Charlie horses, what a pain! :(

[evilwomaniamshe]

Ugh, anybody else suffer from these suckers? Charlie often awakens me when I'm sleeping, with awful cramping spasm like pain in my calves. I have to knead, massage away the brief pain and it hurts like a son of a B! I drink plenty of water daily so NO I am NOT dehydrated, I get plenty of calcium, potassium and magnesium from my eats in addition to taking these supplements also, yet I still get these suckers often! I have read that lack of sodium may also be a cause, but I dunno, I am not a fan of salt as I puff up like a blowfish when I consume it and there is plenty of hidden sodium in foods, but I try to avoid it the majority of the time as I am not a fan of salt at all..... Please DON'T tell me I have to go to the nearest salt lick and get my lick on to make these suckers dissipate?????? Cuz that would be gross, a sugar lick yeah I'd be there, but salty is so not my thing!!!!!! Anybody else suffer from these suckers? If so what has worked for you? I'm on my feet moving 14 hrs a day so when I get home from work I need my sleep, not to get woken up by
damn Charlie!!!! Jeeze like "men"strual cramps aren't enough to deal with & now Charlie too!!!!!! ......Ughhh MEN! .
That is my whine, rant, moan of the day.... Argggg.....

[EZMONEY]

From what I hear "men" bashing women are far more susceptible to charlie's...only known cure....be nicer to the male species.....

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it




ps ~ a friend of mine used to have this problem often, he started drinking a large bottle of gatorade during the day, he said it helped with the night charlie horses....???

[bargoo]

Oh! Yeah ! I get them , too. I have found what works best is to force myself to get out of bed and walk. I know. I know. that is difficult to do but it works. Not a long walk I walk from the bedroom to the bathroom, not a long distance, that is usually enough, if that doesn't work I walk to the kitchen a little farhter away.I also have heard potassium helps I eat a banana a day for the potassium. I got one one time right when I was in the middle of physical therapy ( for something else) the physical therapist is the one who told me about the walking thing, she said we have to stretch that muscle that is cramping. It work.

[evilwomaniamshe]

ROFLMAO EZ, yeah I'm normally a huge fan of the male species except these 2 fellas! Yuckapoo not a fan of Gatorade.

Thanks bargoo, yeah I always get up to knead out the knot and then walk it off, maybe I gotta walk 24 hrs a day instead of only 14 perhaps? .

[Bright Angel]

Originally Posted by bargoo

I have found what works best is to force myself to get out of bed and walk.
I know. I know. that is difficult to do but it works. Not a long walk
the physical therapist is the one who told me about the walking thing,
she said we have to stretch that muscle that is cramping. It works.

I agree.
For me the only thing that gets rid of a charlie horse is to stretch it out by walking.
Also, I've found that even at the times when it happens after HEAVY exercise,
it usually caused by a sodium/potassium imbalance,
which I can prevent by adding a cup of clear canned broth
or a small can of tomato juice to my daily food intake.

[Sheila53]

My husband gets muscle cramps in his legs, too. He's had the cramps in his large muscles so badly that he's passed out, but that's usually followed intense exercise in the sun. He's on a blood pressure med that, I believe, is a diuretic plus he drinks tea, which also, I believe, is a diuretic. Anyway, he eats a banana, takes additional potassium (but you do have to watch those levels), drinks plenty of water and has now added two cups of a low cal sports drink that replaces electrolytes, etc. He's quit the tea recently for medical reasons, and I noticed that he's not getting the cramps very much. Then again he's not exercising much either (medical reasons) so I don't know what is really helping, if any of those things.

Good luck with whatever you try. I get muscle cramps in my feet, but they're definitely not as bad as the cramps in larger muscles.

[JOLINA]

There are a few things that prevent charlie horses in me.

Whole Milk. I cannot drink skim or 2%. I definitely will get muscle spasms....and carpel tunnel.

And I eat one banana a day. A nurse told me that is what they do when they are on their feet all day.

And I eat 2-3 almonds after every meal. They prevent both indigestion and charlie horses.

Since I added the almonds a couple of months ago, I have not had even one muscle spasm.

[evilwomaniamshe]

I consume plenty of bananas, 2-3 daily is normal for me. I like to eat my bananas with a spoon, as they are like dessert for me, sometimes I spread the banana with peanut butter or almond butter spread, or drizzled them with dark chocolate & sprinkled with flax & cacao nibs. Yeah I lurve eating my banana's! . I also do get some salt eating large pretzel rods dipped in peanut butter, then sprinkled with cacao nibs always during ovulation and pms time. I also consume raw almonds or cashews on a daily basis...

[saef]

I have gotten these, always in the same place -- my left calf -- and in both recent memorable instances, after exercising, when I was stretching on a mat. On the second occasion, since I was in a mirrored exercise studio, I actually saw the indentation in my calf as the muscle spasmed inward tightly -- it really looked like a chunk had been bitten out of it, maybe enough for a horse bite. Both times I had to fight my instinct and stretch my heel down. It left me limping & felt bruised for the rest of the day & a little tender the next day.

Look, I don't know what causes them. I drink lots of water while working out. I eat lots of various fruits, though not always a banana every day. I do get a little salt, not much. I've read all over the Internet on them & all the advice is contradictory & some of it is practically superstitious.

All I know is, they really hurt & half the trauma is the surprise attack element.

Personally I think it's like a momentary muscle failure & I am clueless about how to protect against their recurrence. But, woman, I feel you on this one.

[evilwomaniamshe]

Saef,
Wowsa seeing the horse bite! Yeah anybody's guess to what causes them..
Good to know that I am not the only one who suffers with them despite doing everything I've read....

[k8yk]

Maybe more stretching would help? Have you ever tried yoga?