Leg cramps

VangelicSurgeon

Three Star General
Jul 26, 2002
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www.maudlinofthewell.com
Waking up to a leg cramp is quite possibly my least favorite way to wake up...I had one this morning at like 5 AM that went on for 15 minutes.

Is it ok to put heat on the muscle or are you supposed to ice it?
 
let me tell you. ever since surgery as a kid, i get fearsome leg cramps during the night - probably about 10-20 times a year - where i feel as though my entire calf muscle is going to rip off from the tibia/fibula (??). i empathize.

i think you're talking about post-cramp treatment... but i usually step on a cold floor while it's happening to stop it. so i don't see how icing/cooling it would be that bad of a thing...
 
ahhh...yeah I'm talking about like now that it's over and the top of my calf just feels like a lump of burning coal instead of like a red hot poker is being twisted into it, can I put a hot pack on it or sholud I put ice on it?

that cold floor idea sounds good - but the problem with the middle of the night cramps is that I'm usually too confused to think!

die leg cramps die
 
cold and heat can both help... but when it first happens heat can relax it and then cold can stop any internal inflammation that may happen from the pain. the most idea thing would be a hot bath with epsom salt. these cramps can happen from dietary changes that your body isn't used to. or it can be from a lack of potassium (an electrolyte your muscles need to contract and relax)
 
I'm actually taking potawssium so I don't think that's it - I think it's cause my muscles atrophied, and I'm not in the mindset where I think I have to stretch before & after walking home from work (which I did last night).
 
CHA-CHING!!!

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