I had a leg cramp about 9-10 days ago. I was watching a movie, laying on a sofa and when I got up, it happened. Oh I hate cramps! You stop everything you are doing and your ears start ringing from the pain! Okay, enough with the drama. Anyway, generally after I have a cram, (tend to have them couple of times during winter, or fall which is what we are in now) the muscle is tense and I can even feel the place where the muscle 'knotted', but that generally goes away in a couple of days, 5 days tops! Now I'm still feeling the muscle heavily knotted up and it hurts a lot whenever I touch it, massaging it won't help anymore and nothing keeps the pain away. It's not that noticeable when I'm walking around but when I sit down or lie down I start feeling a little pain and then I have a similar feeling as if I was about to have another cramp! Last night I woke up three times in the middle of the night, beacuse I was terrified I would get another cramp. Is there something I could do to help the muscle relax?? By the way, today I started taking a multi-vitaminic complex, which comes with Potasium, Magnesium, a lot of vitamins, etc. This is really freaking me out I can't have my leg messed up so badly. :help:
Okay if you're having cramps, I would recommend you have a warm to hot bath, and that while you're in it, you try to stretch the areas you have cramps in. If its your calf muscle, then place whichever leg is giving you trouble against the side of the bath, and lean into it. It'll hurt a bit, but the warmth of the water should help. Try stretching, walking around, and if it's still not relieving, a heatpack. If you're getting them a lot, I would recommend you go to a doctor to get it checked out. Hope this helps.
Spot on Vampyrecat! Also, my mum says (i asked her lol) her answer to everything as usual was Yoga! But she also said Try getting one of the wooden block things at an angle. Its like the size of a shoe box and its like a triangular prism thing at about 45', put it against the wall so u got like a ditch between the wall and the box and stand straight. They really hurt sometimes but are really effective. Gah i wish i could remember what they're called but mum just left
Leg cramps seem to happen a lot in the teenage years. No one is exactly sure why they happen or why they happen to teenagers- especially at night. Runners tend to get them and over-exertion does make them happen more often but sometimes there's not a good reason why they happen. They are irritating- a little scary when it wakes you up in the middle of the night- but they are harmless. If the leg cramp is in your calf, you can usually stop the cramp by stretching the muscle. You can do this either by putting your weight on your foot so that it is flat on the floor (which lengthens the calf muscle). If you are in bed, you can grab your toes and push them toward your knee (so that your toes are pointing up to the ceiling)- this usually will stop the cramp. The things that you are doing - taking a vitamin supplement with calcium and magnesium will help. VC's suggestion to take warm baths will also help-especially with the soreness. You can also buy a muscle roller at a sporting goods store that you can use the massage the "knots" from the muscle. You should not get cramps often. If you are having them daily, then you should see your doctor and have some tests done.
Thanks for all the advice!! It's only been a day but I don't feel much different, I seemed to fall asleep 'ok' today and I didn't wake up in the middle of the night so, that's better :icon_bigg I can still feel the muscle sore, in fact it only hurts when I touch it, and yes it's my calf muscle. It hurts/stings when I try to massage it. I'm trying some of those elongation exercises and see if they work. Thanks Everyone!! :icon_bigg :icon_bigg
Oh my god I hate leg cramps. I kinda just get mine out of nowhere once in a while. I always get them in the calves. About a month ago I woke up with cramps in both my legs at the same time. It fuckin' sucked.
I used to have the same thing happen to me when I was a little younger, and I know how painful they are! Make sure you a drinking a lot of fluids, as dehydration can cause them sometimes. If you work out, make sure that you are doing a proper cool down after the most hard-core part of your workout. (Ex: if you just got done running, make sure you walk for a while, and stretch well after) Make sure you also stretch well before you go to bed. If your leg cramps get more frequent and severe, it could be a sign of a Vitamin B-12 deficiency, so definately go to your doctor if they get more frequent or worse! Hope this helps you, and good luck! Kat Side Note about stretching: There are several different techniques of stretches. Make sure you are not doing ballistic stretching (also called "bouncing" stretching). Studies have been done proving that this actually does your body more harm
