Why are leg cramps so painful

Away With The Fairies

And wakes you from a deep sleep?

Wanderer78

Away With The Fairies wrote:

And wakes you from a deep sleep?

Because there's an animal tearing your limps off, so wake up and panic

Odhinn

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

And wakes you from a deep sleep?

Big muscles cramping = more pain. Or it could be a succubus feeding off yer soul.

frag420

Thought it was a joke...

Away With The Fairies

frag420 wrote: »

Thought it was a joke...

Leg cramps aren't a joke lad.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Because nocturnal leg cramps are true cramps and not spasms. The muscle remains in a cramped and contracted position, which accounts for the intensity of the pain. Often linked to a fluid imbalance of vitamin deficiency.

corner of hells

Odhinn wrote: »

Big muscles cramping = more pain. Or it could be a succubus feeding off yer soul.

Definitely not a succubus , more likely the Grim Reaper giving you a few slaps.
Probably best not to sleep again , ever.

80j2lc5y7u6qs9

Doesnt it help to stretch the muscle?. i stand on my foot and press down. This is not medical advice

Away With The Fairies

Journey Odd Super wrote: »

Doesnt it help to stretch the muscle?. i stand on my foot and press down. This is not medical advice

Standing is the last thing I want to do straight after waking up.

Thepillowman

Suffer from them myself due to an injury,glass of tonic water before bed helps believe it or not.Without the gin before anyone asks.

angel eyes 2012

I used to get leg cramps quite frequently, rare enough these days thankfully as the pain is unbearable. Sometimes I have to walk around. Otherwise make sure you drink enough water during the day and keep a glass near you in case you wake up with cramps.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

Standing is the last thing I want to do straight after waking up.

Pull your toes back (don’t point them), and, if necessary, put your foot on the floor and lean forward.

silverharp

normally means you are short of magnesium

Away With The Fairies

Harley Square Airline wrote: »

Pull your toes back (don’t point them), and, if necessary, put your foot on the floor and lean forward.

I'll try that next time.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

silverharp wrote: »

normally means you are short of magnesium

More likely to be potassium.

coffeyt

Used to get horrid leg cramps at night when pregnant, my mother recommended eating a banana before bed.
It worked, leg cramps stopped but can't guarantee it was because of the banana!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

coffeyt wrote: »

Used to get horrid leg cramps at night when pregnant, my mother recommended eating a banana before bed.
It worked, leg cramps stopped but can't guarantee it was because of the banana!

Bananas are rich in potassium, so there could certainly be a link.

I had a knee replacement with Arthrofibrosis complication which left my leg muscles extremely weak. As the adhesions gave broken down sufficiently for me to start strengthening leg in gym, 9 months post op, all leg cramps gave disappeared. I used to get lots of cramps at might pre and initially post-op.

AMKC

So glad I have not had one of these in a while. I agree with the poster above that the pain is very bad and even unbearable and that's what I used too think to until I had an even worse pain than it. Ones that make you think being dead would be better. Actually thought I was going to die. Thankfully that was only a once off and came from me being depressed and not eating properly. I have got over that now thankfully.

Blondie919

I use magnesium spray before bed as it absorbs into the skin easily. I used to get them regularly but the spray and stretches before bed has helped stop them. I agree they are incredibly painful.

Scott Tenorman

They are horrific! Have had a couple of occasions of calf muscles going into to spasm in the night and it is like being stabbed in the leg!

Used to get really bad ones after sport, what sorted it for me was taking dissolvable electrolyte tablets in water during and after the activity to keep the levels up

shamrock55

Drink milk and eat bananas... No more cramps

RedParrot

I suffer on and off with leg cramps in the calf. I would wake the dead screaming in pain and shout Jesus. Holding the spindles of the head board - ****, JESUS, CRAMP, HELP, ****, etc.


Cramps comes and goes in spells for me. Or they used to.
I find a magnesium supplement before bed helps a lot.

Away With The Fairies

I tried this tonic water thing. It tastes vile. What can I mix it with besides gin?

Wanderer78

Away With The Fairies wrote:

I tried this tonic water thing. It tastes vile. What can I mix it with besides gin?

More gin

igCorcaigh

Happened me once during the middle of a lecture in college.

My leg muscles seemed to wrap around my knee and it was a struggle not to cry out in paid. Could have been the way I was sitting?

Montage of Feck

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

I tried this tonic water thing. It tastes vile. What can I mix it with besides gin?

Tonic water is for malaria not cramps.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

To get the required active ingredient of quinine in sufficient quantities you would need to drink at least 10 glasses of tonic water every day.

Drinking a couple of bottles of Powerade may be more practical. And, eat bananas.

r93kaey5p2izun

I've been prescribed quinine tablets for it and it has made a big difference. I used to wake up with them every night, now it's very rare. I have to make sure my feet and legs are warm enough at night too. It really is the most excruciating pain for such a trivial condition.

Spanish Eyes

Fellow sufferer here. But cured within days when an athlete friend ( I am no athlete let it be said) recommended an electrolyte tablet soluble in water. Contains potassium, magnesium, sodium (salt). I obviously needed some or all of the ingredients.

Happy out now. If I get a cramp and I have forgotten to take the soluble tablet, foot out of the bed and walk around and massage in a magnesium oil spray. But that is rare enough now thankfully. Athlete friend said we are not taking in enough salt (sodium) because of all the scares associated with salt, but it is a vital ingredient just the same.

Thanks for the info fellow sufferers.

L1011

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

I tried this tonic water thing. It tastes vile. What can I mix it with besides gin?

Just drink Irn Bru instead. Quinine and no mixing needed


I have short calf muscles and can get hideous leg cramps - and induced plantar fasciitis - if I don't do lots of quite draining and painful stretching exercises. However if I get a decent amount of quinine I don't get the cramps; just the sore muscles and the plantar fasciitis... so I still do the sodding exercises.

Haven't been woken up in the middle of night screaming with pain since I started taking quinine, however. Once a month or so I'd end up actually unable to walk

Blondie919

Another thing I do which helps is sleep with a pillow under my feet. Having them raised seems to help.