[Peony]

Soccertese, I read one of your old posts where you talked about getting charleyhorses. What worked best for you to control them? I'm getting killer muscle cramps. Thanks.

[soccertese]

unfortunately, i was describing having charlie horses during very vigorous men's soccer games, not in during normal activities. that was back in 2005 and i was just taking a low dose of mirapex, i cured the problem by quitting soccer. wish i could help, don't get them now unless i'm unmedicated and strain a muscle.

[reverett123]

This one seems so simple and yet there doesn't seem to be any agreement. My own observations-
1) I do battle at various times with at least three variants. Charliehorses are cramps in the belly of a muscle and are usually in the lower legs, esp the calves. They can cause a great deal of pain and do not respond well to massage or temperature differences such as when I stick a leg out from under the covers. If I lie abed and try to ignore them they can last an hour. However, if I force myself to risk falling and actually "walk" into the next room to sit they are gone within ten minutes. Adding potassium and magnesium to my diet helps a lot - even a single banana.
2) Curly toes are painful, twisted up, and knotted muscles of the toes and feet. They spring to life as I stand to empty the morning bladder and will go away on a similar schedule as the Charliehorse.
3) My entire leg cramps into a rigidity that is like wearing a cast. It almost always inolves one leg entirely and the other about 50%. By "leading" with the worst leg I can move along although the risk of falling is at its worst. I combine using a staff with a hunched over posture and so far it has worked.

All these respond to the attention to electrolytes and keeping hydrated. Remember that potassium, magnessium, and the B vitamins are water soluble and rapidly exit via the badder.

[johnt]

About once a month I have a very painful cramp in my left calf muscle while sleeping.

The pain only goes away when I can put some weight on the ball of my foot, forcing the foot towards the shin.

The problem is how to do this while in agony and only half awake. I find it best to sleep on a sofa with arms that is slightly shorter than me. Then, when the cramp strikes I only need to stretch out to get the ball of the foot against the sofa arm. After a few seconds the pain goes away.

Of course, this doesn't get to the root of the problem. Cramps can be caused by many things, many of which are fixable. See your GP.

John

[Nan Cyclist]

I used to suffer from curly toes and Charlie horses until I started cycling. I also had a curly finger, but I seldom have any of those any more since I started cycling like a mad dog. I'm not sure if there is a correlation, but they did happen at the same time.

[reverett123]

I should have included water in the above. In fact it has been most reliable of the bunch.

[Canna]

Yoga! I was prone to getting them before I started.

[Aunt Bean]

When I start to suffer with foot and leg cramps...first I know I have not been drinking enough water, also start taking coloidal minerals for a couple of days and that usually clears them up for about a month. Dad uses tonic water with quinine along with coloidal minerals...he has them more severe and has suffered with them many years, but these things do help.

[Hopeless]

Originally Posted by Peony

Soccertese, I read one of your old posts where you talked about getting charleyhorses. What worked best for you to control them? I'm getting killer muscle cramps. Thanks.

Some medications will cause them and so will dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. Maybe other things too but these are the most common.

Some things to try:

Drink water
Eat a banana
Do not walk barefoot on a cold floor surface

When I went to the fitness center at my local hospital, I had a terrible foot cramp in the middle of my exercise. The trainer had some little gadget and he said, put your foot on this and then move your foot forward and back a few times. Instant relief. I have tried using something like a tennis ball at home but not the same instantaneous relief as the trainer's little gadget. Wish I knew what it was because I would sure get one. I don't know if he had something else for the calf muscles. That never happened there, only at home and makes me want to yell at it.