Leg Cramps! Help.

Cordy_in_CT
Cordy_in_CT Posts: 134 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been having so many leg cramps lately in my calves. They will come when I'm in bed, and it's so uncomfortable. :sad:
I know they say to eat bananas for the potassium, but any other tips to make this go away???

I do the stair climber at the gym, and walk and run on the treadmill. I stretch afterwards (for a minute or two).

Thanks for any advice.

Replies

  • catsph123
    catsph123 Posts: 13 Member
    Drink a lot of water! Muscle cramps can happen when you are dehydrated. My calf cramped up the other day while I was working with a trainer and she asked me if I was drinking enough water.
  • afgivens4
    afgivens4 Posts: 117
    BUMP !! I also get lots of leg cramps. Hope to hear some good recommendations on here. Good Luck to you. I take extra potassium vitimans and drink lots of water..... there must be something that we can do....
  • Melodymunchkin
    Melodymunchkin Posts: 21 Member
    I am told by the doctor that tonic water helps this.
  • Crayvn
    Crayvn Posts: 390 Member
    *charlie horses* are caused from dehydration..drink more water :) also can mean your potassium is low.. have a banana :)

    ((Muscle spasms often occur when a muscle is overused or injured. Working out when you haven't had enough fluids (you're dehydrated) or when you have low levels of minerals such as potassium or calcium can also make you more likely to have muscle spasms.)) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002066.htm
  • stuntpilot51
    stuntpilot51 Posts: 53 Member
    Water,Water,Water.
    If you drink 8 glasses a day like they recommend you will never have leg cramps again.
    Trust me I know from experience.
    If you wake up with cramps drink as much as you can right away, in about 10 minutes you will be fine.
  • yksdoris
    yksdoris Posts: 327 Member
    Try massaging your calves after/during the stretching. My gym has one of these things: http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/flexibilityandstretching/ss/FoamRoller.htm (the variation with the grid)

    so I start off with a regular stretch of all muscle groups but because I've problems with my calves getting tired during a normal work day and sometimes cramping in the middle of the night, I pay extra attention to massaging the calves. Oh dear God the massage hurts so bad, sometimes I want to throw up, but I can tell it's the toxins that for some reason like to reside in my calves. And it feels wonderful afterwards!

    Edited to add: full disclosure: I've had problems with muscles in both my calves; one leg even had a muscle somehow wrongly placed which caused considerable pain in my knee and over time made the whole leg weaker than the other. That got fixed with some manual therapy but sometimes I can still feel that that leg is a bit... eh, doesn't feel as good as the other one. The other calf I managed to seriously bruise in a carting accident so that I now have a permanent bruise about the size of my fist on my calf - which means that the blood flow is not excellent, which means that the calf gets tired faster than it used to.
  • start121
    start121 Posts: 38 Member
    I used to get that a lot - especially on the days that i trained in the gym. So i kept drinking more and more water because it is caused by being dehydrated - right? Well that was until someone reminded me that I also lose other nutrients when i train and by drinking all the water I was sending my electrolyte balance skewwhiff. Because I don't eat a lot of processed foods my sodium/potassium intake was minimal so I had to add some salt to my food (only 1 meal on the days I train) to help get it back (sea/rock salt - which is lower in sodium according to the nutritionalist I use). i don't use much but lord did it help. I rarely get cramps now and I'm training like a demon lol. My trainer also told me to try some of the more balanced sports drinks to help replenish the electrolytes, or add a pinch of salt to my water (apparently it's such a small amount you can't taste it) but I've not had the need to try them yet.

    this worked for me, but you may need to play around with your intake to work out what is best for you. good luck though.
  • Chrissieneave
    Chrissieneave Posts: 99 Member
    I do believe it can be lack of water. My Dad suffers with it a lot, he takes quinine tablets from his Dr's, but you can get quinine out of tonic water - bananas are also good :)
  • yksdoris
    yksdoris Posts: 327 Member
    I used to get that a lot - especially on the days that i trained in the gym. So i kept drinking more and more water because it is caused by being dehydrated - right? Well that was until someone reminded me that I also lose other nutrients when i train and by drinking all the water I was sending my electrolyte balance skewwhiff. Because I don't eat a lot of processed foods my sodium/potassium intake was minimal so I had to add some salt to my food (only 1 meal on the days I train) to help get it back (sea/rock salt - which is lower in sodium according to the nutritionalist I use). i don't use much but lord did it help. I rarely get cramps now and I'm training like a demon lol. My trainer also told me to try some of the more balanced sports drinks to help replenish the electrolytes, or add a pinch of salt to my water (apparently it's such a small amount you can't taste it) but I've not had the need to try them yet.

    this worked for me, but you may need to play around with your intake to work out what is best for you. good luck though.

    alternative source of electrolytes if you don't want to have salt is honey. though, then you have carbs.

    Personally, I never have sports drinks, they're way more sugar than they're worth. Usually I only have simple plain water from the tap during gym, but when I feel I need an extra kick, I put a spoonful of honey in the water. Unlike refined sugar, honey goes pretty much straight into your bloodstream, doesn't need to be processed first. And, it has the aforementioned electrolytes and other handy health/immunosystem benefits. Plus, one spoonful of honey in your waterbottle > waterbottle full of incredibly chemical sports drink. In my personal opinion.
  • ravengirl1611
    ravengirl1611 Posts: 285 Member
    I went through a time a year or so ago where I was getting leg cramps constantly - my doctor told me to take magnesium - I started taking it every day with my calcium and havent had any since (touch wood!!!)
  • start121
    start121 Posts: 38 Member
    I used to get that a lot - especially on the days that i trained in the gym. So i kept drinking more and more water because it is caused by being dehydrated - right? Well that was until someone reminded me that I also lose other nutrients when i train and by drinking all the water I was sending my electrolyte balance skewwhiff. Because I don't eat a lot of processed foods my sodium/potassium intake was minimal so I had to add some salt to my food (only 1 meal on the days I train) to help get it back (sea/rock salt - which is lower in sodium according to the nutritionalist I use). i don't use much but lord did it help. I rarely get cramps now and I'm training like a demon lol. My trainer also told me to try some of the more balanced sports drinks to help replenish the electrolytes, or add a pinch of salt to my water (apparently it's such a small amount you can't taste it) but I've not had the need to try them yet.

    this worked for me, but you may need to play around with your intake to work out what is best for you. good luck though.

    alternative source of electrolytes if you don't want to have salt is honey. though, then you have carbs.

    Personally, I never have sports drinks, they're way more sugar than they're worth. Usually I only have simple plain water from the tap during gym, but when I feel I need an extra kick, I put a spoonful of honey in the water. Unlike refined sugar, honey goes pretty much straight into your bloodstream, doesn't need to be processed first. And, it has the aforementioned electrolytes and other handy health/immunosystem benefits. Plus, one spoonful of honey in your waterbottle > waterbottle full of incredibly chemical sports drink. In my personal opinion.

    Ooh - honey... must try that one. yeh I'm not a big fan of sports drinks because of all the sugar etc - but will definitely try your honey suggestion :-)
  • Cordy_in_CT
    Cordy_in_CT Posts: 134 Member
    Thanks everyone. I drink LOT of water!! Wonder if I'm drinking too much water - and its washing away some of the good things that my body needs. But I'll definitely try some of the suggestions! :)
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    I seem to have the best luck with lots of water and a daily banana. Stretching is essential as well.
  • lynn14
    lynn14 Posts: 116
    If you are stretching just around the time of your activity, you will need to continue to stretch the calves through the day.
    And as you can see on all the other posts....water, water, water!!! It will get better!
  • kgb6days
    kgb6days Posts: 880 Member
    Stretch, massage (deep tissue if really sore) and water per my trainer. My calves get so sore they keep me awake at night sometimes. Deep tissue message with the release of knotty areas helps
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    +1 for magnesium if potassium or sodium doesn't fix it. Magnesium oil spray is available as skin absorption is faster / more effective than eating it.
  • katie070563
    katie070563 Posts: 246
    Definitely drink loads of water, but also try tonic water which contains quinine......I have found this really helpful: :happy: , as I often get cramps in my feet.....:sad: You also need a very small amount of salt in your diet, so have a look at the salt content in your food. A lack of salt can also cause cramps.

    There is also some research out now on 'restless legs syndrome', so if your symptoms persist, I would recommend seeing your doctor.
    Good luck.
  • Allie_71
    Allie_71 Posts: 1,063 Member
    Perhaps a longer stretch. A minute or two isn't very long. I'd give yourself longer and get a really good stretch in after your workout.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Wonder if I'm drinking too much water - and its washing away some of the good things that my body needs.
    yes, too much water may deplete your sodium & potassium levels as you pee it out.
  • jiva57
    jiva57 Posts: 21 Member
    Top three causes for this:

    1. Not enough calcium in your diet(make sure you're getting enough, and talking at least 1000U of D a day to absorb it)
    2. Not enough potassium in your diet (think fresh fruits, all kinds, green vegetables and chicken)
    3. Simple dehydration (not enough water)

    I have a really hard time getting enough potassium on a low cal diet, myself.
  • mllst18
    mllst18 Posts: 188 Member
    When I was in basic combat training, they use to force us to eat the bananas....now I know why--leg cramps. It really is the only thing that I have found that stops them! I know, I know, I hate eating bananas too, but it's the only thing that really works!
  • sh4690
    sh4690 Posts: 169 Member
    Too little or too much sodium can cause it, also not drinking enough fluids.

    Hope your leg gets better soon!
    x
  • saschka7
    saschka7 Posts: 577 Member
    I used to get these even before I started working out when I was really sedentary, so it may not be related to being on the elliptical/treadmill etc. necessarily.

    I've heard bananas for potassium and extra water as well--but I've also heard that leg cramps tend to occur more frequently with age. I also have a friend who used to get them and was recommended to increase her magnesium by her doctor and she said it worked for her.
  • bermudamel
    bermudamel Posts: 212
    Have a banana, drink lots of water and stretch...really the best things you can do!
  • 05HeatherLouise05
    05HeatherLouise05 Posts: 178 Member
    Thanks everyone. I drink LOT of water!! Wonder if I'm drinking too much water - and its washing away some of the good things that my body needs. But I'll definitely try some of the suggestions! :)

    Drinking too much water causes "Water Poisoning" which means you pretty much Flush most of the Salt from your system, one of the first symptoms can be leg cramps. It can ultimately result in death in extreme cases.
  • MFPBrandy
    MFPBrandy Posts: 564 Member
    I hate bananas. I, too, am highly-susceptible to leg and foot cramps (whether i'm active or not). They definitely come much less frequently when I take my multi-vitamin (has potassium and magnesium), along with another potassium supplement. I also try to eat potassium-rich foods; kale-stuffed mushrooms are good, as are many other fruits & veggies. They're not enough (for me) on their own, but on top of the supplements, I go several weeks between cramps now.
  • vivibee
    vivibee Posts: 1
    When I get cramp in my calf muscles it is usually because I am in need of salt. I know we are told not to eat too much salt but we do need salt. Vivienne
  • RosieHeartSong
    RosieHeartSong Posts: 2
    A teaspoon of mustard works instantly for me every time! No joke! I learned about this several years ago from "The People's Pharmacy." Good luck!:smile:
  • Crayvn
    Crayvn Posts: 390 Member
    A teaspoon of mustard works instantly for me every time! No joke! I learned about this several years ago from "The People's Pharmacy." Good luck!:smile:

    http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2008/02/04/yellow-mustard-1/

    we learn something new everyday!. (I did)....awesome suggestion :)

Categories