I Get Charley Horses

You need to stretch out your calves, dummy. Google it.

It's ALS. Prepare your estate.

Do a full body stretch every night before bed. It should take 10 minutes. Stretching all the muscles daily is the Fountain of Youth.

What are Charley horses?

I got a paralyzing Charley horse in the middle of the night over a week ago, and my calf is still sore.

I eat a couple of bananas daily when I start getting Charley horses and ensure I’m well hydrated. That usually works. If it doesn’t, you may have diabetes or pre diabetes.

Hydration!

You are dehydrated or are lacking potassium. Up your water. Have a banana a day. My cousin ears a boiled egg every night to stop them. The best way to stop them quick is a bag of frozen peas.

Magnesium, magnesium, magnesium. 500-1500mg/day. It can make your stools loose, so be mindful. I use the CVS brand Triple Magnesium formula, which as its name implies combines three forms of magnesium. Side benefit: less tendency for loose stools.

Your legs are higher than your head when you sleep. Put some pillows under your head. Also your bed linens are too heavy. Replace the duvet and blankets with an unzipped sleeping bag rated for 40 degrees. Or, alternatively just switch the bed around so the head is no longer at the lowest point on your sloping floor.

Do you drink a lot? I've had this happen often after I tied one on the night before. One of the worst ones I ever had caused me to fall down the stairway in my building.

Also put some thermal socks on, the kind with foil to retain heat, so it will keep your leg circulation going at night.

I don’t drink alcohol. I wear smartwool socks to bed and sleep with a light weight throw over me. No top sheet or duvets or comforters. I don’t like being hot at night.

So far I’m not dead. But it still hurts.

My dad used to take extra vitamin E for charley horses. Not sure it really did anything but can't hurt.

I got one so bad, I almost didn't get to see the Queen

Prop your legs up on pillows. I have had this and it's excruciating. I've tried to breathe them away (!) to no luck. Seriously I have not had them since. Also take a daily Bayer aspirin.

"I used to be Snow White, but I drifted"

Hydration, calcium, potassium. Magnesium too but make sure it doesn't interact with meds or antibiotics you're on -- magnesium can affect absorption of medications.

You people call leg cramps Charlie horses?!

A Charlie horse is something else entirely, usually caused by a sharp blow to a leg muscle.

When I was a kid in the California 70s, I was always hearing about Charley Horses but once I moved east, that stopped and this is the first I've heard them discussed since.

😭 See a doctor.....duh.

Could be a lot of reasons that require medical attention and monitoring.

I'm 🐴 "Triggered"

Potassium, but too much of it or are on heart medication, it could counteract. Potassium lowers the blood pressure, so you have to be careful about that. Almonds and avocados have more potassium than bananas.

Hot bath with epsom salts followed by ice pack.

I get these on & off, at random or so it seems.

Mine tend to cause most discomfort around the outside arch of the foot and the big toe, even though the weird tight tingling seems to emanate up the legs and into/around the calves (below the knee/cap). Does that mean something significant? Like I need to massage my feet or change my shoes?

They’ve only once been really painful, and that night I called help. As I had no swelling or redness or skin discoloration the nurse on the phone told me I probably wouldn’t die and that I should suck it up. I just hing up, drunk a pitcher of water and stayed up all night crying (not my proudest moment, but I did fear it could be something sinister).

I still get a little nervous when one comes on but I try not to panic about it now. I’d still like to know exactly what is causing it; Magnesium does nothing for me, nor do bananas/avocados or elevating my legs.

I meant “inside arch” of the foot. Sorry all.

OP, in addition to the suggestions on magnesium and potassium deficiencies (and lack of hydration), you might ask for a blood sugar test. Apparently, leg cramps can also be an early sign of diabetes or being pre-diabetic.

what r7 said........ drink more water

drink glasses of water and do some stretching exercises.

Eat a banana, you need the potassium.

Drink more water. At least another large glassful per day.

Take a warm bath to ease the pain.

I get them in my foot and arms too.

They are caused by poor blood perfusion / lack of sufficient oxygen to the muscle. Try to relax, take deep breaths, and massage the muscle. Getting cold to the muscle helps, like putting your foot on cold, bathroom tiles for leg cramps. I know they can be paralyzingly painful so getting one's ass into the bathroom might be impossible.

You should really see your doctor to rule out underlying vascular / cardiac issues.

Drink a glass of tonic water with quinine before going to be.

Yeah, this is a Neuro muscular issue if it happens regularly. I'd see a doc. One doesn't want leg neuropathy to develop.

My friend's tween son was a fucking asshole, and one day when I was babysitting him, he punched their cat. I immediately jumped up and punched him in the thigh, so hard it made his muscle cramp up for a good 15 minutes.

Little fucking bastard deserved it.

Charley horses ain't no joke, they hurt like hell!

I just had my 3 month blood work done and everything was normal.

[quote] You people call leg cramps Charlie horses?! A Charlie horse is something else entirely, usually caused by a sharp blow to a leg muscle.

Mmmmmm........nope.

Charley horse is another name for a muscle spasm. Charley horses can occur in any muscle, but they're most common in the legs. These spasms are marked by uncomfortable muscle contractions. If the contracting muscles don't relax for several seconds or more, the pain can be severe.

The first time I ever had a charley horse was when I got a job in NYC. I had to wait 3 months before getting housing, so I had a 6 hour round trip every day. It was brutal. One night I was rushing down the stairs into Penn Station when I got a charley horse in my thigh. I almost fell down. It was like a sudden, excruciatingly painful paralysis. I grabbed onto the stair rail and tried not to pass out or fall down. People were crashing into me from behind. They were cursing me out and a few people pushed my back.

I flattened my back against the rail and started to hop down the stairs on one leg with my arms wrapped around the rails from behind. I finally got off the stairs and up against a column and couldn't move. A guy looked at me and called out "Lady, ya gotta rub your leg where it hurts!" But I couldn't. I turned away from the crowd and slid onto the floor, where I stayed for about 20 minutes.

This was in the bad old days of NYC. The crack epidemic days. A fat little cop came along and yelled at me to get up and move, "You can't sit there! You crazy?" So I got up and hobbled along until I managed to get onto a train. Damn, it was scary.

Why anyone asks for medical advice on The DL in this day and age is beyond me. Here, OP, all ya need to know....

Woa, Op, lets not be hasty!

I didn't see the OP asking for advice, R39

You're dehydrated!

WebMD uses both leg cramp and Charley horse, with a slight tilt toward leg cramp.

I get them in the arch of my foot. I stand up and stomp on the foot and it tends to go away quickly.

There are a lot of homeopathic remedy's that have been listed above. My partner suffers from spasms, usually his calves, particularly his right. Once he has a calve spasm, it may happen again the same night, then he usually gets them a couple of nights after as well.

I read that if you just suffered a spasm, drink a tall glass of water, faucet temperature, and drink it quickly (gulp, gulp, like I know you can) to get a fast hydration boost, since low hydration is also a factor. I also encourage gulp, gulp of water then next nights before bed. But he never follows these instructions each time, and must be reminded, like the little Mama's boy that he is.

Yes, all the above vitamins can help. Add Vitamin D which can be achieved with a 10 minutes or so exposure to sunlight on open arms, legs of you can.

You can also watch your diet, like gout. My partner also suffers from gout, which sometimes coincides. A lot for foods to avoid. See link.

You are correct, R41. OP just needed to state a state of being.

OP no one gives a shit. Get a Charley Horse of the heart and die already.

OP, it sounds like you have entered The Menopause.

We Condole you.

I used to get them in my teens and early 20s and people told me it was either water or potassium I was lacking. I drink like 10 glasses of water a day at least and never get them anymore.

Do you take statins? Because they can cause muscle cramps. A shot of real tonic water with quinine before bed can help.

Did someone say CHARLEY HORSE?

That’s Mathew’s pet name for me.

I can't believe it took 50 replies for Yvonne to show up.

When I get them in my calf I simply straighten my leg , reach down and pull my toes toward me. It goes away.

The first time I got one it was the middle of the night and I was a teenager. I thought somehow I had broken my leg in my sleep!

I have gotten tyem since childhood. Any below the knee (calf, foot) you can stop them by rolling your foot so that you are looking like you are standing on tip toe of the affected side with your toes kind of splayed and hold that tension position for a minute or so. you may need to roll your foot and apply pressure to your toes a few times but I guarantee it will work.

Stretching during will actually make it worse. this foot rolling puts the pressure on the muscles in front of your calf. reciprocal... something.