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Post by Jen in NCal on Oct 16, 2017 0:20:24 GMT
I would watch the potassium intake if you haven't had a blood test. I have gotten horrible calf and foot cramps my entire life to the point that I would end up with pulled muscle pain. Everyone would always joke to eat a banana. Until I had a blood test as an adult and learned that I don't process potassium well and increasing it can lead to a serious risk of heart problems. Now I have to really limit my potassium intake.
Magnesium works great for me. As does either eating a pickle or taking a swallow of pickle juice.
But I am intrigued about the bar of soap trick.
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wasil
Full Member
Posts: 354
Location: Iowa
Aug 3, 2014 12:59:34 GMT
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Post by wasil on Oct 16, 2017 0:36:27 GMT
The bar of soap has me intrigued, too! I take a magnesium supplement daily but I am having terrible leg cramps almost every night. Sometimes if I sit too long without moving I will get them.
I haven’t been able to get outside as much as I usually do so I wonder if it is a vitamin D issue.
I have found that if I pull my foot towards my shin that it willl often help. Sometimes it takes awhile though.
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Post by myliesmom on Oct 16, 2017 2:43:28 GMT
Powerade or gatorade works pretty quickly on mine. My mom swears by mustard and keeps mustard packets by her bed. I had horrible ones last night in both legs all the way up to my thighs!
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Post by Sassy Sabrina SWZ on Oct 16, 2017 3:03:35 GMT
I get them, too, and have had them ever since I was a teenager. I find that I'm more likely to get them if my legs are tired from a lot of standing or walking, if I'm a bit dehydrated, or if my legs or feet feel cold. I also get them frequently toward morning, as I'm starting to wake up and I stretch my legs.
I find that the cramps in the back of the calf are the easiest to deal with. As someone upthread mentioned, the cramp comes from stretching your legs and pointing your toes, so do the opposite: "Point your toes/ Toward your nose." If you get out of bed and stand up or start walking, that will often "turn off" the cramp because you are actually making your foot and leg into an "L" position and that's also the opposite of extending your leg.
If this happens while you're driving, again try to make your foot like an "L," instead of stretching your legs to the pedals.
I get other types of cramps, too: in the toes and in the front of the calf (shin). Unfortunately, I don't have good solutions for those, but the "L" trick doesn't work fr them. I've tried tonic water, mixing it with cranberry juice for palatability, but I'm not sure it helps. Sometimes, I just have to walk around the bedroom, or around the whole house, for a while.
Oh, yes, I have one other trick that sometimes works: tell your leg to relax. Yes, I said what I mean. You can control the muscles of your calf voluntarily. Recently, I've been able to talk my leg out of a cramp, just by relaxing my leg consciously. (It makes sense, too, because when you feel a cramp, you may panic and tighten up your muscles, making it worse. So do the opposite.) I also sometimes massage the muscle where it hurts--I think that's another way of warming the muscle and relaxing it.
Does anybody have a remedy that's especially good for cramps in the shin area? There's very little muscle there, so it's hard to massage or relax.
I don't think I could stand drinking pickle juice or taking mustard--two foods I can't stand--but I'm intrigued by the bar of soap trick.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 2:32:46 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2017 3:11:35 GMT
I get mine in the back and front, often at the same time, so stretching one way just hurts the other
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 2:32:46 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2017 3:12:03 GMT
Tried the soap last night. First night in a week I didn't wake with leg cramps
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Post by craftedbys on Oct 16, 2017 3:52:56 GMT
Bar of soap. Crazy, but effective.
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Post by Mary_K on Oct 16, 2017 4:24:20 GMT
Tried the soap last night. First night in a week I didn't wake with leg cramps So glad it helped! If it stops working after a while, “shave” the bar downs in a few places. Mary K
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Post by jumperhop on Oct 16, 2017 5:43:55 GMT
I just put a bar of lever 2000 under my sheets. I have been getting cramps nightly. I am excited to tr y the soap. jen
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Post by happymom on Oct 16, 2017 12:58:16 GMT
When I sweat a lot during exercise, my electrolytes get off. I sip pickle juice and eat pickles and that helps balance the sodium.
Also the foam roller is a great tool for preventing muscle cramps,
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 2:32:46 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2017 18:22:16 GMT
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Post by jumperhop on Oct 16, 2017 18:40:49 GMT
No Charley Horse!!!! It was funny how aware I was of the soap bar under my sheets, and that fact that it was there to help me. I spooned that soap all night long!
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Oct 16, 2017 19:05:39 GMT
I had a bad one last night. I got up and drank a little pickle juice and ate a banana.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 2:32:46 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2017 19:35:25 GMT
Thanks for posting this and for all the answers. Last week got them in both legs at the same time at an intimate moment with DH.... Limping out of bed screaming....kinda kills the mood LOL
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Montannie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,486
Location: Big Sky Country
Jun 25, 2014 20:32:35 GMT
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Post by Montannie on Oct 16, 2017 20:06:29 GMT
So, uh, do you unwrap the soap? Or can you slip it in its wrapper?
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doglover
Full Member
Posts: 233
Jun 27, 2014 14:50:33 GMT
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Post by doglover on Oct 16, 2017 20:22:49 GMT
I read somewhere that they can be from either a lack of magnesium or calcium. I think if you have too much of either of those minerals the other one gets depleted.
Has anyone else heard that it can be a lack of calcium? Or know if there needs to be a balance between magnesium and calcium?
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