Leg cramps, sometimes known as "Charlie horses," create acute pain in the calves, hamstrings or quadriceps. They can be caused by a wide variety of things, including mineral deficiency, dehydration, under use of muscles, overuse of muscles and circulatory problems. This article will tell you how to get rid of leg cramps.
Method 1 of 3: Immediate Relief
1Move to a safe place where you are not going to fall over. Swimmers should try to get to shore, call for help or float in deep water.Ad
2Rub the area where the cramp is present. Exert light pressure, but rub quickly. This will warm up the area and increase circulation.
- Lack of circulation is often the cause of leg cramping, especially when you are doing physical activity. When swimmers reach a cooler stream of water, it can restrict blood flow in 1 area, creating cramps.
3Stretch your leg muscle immediately. Try 1 of these stretches for at least 30 seconds.
- If you have a calf cramp, go up to a wall or pole. Place your foot on the wall, with the heel on the ground. Lean your body into the wall while keeping your leg straight.
- If you have a hamstring cramp, lay on the ground. Bend both knees and place your feet on the ground so your back is flat. Bring 1 knee into your chest. Hug it close to your chest.
- For extreme hamstring cramps, allow someone to help you get a greater hamstring muscle stretch. Stay on the ground with your knees bent. Lift the leg with the cramp in it. Ask the person to lift it toward your chest, while keeping a slight bend in it. Stretch for 10 seconds and release 3 times before stretching for 30 seconds.
- If you have a quadriceps cramp, go near a wall or pole. Bend your knees very slightly. Bend your knee. Grab your ankle and make sure your thighs are together. Pull the bottom half of your left up and back, while tucking your pelvis to get a greater thigh stretch.
4Take a warm shower. Warm water will increase circulation, helping the cramp to pass more quickly. If you cannot take a shower, wet a washcloth in warm water and use a warm compress for 5 minutes.
5Get up and walk around. A sedentary lifestyle may be the cause of your cramping. Under conditioned muscles are prone to cramping.
Method 2 of 3: Prevent/Reduce Cramping
1Drink more water. Dehydration is 1 of the leading causes of leg cramping. Increase your water intake by at least 32 oz. (1l) in warm climates or during physical exercise.
- When you become dehydrated, you lose minerals, such as salt, potassium, magnesium and calcium quickly, which control muscle circulation.
2Increase the minerals in your diet. Calorie restriction and unhealthy eating habits can also lead to a drop in magnesium, potassium and calcium.
- Eat calcium and magnesium rich foods, such as milk, fish, meat, eggs, yogurt, nuts, cereals and fruit. Magnesium controls the release of calcium into the muscles, which controls cramping.
- Eat potassium rich foods, such as bananas, dried apricots, white beans, fish, avocados, mushrooms and potatoes.
- Make sure you are getting enough salt in your diet. If you are sweating a lot, you may be losing too much salt, which causes muscles to cramp. Instead of going for salty chips, choose an isotonic sports drink, such as Gatorade. Doctors recommend drinking these products only when you are sweating or competing for longer than 90 straight minutes. Otherwise you can increase your sodium by eating a meal.
3Begin a strength training regime. People who do not get enough physical activity may suffer from cramps because the muscles are under conditioned. When they do any sort of physical exercise, the muscle can cramp from use.
- Begin walking for 30 minutes a day. Buy a pedometer and increase your daily steps to at least 10,000. This will strengthen leg muscles considerably.
- Consult with a physical therapist or personal trainer about starting a resistance band workout. If you are older or have joint issues, you can increase muscle strength safely by doing sets of exercises with rubber bands. You can increase the tension as you get stronger.
- Workout with free weights or weight machines, if you like to exercise, but you focus on cardiovascular fitness. Overtraining can weaken muscles. Strength training for 30 minutes 3 times a week can improve muscle fitness and reduce cramps.
4Stretch your legs each night before you go to bed. Do a calf, quad and hamstring stretch for at least 5 minutes. This will reduce the chances of waking up at night due to leg cramps.
- Also, stretch after you complete cardiovascular or strength-training exercise. Your muscles will be more relaxed and less likely to cramp up.
Method 3 of 3: See a Doctor
1Make an appointment for a physical, if you are having repeated muscle cramping and you cannot find a cause.
- Schedule time to get blood work, a physical examination and an interview. Only with a thorough exam can you hope to catch a possible medical cause.
2Examine your current medications with your doctor. Cholesterol and stomach acid medications have been known to increase leg cramping.
3Go over your blood tests with your doctor. These tests can show low mineral levels that lead to cramps. They can also show problems with your circulatory system or thyroid.
4Rule out severe causes of cramping, such as epilepsy, spazmofiliya, eclampsia, neurological problems and severe infections.Ad