I am curious...

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sandrawhiteowlpaul
sandrawhiteowlpaul Posts: 9 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have osteoarthritis and am very overweight for my height (obese). I tried stationary biking and it went well for a few days then suddenly at night I had sharp leg cramps most of the night. I actually cried and screamed when they would wake me up. I stopped the exercising yesterday and last night was the first time I slept all night without cramps in my ankles and calves. Can anyone tell me if they experienced this also? I can hardly walk because of my OA condition and weight. I'm hoping and so is my new Doctor that when I lose weight I will be able to walk again and do stuff like housework, shopping without the motorized cart, etc. She told me that for every pound overweight you are it is 7 pounds of additional weight upon your knees. this motivated me to get going and lose the weight.
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Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Could you be going too hard/fast too soon? Are you doing any stretching after exercising? I'm trying to think of something that might help.
  • bkthandler
    bkthandler Posts: 247 Member
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    I have had leg cramps when i start back up excercising. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water and eat a banana and that should help. Take a glass or small bottle of straight lemon juice to bed where you can reach it...if you wake up with a cramp shoot it down and it will help get rid of the cramp.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
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    Potassium and magnesium!
    Eat a banana and you can also supplement with magnesium powder like "Natural Calm".
  • Jesslan_Rose
    Jesslan_Rose Posts: 137 Member
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    I have osteoarthritis in my left knee and foot. When I suddenly started walking almost 2 miles just about every day I started getting this horrible sharp pain from the knee down while walking and then at night in bed it was worse. It felt like hot lava burning down my leg. That was when the Dr sent me for tests and discovered I had it.

    Since then I cut back considerably on my walks (before winter started) and started doing Leslie Sansone 1 & 2 Mile Walks on DVD. The pain wasn't nearly as severe with the dvd's. The Dr also gave me some kind of shot in the knee and WOW the pain was minimal after that. She said the relief should last a couple months. That was back in October and even now I've only had a couple slight to medium twinges on two separate occasions. So I haven't had the need to ask for another shot.

    I was wondering along the same lines as Jemhh... Did you suddenly start up the biking and go at it hard from the get go? It might be to much to fast. Maybe try a shorter time (like 15 mins) 2X a week and see how that works. If it's okay increase the time of the workouts or add another day. Just some thoughts. :)
  • sandrawhiteowlpaul
    sandrawhiteowlpaul Posts: 9 Member
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    Maybe start taking short walks instead of biking might help. I think next week I will start taking short walks. I need to get a pedometer to measure my steps also if I do so.
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
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    Do you have diabetes?
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    I agree with many of the posts so far:
    - Do you have other medical issues that could affect you (diabetes) or taking meds like statins?
    - What is your diet like?
    - How hard/long did you go? You may need to start at a lower volume and work your way up.
  • amyk0202
    amyk0202 Posts: 667 Member
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    I don't know how to help with your leg pain, I just want to give you encouragement. Don't get too discouraged if you have to slow down on the exercise portion in the beginning. If you control your calories, you can lose weight without the exercise & hopefully add it back in when the load on your joints isn't as high.
  • sandrawhiteowlpaul
    sandrawhiteowlpaul Posts: 9 Member
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    I have diabetes, high b/p, osteoarthritis in both knees with no cartilage in the right knee, skin cancer and asthma. I have a lot of medical issues that losing weight can help tremendously. I am obese, not just chubby or even fat. I have to have surgery soon, so losing weight is imperative for the removal of skin cancer surgery on my eyelid. They say it will be extensive surgery including plastic surgery. Pray I lose enough weight to undergo it, they always worry about putting me under anesthesia because of my weight. Usually they tell me it is a 50/50 chance I will make it. But so far I have and in the past few years have had two surgeries (hernia with gangrene) and ovarian cancer surgery that I pulled through. I am not looking forward to this next surgery.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    jennifershoo wrote: »
    Potassium and magnesium!
    Eat a banana and you can also supplement with magnesium powder like "Natural Calm".

    This is a good way to give yourself diarrhea.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    Could you be going too hard/fast too soon?
    That's almost guaranteed to be the problem.

  • Laura732
    Laura732 Posts: 244 Member
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    So far I'm agreeing with the other advice given here. Above all, keep your Doctor involved. Chances are you are taking many medications so proceed cautiously when adding supplements. You may also want to get a physical therapist involved as well since you do have knee issues. The physical therapists will be able to guide you on getting started with exercises that can build up weak areas and steer you away from exercises that are going to make things worse.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    I don't know the exact explanation, but it is not uncommon for people to experience some increased tendency for leg cramps when they start exercising, especially if they have been inactive. There is a general increase in sympathetic stimulation during exercise, and I think the muscles can be somewhat hypersensitive at first. Given your response, the standard recommendation would be to decrease the intensity and duration of workouts and perhaps increase the frequency--maybe even trying several short workouts per day rather than one longer one.

    With your complicated history, your first step needs to be mobilization, not necessarily exercise. Almost any sustained movement will be of benefit at this time. Give your body time to adapt by being gentle at first. That process shouldn't take a huge amount of time and will allow you to progress to a more structured "exercise" program more comfortably. Good luck.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,197 Member
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    sandrawhiteowlpaul wrote: »
    I tried stationary biking and it went well for a few days then suddenly at night I had sharp leg cramps most of the night. I actually cried and screamed when they would wake me up.

    How much did you have to drink ... water that is.

    When you exercise, you need to drink. If you're on a stationary bicycle for, say, 30 min ... try drinking at least 500 ml.

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,197 Member
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    mccindy72 wrote: »
    jennifershoo wrote: »
    Potassium and magnesium!
    Eat a banana and you can also supplement with magnesium powder like "Natural Calm".

    This is a good way to give yourself diarrhea.

    Only if you go over the recommended dose.

  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    If it's like charley horse cramps then potassium is likely your culprit - bananas and avocados are my favorite potassium-boosters but lots of other foods will help.

    If it's more just severe soreness, stretch a lot after the workout and start a bit more slowly than you have been going.
  • kgmcgee
    kgmcgee Posts: 34 Member
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    sandrawhiteowlpaul wrote: »
    I have diabetes, high b/p, osteoarthritis in both knees with no cartilage in the right knee, skin cancer and asthma. I have a lot of medical issues that losing weight can help tremendously. I am obese, not just chubby or even fat. I have to have surgery soon, so losing weight is imperative for the removal of skin cancer surgery on my eyelid. They say it will be extensive surgery including plastic surgery. Pray I lose enough weight to undergo it, they always worry about putting me under anesthesia because of my weight. Usually they tell me it is a 50/50 chance I will make it. But so far I have and in the past few years have had two surgeries (hernia with gangrene) and ovarian cancer surgery that I pulled through. I am not looking forward to this next surgery.

    I'm sorry I don't have anything to add on the leg cramps but I am praying for you! I too have a lot of medical issues that losing weight will help. I've only lost about 11 lbs so far but I am determined to stick with it. You can do this!
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
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    My wife used to have nightly leg cramps, here is what her doctor told her and it works.

    When the cramp occurs get some iodized salt and place in your mouth. Allow it to slowly dissolve. Usually by the time the salt dissolves, the cramp is gone.
  • rugbyphreak
    rugbyphreak Posts: 509 Member
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    I used to have leg cramps every night. I'd wake up screaming. Now that I've started eating more bananas and drinking more water, they're pretty rare. I try to eat a banana every day, but sometimes, it just doesn't happen. I always drink a full glass of water before bed though and it seems to help. Stretching before bed helps too!
  • PAtinCO
    PAtinCO Posts: 129 Member
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    I sometimes get leg cramps after a hard workout or a big hike. I find that good hydration and some stretching afterwards helps prevent that. YMMV.

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