Holy #$^&*(!!!!!!!!

[Lilith]

Waking up in the middle of the night wishing someone would cut my freakin' leg off................. how do I stop/cure/prevent these damn charlie horses??????

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Kleclere swears drinking dill pickle juice works. I haven't yet figured out if that's an Iowa thing, or a farm boy thing. :D

[maddy]

potassium helps... and bananas are rich in potassium.

[imaginewithme]

Ok, no one believes me, but if the sheets or blankets are too heavy on my feet (toes) I get them bad. So every night i have to "fluff" my blankets up to keep it from happening. Maybe it's in my head, but I don't get them as much. :hug:

[Glyndwr]

Waking up in the middle of the night wishing someone would cut my freakin' leg off................. how do I stop/cure/prevent these damn charlie horses??????

I hear that throwing the affected leg over someone else's shoulder helps. It doesn't cure it but sure as hell takes your mind off it.

[cowgirltease]

My Chiropractor says more Calcium and stretching your hamstrings will help.

[WildIrish]

It's unromantic as hell...but wear socks to bed.

I've heard that drinking tonic water helps too. Something about the quinine. But that's unconfirmed. Wearing socks has been reported back as successful.

I do kinda like Glyndwr's idea though. :slurp:

[osuche]

Take a multivitamin, stretch...and GET ENOUGH SLEEP!!!! This is what my body does to me when I am abusing it (and not in a good way).

[PantyFanatic]

I hear that throwing the affected leg over someone else's shoulder helps. It doesn't cure it but sure as hell takes your mind off it.
ROFLMFAO :grin:

When you find the answer Lil, let me know what it is. There are nights I spend more time hopping around my bed (recliner actually :rolleyes: ) than in it.

[Neige]

A calcium deficit does that... drink milk! :)

[dicksbro]

^^^^ No kidding. I didn't know that. Thanks for the information. :)

I think I've only had a Charlie Horse a couple of times, but they are agony! :(

[PantyFanatic]

A calcium deficit does that... drink milk! :)
I DO!

... at least a gallon per week...................... in my coffee. :p

[Lilith]

TY all good suggestions!!!! WI quinine is what is suggested by neurologists (my kid had to use it).

I thought that I heard somewhere that there is a trick when you are in the middle of one...I know stretching makes it worse during...I just can't remember what the trick was. I know in Texas when I was very pregnant I'd go stand on the cold tile floor ( something about mixing up the muscles signals) and it worked butm that's not possible here.

Thanks everyone for good advice!

[Aqua]

I'm always half asleep when it happens, but I think what I do when I feel one coming on is to flex my foot upwards... opposite of pointing your toes out. If I do that in time, it will abate, if not... I thrash about on the bed like Fish out of water for a couple minutes.

[Lilith]

ok TY I knew there was somthing that helps!

[sodaklostsoul]

I'm always half asleep when it happens, but I think what I do when I feel one coming on is to flex my foot upwards... opposite of pointing your toes out. If I do that in time, it will abate, if not... I thrash about on the bed like Fish out of water for a couple minutes.
Yep, I used to get them too stretching in bed. Now when I stretch I point my toes toward my head instead of out. It's just natural now to point my heel out when stretching then my toes.

[maddy]

Exactly what Aqua said, as soon as I feel one i stretch my toes toward my head... it hurts a whole lot to do it, but as soon as my toes are stretched to in that direction all pain is gone.

[Sharni]

Waking up in the middle of the night wishing someone would cut my freakin' leg off................. how do I stop/cure/prevent these damn charlie horses??????

Dont go to sleep :D:D

[wyndhy]

((lil)). i feel for ya! i've gotten them in my calf before, occationally on the outside of my thigh and more often when i'm pregnant. i always thought it was dehydration but the calcium deficiency sounds more like it. i never made the connection before but it makes sense since your body gives so much of it to your baby while pregnant.

[Sharni]

Salt deficiancy is sposed to cause muscle cramps too

Not sure on the calcium one myself personally....i'm calcium deficient and dont get them....but then it'd just be like me to be different *L*

[Teddy Bear]

My mom used to get them real bad every night. Her doctor told her to eat more fruit. She started eating 3-5 pieces of fresh fruit everyday and doesn't get them anymore.

Good luck!

:)

[Mercury_Maniac]

Ok, no one believes me, but if the sheets or blankets are too heavy on my feet (toes) I get them bad. So every night i have to "fluff" my blankets up to keep it from happening. Maybe it's in my head, but I don't get them as much. :hug:




just throw them damn sheets and blankets away,

i'll come over and lay on top of ya to keep ya warm :jester:

[Lilith]

Thanks everyone! I am going to take all of your suggestions to heart.

[Cheyanne]

I used to get them all the time when I was pregnant...the doctor told me to drink 100% orange juice. Didn't need to drink it everyday, but had a glass (8 oz) 3 times a week (every other day) and that did the trick.

[rabbit]

Lil, you might not be drinking enough water. Whenever I have trouble with cramps or charlie horses, it's usually because I haven't been drinking enough water.

rabbit

[OzKristin]

yoga helps all ur muscles :) except when u stretch a lil too far and hurt ur thigh muscle like I've apparently done, ouch!

[ozfuzz]

This may sound strange, but my Grandmother used to swear by putting a cork in your bed.


If she didn't have one in her bed she got muscle cramps.

[WildIrish]

This may sound strange, but my Grandmother used to swear by putting a cork in your bed.


If she didn't have one in her bed she got muscle cramps.


I could use a cork when I get really bad cramps too. :rolleyes: :D

[texascubfan]

potassium helps... and bananas are rich in potassium.

just got to reading this and yes, bananas are rich in potassium and they definitely help with cramps. coach use to make us eat bananas the day before games...i hate bananas now, but it works.

on a side note, you haven't lived until you've had a cramp in your quadricep (the front of your thigh) while doin' it doggy style! my wife thought i was just having great time!

[Summer]

I use to get them badly. Usually they would hit after a long soccer game. When it would start (after the game and in the car ride home) I would place my calves over the center console that had the car engine in it and let them warm up then slowly go into flexing them. If one started at home I tried to get in a warm bath or use a heating pad as I flexed my feet.

[nikanik]

Lil I have found that doing yoga, wearing socks to bed, and putting a pillow beneath my feet keeps the cramps away. Oh yeah my Grandma did the cork thing and she never complained of cramps.