Calf muscle cramps

[kf0rt]

Old geezer thread. Anyone get these?

I've had 'em before. Usually in the middle of the night, a calf muscle just cramps up, like every neuron is firing at once. Very painful, but usually short-lived with no lasting effects. Had one a couple nights ago that beat the band. Probably lasted under a minute (at 2 freaking AM in the morning), but I'm still sore from it two days later. Damn, that HURT. Probably the worst short-term pain I've ever felt.

Did a bit of reading and I guess the leading cause is dehydration.

Should I drink more?

[WØTKX]

Yes... And make sure your sodium/potassium levels are OK, and in balance.
Try Gatorade or Pedialite.

Have you been hiking a bit more lately?

[n2ize]

It's called a "charlie horse".. I get them all the time. Even when I was in my teens I got them. Matter of fact they are common among athletes and common in young people and old.. Often they happen when I first wake up in them morning and I stretch my legs. All of a sudden I feel the muscle cramp up and it hurts like hell. I find that if I get up and walk a couple of steps it usually goes away pretty quick. But some residual soreness can last a day or two. Sometimes they are worst than other times. For instance one time I woke up to a charlie horse in my leg and I was in severe pain I flew out of bed. But my heart wasn't ready to pump blood at the level I needed it just then and I passed out, hit the floor and smashed my face against a barbell. I woke up the charlie horse was gone but I was on the floor with a split bleeding lip. Matter of fact its funny you should mention this as I just got a charlie horse 2 days ago but this one was in the upper part of the calf.

[K7SGJ]

Yeah, I get them, too. The cramps in my side are the worst. And as stated, dehydration is a good place to start. Eat a banana every morning, as that helps as well. The potassium connection. I usually have a worse time with them in the summer since I'm pretty active outside for the better part of most days. It's not uncommon for me to drink a couple of gallons of water, and sometimes more. The bad part of that is that I'm pissing out many of the electrolytes I need to keep from cramping. Damn, the golden years are turning out to be fools gold.

[kf0rt]

Yes... And make sure your sodium/potassium levels are OK, and in balance.
Try Gatorade or Pedialite.

Have you been hiking a bit more lately?

How does one check sodium and potassium levels? If I had to guess, I'd say sodium is high and potassium is low, but that's just a guess.

Haven't been hiking at all this summer, but am starting to get more into a health kick. Been wearing an electronic "activity monitor" for about two weeks now just to establish a baseline, and damn, I'm lazy. Starting to switch back to a low-carb diet.

You and Betts are on my A list for next summer. I've kinda been letting my health rot while other drama unfolds here. That's gotta stop.

[kf0rt]

It's called a "charlie horse".. I get them all the time. Even when I was in my teens I got them. Matter of fact they are common among athletes and common in young people and old.. Often they happen when I first wake up in them morning and I stretch my legs. All of a sudden I feel the muscle cramp up and it hurts like hell. I find that if I get up and walk a couple of steps it usually goes away pretty quick. But some residual soreness can last a day or two. Sometimes they are worst than other times. For instance one time I woke up to a charlie horse in my leg and I was in severe pain I flew out of bed. But my heart wasn't ready to pump blood at the level I needed it just then and I passed out, hit the floor and smashed my face against a barbell. I woke up the charlie horse was gone but I was on the floor with a split bleeding lip. Matter of fact its funny you should mention this as I just got a charlie horse 2 days ago but this one was in the upper part of the calf.


Weird stuff. Sometimes this includes my feet (not always), but the feeling is like an uncontrollable jolt of electricity and the attempts to control it often make it worse. It's like the muscle is completely locked up. In my case, a minute or two and it's manageable (though still painful). Middle of the night and dreaming of Gretchen (I presume). WTF? It does seem like it might be related to stretching too far. This one had me sitting bolt-upright in a panic. The worst of it was over pretty fast, but damn... Muscle still sore two days later? That's never happened before.

Buy lots of bananas for the urchins here. Maybe I should eat a few myself?

[kf0rt]

Yeah, I get them, too. The cramps in my side are the worst. And as stated, dehydration is a good place to start. Eat a banana every morning, as that helps as well. The potassium connection. I usually have a worse time with them in the summer since I'm pretty active outside for the better part of most days. It's not uncommon for me to drink a couple of gallons of water, and sometimes more. The bad part of that is that I'm pissing out many of the electrolytes I need to keep from cramping. Damn, the golden years are turning out to be fools gold.

That does it. I kinda burned out on bananas as a kid, but they're back in the plan.

Fools gold, indeed.

[WØTKX]

Yes. Potassiam/Sodium balance is important. And to a lesser degree, magnesium and calcium.
That's why stuff like Gatorade and Pedialite usually works. When I used to ski my brains out,
I drank an 8oz class of half Gatorade and water before bed. Especially if I'd had some booze.

Calf and thigh cramps would happen otherwise. Almost every night.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/345895-what-ingredients-are-in-pedialyte/

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/nocturnal-leg-cramps-nighttime-calf-muscle-pain.html

[n2ize]

Weird stuff. Sometimes this includes my feet (not always), but the feeling is like an uncontrollable jolt of electricity and the attempts to control it often make it worse. It's like the muscle is completely locked up. In my case, a minute or two and it's manageable (though still painful). Middle of the night and dreaming of Gretchen (I presume). WTF? It does seem like it might be related to stretching too far. This one had me sitting bolt-upright in a panic. The worst of it was over pretty fast, but damn... Muscle still sore two days later? That's never happened before.

Buy lots of bananas for the urchins here. Maybe I should eat a few myself?

Hmmm... I've never felt it in my feet. Usually the pain is localized and if I touch the pot where it hurts I can feel the muscle in a hard knot. Eating a bananna or two before retiring for the night might be a good idea to get those potassium levels up a bit.. You want to keep hydrated and keep a good electrolyte balance,. However, if it persists or keep happening too frequently you may want to see a doctor to check for an irritated or inflamed nerve as sometimes that can be a cause as well. The good news is that most of the time its nothing serious and can be controlled,

Of course one precaution. If you ever get a severe pain similar to a charlie horse that persists and doesn't ease up or go away or get better with time and/or is accompanied by swelling it could be a blood clot which should be treated in a hospital at once.

[WØTKX]

Absolutely. As a (fairly rare) side effect of my chemo, I got a deep vein thrombosis. A large clot moved between my lungs and heart, it came from my right calf. Almost killed me, and could have also caused a stroke.

My cardivascular health is very good for a mid 50's person. Normal to low blood pressure, resting heart rate of about 52-55 bpm. I went from an easy 100% oxygen reading to <60% in a few minutes when it dislodged. Luckily I was making one of my last radiation treatment visits when it happened. I got really dizzy and short of breath, almost passed out.

Bam! Two weeks in the hospital, three days in the ICU. Yikes.

[kf0rt]

Hmmm... I've never felt it in my feet. Usually the pain is localized and if I touch the pot where it hurts I can feel the muscle in a hard knot. Eating a bananna or two before retiring for the night might be a good idea to get those potassium levels up a bit.. You want to keep hydrated and keep a good electrolyte balance,. However, if it persists or keep happening too frequently you may want to see a doctor to check for an irritated or inflamed nerve as sometimes that can be a cause as well. The good news is that most of the time its nothing serious and can be controlled,

Of course one precaution. If you ever get a severe pain similar to a charlie horse that persists and doesn't ease up or go away or get better with time and/or is accompanied by swelling it could be a blood clot which should be treated in a hospital at once.

Will try the banana thing, John. Usually get these cramps maybe a couple times a year and they're over about as fast as they start. This one was over the top, though. The charlie horse is long gone, but it's left some soreness. Mostly gone today, but the residual is like I was recently running an Olympic marathon. Amazing that a muscle could do that in a 1-2 minute spasm. Sure hurt like hell at the time (someone else would have had to call 911 - I was beyond incapacitated, wimp that I am).

Advice appreciated!

[kf0rt]

Absolutely. As a (fairly rare) side effect of my chemo, I got a deep vein thrombosis. A large clot moved between my lungs and heart, it came from my right calf. Almost killed me, and could have also caused a stroke.

My cardivascular health is very good for a mid 50's person. Normal to low blood pressure, resting heart rate of about 52-55 bpm. I went from an easy 100% oxygen reading to <60% in a few minutes when it dislodged. Luckily I was making one of my last radiation treatment visits when it happened. I got really dizzy and short of breath, almost passed out.

Bam! Two weeks in the hospital, three days in the ICU. Yikes.

That's gotta suck for a guy who's as active as you are, Dave.

I'm 56 and now take four prescription drugs a day; one for BP, two for cholesterol and one for blood sugar. The medical wonks call this "metabolic syndrome" and it's all diet/exercise related. I call it "fat white guy disease." I think it mostly relates to being a lazy ass. 10-12 years ago, I was hiking Golden Gate Canyon solo just about every weekend in the summer. Loved it and it took some real work to walk those hills.

Need to get back to that, and it probably is just a matter of discipline.

[n2ize]

Will try the banana thing, John. Usually get these cramps maybe a couple times a year and they're over about as fast as they start. This one was over the top, though. The charlie horse is long gone, but it's left some soreness. Mostly gone today, but the residual is like I was recently running an Olympic marathon. Amazing that a muscle could do that in a 1-2 minute spasm. Sure hurt like hell at the time (someone else would have had to call 911 - I was beyond incapacitated, wimp that I am).

Advice appreciated!

Oh yeah. That happens with me. After the severe initial pain is gone, usually within a few seconds (less than a minute) after it starts there is often residual soreness and tightness that lasts a day or two., Guess it takes a while for the muscle to fully loosen up and for any resulting inflammation to go away. Seems like the more I walk and exercise it the faster it clears up.

[N8YX]

Eating lots of carbs shortly before bedtime will do it EVERY time for me. Agreed re: bananas for potassium - I eat one plus a cup of yogurt w/ added protein powder or a bowl of whole-grain cereal (ditto protein) every day for breakfast.

[KG4NEL]

Eating lots of carbs shortly before bedtime will do it EVERY time for me. Agreed re: bananas for potassium - I eat one plus a cup of yogurt w/ added protein powder or a bowl of whole-grain cereal (ditto protein) every day for breakfast.

I've found that the EAS protein stuff doesn't taste horrible in a pre-mixed shake, but I'm sure it's cheaper to buy powdered.

That's usually my post-evening run drink, after water or Gatorade initially.

[WN9HJW]

Deleted

[ab1ga]

That's gotta suck for a guy who's as active as you are, Dave.

I'm 56 and now take four prescription drugs a day; one for BP, two for cholesterol and one for blood sugar. The medical wonks call this "metabolic syndrome" and it's all diet/exercise related. I call it "fat white guy disease." I think it mostly relates to being a lazy ass. 10-12 years ago, I was hiking Golden Gate Canyon solo just about every weekend in the summer. Loved it and it took some real work to walk those hills.

Need to get back to that, and it probably is just a matter of discipline.

I would get cramps late at night, mostly in the left leg on the front of the shin, occasionally in the hamstring or quadriceps, and once, very scary, in the left side of my chest. Most were short, but some went on for over five minutes by the kitchen clock, and I could not "walk them off".

All the advice given so far has been good, for reasonably healthy people, but please talk to your doctor before going the supplement route for more potassium. Sodium/potassium balance is essential for proper nerve function, and going too far one way or the other can have bad consequences. Have you ever wondered why potassium chloride is a component of the lethal injection mixture?

Some of your drugs may affect potassium levels; I'd take a close look at the warnings on the BP med. Also, statins are known to cause leg pain.

My own body cramps had an interesting cause, and an interesting solution. I told my hemo/onco guy about the cramps, and he did a test for iron deficiency, results available in a day or two. Then I went to my sleep apnea guy in the afternoon and told him in passing, and after listening, and thinking, Dr. Husain, trained in Islamabad, Pakistan, said that he believed the cause was almost certainly an iron deficiency, and that I should let him know what the tests showed.

I now take a daily iron supplement. As it was centuries ago, so it is today: the truly fortunate have Muslim physicians. :)

73,

[W1GUH]

Absolutely. As a (fairly rare) side effect of my chemo, I got a deep vein thrombosis. A large clot moved between my lungs and heart, it came from my right calf. Almost killed me, and could have also caused a stroke.

My cardivascular health is very good for a mid 50's person. Normal to low blood pressure, resting heart rate of about 52-55 bpm. I went from an easy 100% oxygen reading to <60% in a few minutes when it dislodged. Luckily I was making one of my last radiation treatment visits when it happened. I got really dizzy and short of breath, almost passed out.

Bam! Two weeks in the hospital, three days in the ICU. Yikes.

Thanks for the motivation to keep injecting heparin. They caught my clot (left thigh) early. I reported that my ankles were swollen & was immediately scheduled for a utrasound on my legs. They found a clot and the next thing I knew I was walking out with a shopping bag full of Enoxoparin - disposable heparin syringes. Did that twice a day from March to two weeks ago when it got cut back to once a day. My belly is now one big bruise -- but you drove home that that's a whole lot better than the alternative. Thanks!

I've always gotten random cramps that are short-lived. The two places are my feet and in my hand. They come on spontaneously and go away just as fast. The hand cramps usually happen when I'm reaching over in the car to adjust the heat or the radio. The feet cramps also happen while drive. Usually in my clutch foot as I'm going for the pedal. Glad they don't last long!

[W1GUH]

'rt:


Should I drink more?

Shouldn't everyone? ;):cheers:

[KB3LAZ]

Old geezer thread. Anyone get these?

I've had 'em before. Usually in the middle of the night, a calf muscle just cramps up, like every neuron is firing at once. Very painful, but usually short-lived with no lasting effects. Had one a couple nights ago that beat the band. Probably lasted under a minute (at 2 freaking AM in the morning), but I'm still sore from it two days later. Damn, that HURT. Probably the worst short-term pain I've ever felt.

Did a bit of reading and I guess the leading cause is dehydration.

Should I drink more?

I had one do that once, so fast and so hard and lasted for what seemed like an hour as I fell to the floor clawing at the boards. I could have swore it was going to detach. My leg was sore for three days after. Now, I dont know that you would actually call that a cramp because I have had leg cramps before but nothing like that and I hope it never happens again.

I saw the feeling of electric jolts mentioned, that I do get, all of the time. Under my left eye and on both sides of my spine on my lower back but those are not painful. It almost feels as if I have a TENS unit built into my body at times. I just thought I was crazy.

[KB3LAZ]

I cant eat bananas. If I do my back will hurt for a week. If you dont see the connection...I cant pass them.

[K7SGJ]

I cant eat bananas. If I do my back will hurt for a week. If you dont see the connection...I cant pass them.

You can buy them at the store ya know, you really don't have to climb for them. But I must admit, there is a big difference between a fresh banana, and one that was cut green, six months earlier.

[kf0rt]

I'm thinking Fred's carb comment has some serious merit here. Sugar and me, we disagree on many things these days; wouldn't be surprising to add one more to the list.

[n2ize]

I decided to resurrect this thread because for the last 2 days I have awakened to a Charley horse in my left leg. Saturday morning I woke at around 8:00 am. All of a sudden, out of nowhere the calf muscle in the lower part of my left leg went into "Super Charlie Horse" mode. The pain was incredible. I quickly got up and walked it off and the pain disappeared. Just as fast as it came on it disappeared with no residual; soreness for the rest of the day. This morning I woke around 7:00 and within about a minute... OUCH!! Another severe Charley horse. This time in the upper calf almost extending behind the knee. As usual I quickly got up to walk it off. It eased up but this time there is residual soreness The muscle is still sore, tender and a bit stiff and I can feel it twitching every so often. That's 2 charley horses in two days. I hope it isn;t an irritated or inflamed nerve. That can require pills or even surgery..

Meanwhile I got myself a bottle of Gatorade. I drank half of it but I am saving the rest before I go to bed tonight so I can try and keep hydrated anf electrolytically balanced.

[K7SGJ]

I decided to resurrect this thread because for the last 2 days I have awakened to a Charley horse in my left leg. Saturday morning I woke at around 8:00 am. All of a sudden, out of nowhere the calf muscle in the lower part of my left leg went into "Super Charlie Horse" mode. The pain was incredible. I quickly got up and walked it off and the pain disappeared. Just as fast as it came on it disappeared with no residual; soreness for the rest of the day. This morning I woke around 7:00 and within about a minute... OUCH!! Another severe Charley horse. This time in the upper calf almost extending behind the knee. As usual I quickly got up to walk it off. It eased up but this time there is residual soreness The muscle is still sore, tender and a bit stiff and I can feel it twitching every so often. That's 2 charley horses in two days. I hope it isn;t an irritated or inflamed nerve. That can require pills or even surgery..

Meanwhile I got myself a bottle of Gatorade. I drank half of it but I am saving the rest before I go to bed tonight so I can try and keep hydrated anf electrolytically balanced.



Man o man. Talk about cramps. I was working in the attic for a few hours today, and I guess I wasn't near as hydrated as I thought. Cramps in the hands, back stomach, legs, arms and just about anywhere a muscle resides. Played hell trying to get back to ground level without using the shortcut. It's gotten better now, but still have my fingers cramping. And I gotta go back up tomorrow to finish. I will do some shots of pedialyte or something a few hours prior and during.

[suddenseer]

Thanks for the motivation to keep injecting heparin. They caught my clot (left thigh) early. I reported that my ankles were swollen & was immediately scheduled for a utrasound on my legs. They found a clot and the next thing I knew I was walking out with a shopping bag full of Enoxoparin - disposable heparin syringes. Did that twice a day from March to two weeks ago when it got cut back to once a day. My belly is now one big bruise -- but you drove home that that's a whole lot better than the alternative. Thanks!

I've always gotten random cramps that are short-lived. The two places are my feet and in my hand. They come on spontaneously and go away just as fast. The hand cramps usually happen when I'm reaching over in the car to adjust the heat or the radio. The feet cramps also happen while drive. Usually in my clutch foot as I'm going for the pedal. Glad they don't last long!I did the heparin IV for 8 days last month. Just stopped the injectable stuff like yours. I am now on coumadin. Am dealing with a 'creeper' like Dave has, as well as 2 in the legs. Same concern: a piece breaks off, and makes your day. We all 3 have something else in common. Anyone? Anyone? I have not had a drink in 5 weeks. Sobriety is not what it is cracked up to be.