if you’ve ever had one, you know it hurts like a bitch! i’m talkin about a leg cramp that will snap you out of the deepest sleep into a state of near panic.
got one this morning. damn near made my head pop off. was in my calf and shot up to my thigh. thank God my husband heard me yell out in agony…
that’s like the 3rd or 4th time this summer. damn!
Why do these happen? How can I prevent it?
(for those of you who don’t know, i’m scared of pain…even refusing to get my blood drawn, get a shot, or any such thing like this. cramps nearly bring me to my death…lol)
nope. was sick and on the couch. went to my nail appointment and that was it.
i was very very sore though. my friend drug me to a “power pump” class. my god… whoever thought that one up is nuts. 4 minutes for everything…squats, 8 minutes of lunges, 4 minutes of shoulders/biceps/triceps, etc. that was Thursday night. i’m still crippled from it!
Are they in the calf only (not generally considered serious) or in other muscles (potentially very serious)?
If just in the calf, then they fall into a phenomenon that isn’t really well understood. It is thought that they may be associated with electrolyte imbalances (particularly hyponatremia, low sodium) but most patients who experience them actually have normal electrolyte levels. I read your other thread about the cold and tea. The increased fluid consumption, particularly tea which tends to chelate or bind a lot of electrolytes, may be throwing things off. We sometimes prescribe Quinine to treat this for patients where it becomes a recurring problem.
If you are experiencing muscle cramps in other muscles other than just the calf, then something very serious may be wrong and you need to get it checked out now.
**I’m a neurosurgeon so this isn’t really my speciality except for patients who fall into category#3.
I got cramps in my toes yesterday, but it was after a long run in the sun. I think I got sun poisoning on top of that. I didn’t eat breakfast and run 12 miles. I came home and showered and was unbelievably tired. I slept for 2 hours and still wasn’t hungry (that’s never happened after a long run). I felt dizzy all day and even this morning. Thought I’d snap out of it with a few beers, but that didn’t work. I feel like a bug that was sprayed with raid.
yes it’s only calf, and i bet you’re right about the tea. i drank it all day and through the night. and other times i get them during swimming–same spot in the calf. hurts like a mother.
I used to get them in my calf or in the arches of my feet when I was doing a lot of running speedwork on the track in hot weather (which used to be 3 times a week 17 years ago pre-triathlon days). I get them occassionally now but not like before. I figured it was a combination of dehydration and the stress I was putting on my legs from the workouts. The first time I got one after getting married I leapt out of bed yelling and scared the crap out of my wife … now she just rolls over and ignores me
I get calf cramps to some degree or another atleast a few times a week while sleeping. I normally wake up as they’re coming on and am able to stop them before the screaming stage. I’ve always had tight calves and have just considered the night cramps “normal” for me. Thanks for bringing this up kitty, as the insight is helpful!
You are probably dehydrated. Make sure you take in plenty of fluids during the day and before you go to bed. I sweat a lot at night during my sleep and find myself close to dehtydration in the morning.
You are probably dehydrated. Make sure you take in plenty of fluids during the day and before you go to bed. I sweat a lot at night during my sleep and find myself close to dehtydration in the morning.
This is probably a likely culprit…the only time I ever cramp is when I am seriously dehydrated…like at the end of the century Saturday when my Sartorius on both legs cramped bad about 2 miles from the end. I was 5lb down and it took 3 to 4 hours to really recover. I used to have calcium-related cramps but I take Calcets all the time during training/racing and haven’t had problems since. Lack of Magnesium can also do it, although I find my calf muscles become “twitchy” but not really cramping from that.
Most cramps are a combo of overworking the muscle and dehydration (with possible elecrolyte that has never been “proven” but postulated). You have been sick and I’ll bet deydrated, despite your tea all day (with caffeine I assume as well)
Nice trick: get some tonic water at Kroger: drink a big glass before bed. Has quinine in it and mostly water - kill 2 birds with one stone.
BTW, had a really nice, smooth Merlot last night with some cheese …
I used to get those all the time. When I was a kid, my bedroom was in the basement and I used to just scream at the top of my lungs until my mom came downstairs to help me work the thing out. Now that I’m a parent myself, I feel like I owe her a big apology. Like others have said, water and bananas seem to do the trick. They also seem to come on more frequently after I’ve laid off exercise for a while.
I normally wake up as they’re coming on and am able to stop them before the screaming stage. I’ve always had tight calves and have just considered the night cramps “normal” for me. Thanks for bringing this up kitty, as the insight is helpful!