standing or walking barefoot on a hard floor. For whatever reason that used to help me get rid of them.
  • cpldjski
    cpldjski Posts: 64 Member
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    I was thinking of posting this exact same topic this morning. I used to have this problem all the time, and then it went away. It came back the last week. When did I not have it? When I was slacking off and eating anything I wanted. When did it come back? When I started watching what I ate again. I have a banana every day, sometimes two. I thought it was really strange. I am going to up my potassium again and see if it helps. In the meantime, it sure hurts! Good luck.
  • SeaChele77
    SeaChele77 Posts: 1,103 Member
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    COCONUT MILK!!!
  • Erienneb
    Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
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    I was thinking of posting this exact same topic this morning. I used to have this problem all the time, and then it went away. It came back the last week. When did I not have it? When I was slacking off and eating anything I wanted. When did it come back? When I started watching what I ate again. I have a banana every day, sometimes two. I thought it was really strange. I am going to up my potassium again and see if it helps. In the meantime, it sure hurts! Good luck.

    I had the opposite effect. When I was eating like crap I got them ALL THE TIME and I think it was because I was way over on sodium and way under on everything else. Today was the first one I've had since I started eating better and it wasn't as intense or as long as the ones in the past, but my calf still hurts :(
  • abetterbrandi
    abetterbrandi Posts: 131
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    Oh god. I hate Charlie Horses. I used to get them really bad in the morning when I would stretch my legs. Feels like someone is stabbing you in the leg! Anyway, I started eating a banana a day (or any of the other foods with potassium would work) and now I only get them every once in awhile.
  • jaygreen55
    jaygreen55 Posts: 315 Member
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    It could be low potassium but also dehydration as well. Do you drink a couple of cups of water before your workout and during it as well?? I drink 2 cups of carrot juice before I workout. It provides 450 mg of potassium per 8 oz and contains 70 calories of carbs per glass which can help fuel your workout. If you don't want the calories you can try low sodium v8 with 900 mg of potassium per 8 oz and only 50 calories. Both will hydrate you as well
  • Erienneb
    Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
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    It could be low potassium but also dehydration as well. Do you drink a couple of cups of water before your workout and during it as well?? I drink 2 cups of carrot juice before I workout. It provides 450 mg of potassium per 8 oz and contains 70 calories of carbs per glass which can help fuel your workout. If you don't want the calories you can try low sodium v8 with 900 mg of potassium per 8 oz and only 50 calories. Both will hydrate you as well

    I drink a TON of water now. At least 4 bottles (16.9 oz) at work and then a whole one during my workout, and usually another before bed.

    Thanks for the tip on the other stuff. v8 kind of makes me want to puke though. If I haven't been eating veggies I'll pinch my nose and down a serving but ugh. I'll just eat raw carrots haha.

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