Leg cramps

[Balrog]

Okay, this is really cramping my style.

Over the last couple of years, I have started suffering from leg cramps. They mostly occur at night while I'm asleep, and they range from mildly painful and annoying foot cramps to wake-me-up-screaming, agonizing cramps in the inside of my thighs that feel like my leg is on fire. Sometimes, my legs will cramp during training.

I warm up, I stay hydrated, I warm down. I'll sometimes take hot showers and stretch for a few minutes before going to bed. I take potassium, calcium and magnesium supplements with my evening meds. Nothing seems to stop them. The only thing that I have found that helps is an OTC supplement of apple cider vinegar pills. Since I have started taking that, the frequency and severity has gone down, but not away. My doctors are baffled.

It's screwing with my training and my weight. Because I am afraid of the cramps, I don't work out as much or as hard. As a result, I'm putting on weight and diet adjustments aren't helping that much. Mongo not happy camper.

Anyone else have this problem? If so, what did you do to overcome it (if you have)?

 

[Martial D]

That can actually be symptomatic of something more serious. ALS for one.

You should probably speak to a physician just to be safe.

Edit: it could also be one of many other things! Vitamin deficiency, pinched nerve, injury, etc

 

[geezer]

Okay, this is really cramping my style.

Over the last couple of years, I have started suffering from leg cramps. --Anyone else have this problem? If so, what did you do to overcome it (if you have)?

Last couple of years, I've had leg cramps wake me up at night a few times. Not frequently, thank God. Last time it happened, it hit me out of the blue at about 2am and it was so bad I couldn't stay in bed, so I tried to get up and walk it off. At first I could barely stand, and it lasted for a long time. Couldn't explain it on the basis of diet, exertion, stress or anything. A mystery. I really hope they don't become a problem like yours. Total sympathy!

 

[Tez3]

Last couple of years, I've had leg cramps wake me up at night a few times. Not frequently, thank God. Last time it happened, it hit me out of the blue at about 2am and it was so bad I couldn't stay in bed, so I tried to get up and walk it off. At first I could barely stand, and it lasted for a long time. Couldn't explain it on the basis of diet, exertion, stress or anything. A mystery. I really hope they don't become a problem like yours. Total sympathy!

Not going to help either of you gentlemen but in both my pregnancies I had horrendous leg cramps just as Balrog describes. Even once the pain had gone, the muscles ached for the next couple of days. They stopped after I had the baby. I was never given an explanation, the doctor shrugged his shoulders and put it down to 'just one of those things'. It may have been to him but it was bloody painful at the time!
However I did look it up on the NHS site and found this. Leg cramps

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I don’t remember your age, but I’ve wondered lately if age makes cramps more likely. I’ve been more prone to them - mostly lower leg and hands - for the last few years, starting around age 43. They normally occur under odd circumstances (getting into seiza sometimes brings foot cramps).

 

[Balrog]

Age might have something to do with it. I'm nearly 70 and these started in my mid-60s. The docs have checked me out: vascular scans to make sure blood flow is unimpeded, etc. Then they just shrug.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Age might have something to do with it. I'm nearly 70 and these started in my mid-60s. The docs have checked me out: vascular scans to make sure blood flow is unimpeded, etc. Then they just shrug.

That "just shrug" is frustrating, man.

 

[Michele123]

Stretching? Stretch in a regular basis?

I had horrible ones during my first pregnancy, just like Taz described. I learned that as soon as they started to come on, if I would pull my toes toward my knee (so the opposite of pointing them, kind of an extreme flex) and it would often release the cramp and stop it in its tracks. It would also prevent the days of soreness after. This only worked if I flexed my foot as soon as I felt the cramp starting to come on and before it was fully here.


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[Balrog]

Stretching? Stretch in a regular basis?

I had horrible ones during my first pregnancy, just like Taz described. I learned that as soon as they started to come on, if I would pull my toes toward my knee (so the opposite of pointing them, kind of an extreme flex) and it would often release the cramp and stop it in its tracks. It would also prevent the days of soreness after. This only worked if I flexed my foot as soon as I felt the cramp starting to come on and before it was fully here.

The sad thing is that, when a cramp starts and I try to stretch it, I'll get cramps elsewhere. I can't win.

 

[EagleStrike]

What type of magnesium are you taking? I had similar issue and i was taking the oxide. (Cheapest)This was incorrect. Your body absorbs very little you need to take triple magnesium. This has proper types for body to absorb..about 500mg. Can pick at pharmacy..

 

[jks9199]

Gonna sound crazy... but try eating some pickles.

I've had occasional issues similar to the cramps described; usually been able to chalk 'em up to reaction to exercise or a long day of driving -- but pickles help.

 

[Danny T]

dehydration or low on electrolytes possibly.

 

[gucia6]

Okay, this is really cramping my style.

Over the last couple of years, I have started suffering from leg cramps. They mostly occur at night while I'm asleep, and they range from mildly painful and annoying foot cramps to wake-me-up-screaming, agonizing cramps in the inside of my thighs that feel like my leg is on fire. Sometimes, my legs will cramp during training.

I warm up, I stay hydrated, I warm down. I'll sometimes take hot showers and stretch for a few minutes before going to bed. I take potassium, calcium and magnesium supplements with my evening meds. Nothing seems to stop them. The only thing that I have found that helps is an OTC supplement of apple cider vinegar pills. Since I have started taking that, the frequency and severity has gone down, but not away. My doctors are baffled.

It's screwing with my training and my weight. Because I am afraid of the cramps, I don't work out as much or as hard. As a result, I'm putting on weight and diet adjustments aren't helping that much. Mongo not happy camper.

Anyone else have this problem? If so, what did you do to overcome it (if you have)?

I have problem with crapms, basically since I was a teenager.

Back then they were just muscle cramps and simple calf stretching was all I needed to do. By then the doctors said it is normal for teenagers, the hormonal changes, take magnesium, bla, bla, bla. When there was no change, the doc told me to take potassium. I got pretty high dose and somehow it helped, so each time the cramps returned I took potassium.

But in early twenties they became something... I have no idea what, but while cramping my leg muscles are soft in touch, the pain feels as if it was inside the bones/joints, pulls from the knee up to hip and down to toes, practically bending and twisting my leg. Oh, I cried so many nights from that pain, any attempt to stretch it caused more cramping or the other leg started cramping. The only option was to stand up and walk it carefully and keep it warm (especially foot). I could not even stretch in the morning after waking up, because if I did I had another wave of cramps.
Of course I knew it was wrong and I feared the worse, trombosis and MS included, but I had my veins checked and I just hope it has nothing to do with MS.

I did also some blood checks and it appeared I have too low red cells, too low sodium, too low cholesterol, too high potassium. It was found that I have genetically messed up folate and other vit B group metabolism, plus I was developing insulin resistance.

But even so, there was no diagnosis or pinpointing the cause of the problem and I had enough of shrugging doctors, that never helped me, but just wanted to 'feed' me with some drugs.

Anyway the biggest change for me was when I completely changed my way of eating. From the usually advised (low fat - low salt - high grains - only vegetable fats) I turned 180deg into very salty (only sea or Himalayan salt), very fatty, avoiding grains as much as possible, no vegetable oils except olive oil. I eat lots of bone broth, baked pork belly, red steaks or burgers, poultry with skin on, fatty fish, some fermented stuff (water kefir, beet kvass, kimchi, home made yogurt - not the one from packet as powder, but from bottled milk and some greek yogurt as starter), some veggies and fresh fruits. I take multivit supplement and do periodical 'detox'.

Since that time I have cramps very seldom and only when I let myself to eat too much carbs.

Sometimes I get cramps in foot during training if I do any balance exercises (or "slow motion" kicks) on too soft mat. And again it is not a muscular cramp, but my tendons. Then I just apologize and need to sit down until they loosen up again.

One thing I discovered. Last time I had the complete leg cramp I started stretching hip flexors and somehow the cramp passed faster, but maybe it was just a coincidence. I will have to check it next time, hopefully not too soon.

So this is my story, I hope it will be helpful anyhow to you.

I wish you luck with finding the reason and your own solutions to this problem.

 

[Balrog]

I gotta check that diet out!

 

[LandonCarter29]

I've found leg cramps to be caused mainly by over training and lack of hydration. Try taking it easy for a bit and be sure to drink lots of water before going to bed. Stay away from caffeine and alcoholic drinks that can dehydrate you.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I've found leg cramps to be caused mainly by over training and lack of hydration. Try taking it easy for a bit and be sure to drink lots of water before going to bed. Stay away from caffeine and alcoholic drinks that can dehydrate you.

I remember reading recently (last few years) that caffeinated drinks aren't particularly dehydrating. Apparently, caffeine is not much more diuretic than water, so caffeinated drinks actually count toward hydration (I think the recommended calculation was half as hydrating as water). I think the risk is more if one only uses caffeinated drinks, and doesn't really drink enough liquids.

 

[Gnarlie]

Half a banana before training, the other half before bed has worked for me.

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[Gerry Seymour]

Half a banana before training, the other half before bed has worked for me.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

I cannot eat half of a banana. They come in wholes for a reason.

 

[IvanTheBrick]

Okay, this is really cramping my style.

Over the last couple of years, I have started suffering from leg cramps. They mostly occur at night while I'm asleep, and they range from mildly painful and annoying foot cramps to wake-me-up-screaming, agonizing cramps in the inside of my thighs that feel like my leg is on fire. Sometimes, my legs will cramp during training.

I warm up, I stay hydrated, I warm down. I'll sometimes take hot showers and stretch for a few minutes before going to bed. I take potassium, calcium and magnesium supplements with my evening meds. Nothing seems to stop them. The only thing that I have found that helps is an OTC supplement of apple cider vinegar pills. Since I have started taking that, the frequency and severity has gone down, but not away. My doctors are baffled.

It's screwing with my training and my weight. Because I am afraid of the cramps, I don't work out as much or as hard. As a result, I'm putting on weight and diet adjustments aren't helping that much. Mongo not happy camper.

Anyone else have this problem? If so, what did you do to overcome it (if you have)?

This sounds serious. As a swimmer I have experience many of this stuff, but not to the point where it affected my diet and training; I found it to be a by-product of the training itself. It's possible you are overworked. What I found to help me was Dioralyte: Dioralyte Blackcurrant 6 Sachets - Tesco Groceries
It's packed with electrolyes which are great for all this, but still check with the doctors to make sure this isn't something more serious.