If you have been on the receiving end of a sore ‘charley horse’ in the middle of the night, you will appreciate the importance of being able to soothe leg cramps in double quick time. No matter the source of your leg cramps – whether they be a symptom of pregnancy, old age, restless leg syndrome, or something else – the hurtful nuisances can be prevented and relieved with the right techniques.

Relieving leg cramps

Should you be lying in bed and get a leg cramp, the best method to relieve it is to massage the cramping muscle. Usually the muscles that cramp are in your upper calf. Sit up in bed and place the ankle of the cramping leg across your other knee. Using both hands, massage the painful muscle until it starts to relax.

When you gotten the muscle to unclench, you can provide further relief by flexing your foot forward and back. Be sure to do this carefully as stretching too hard may cause another cramp. To finish walk around a little to ensure the cramp is fully gone.

If your muscles are still painful even after you relieve leg cramps, use an OTC anti-inflammatory (e.g. Ibuprofen) for the pain. This may also help prevent  flare ups that might potentially arrive later.

Preventing Leg Cramps

The best way to rid yourself of leg cramp pain is to stop them from happening in the first place. Most cramps happen due to dehydration or because of a lack of certain nutrients.

If you’re concerned about dehydration, make an effort to make sure you’re drinking enough water every day. Start with 6-8 glasses per day. If cramps are still happening your body may need more fluid so try increasing up to 10-12 glasses each day to see if that helps.

With regards to nutrients make sure you’re getting enough calcium, magnesium, and potassium in your diet.  A lack of any one or a combination of these nutrients may lead to leg cramps. If you’re not sure you’re getting enough or you’re still having cramps, try taking supplements. This should help ensure you get the nutrients you need. A potent source of all these nutrients along with vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and other important minerals is acai berry.

Another consideration is to ensure that you are keeping yourself warm enough. When you are cold you will naturally tense your muscles. Though the tensing might be so light that you barely even notice that you’re doing it, over time your muscles may get tired and cramp. Therefore make sure you have sufficient blankets and heating.

The important thing is to keep the muscles in your legs relaxed. You can do this through stretches, the use of a heating pad, or by having a hot shower. Relaxed muscles are not as likely to cramp.

Get Further Help if Needed

If you’re getting constant leg cramps, be sure that you see a doctor. While the advice given here is relevant, it’s important to make sure the leg cramps are not a symptom of something else. Hopefully the techniques here will help you relieve leg cramps so you can rest, exercise, and live life in comfort.

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Tags: charley horse, cramp, leg cramp, leg cramps, restless leg syndrome

This entry was posted on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 5:58 pm and is filed under Acai Berry, Pain Relief, Superfoods, Vitamins & Minerals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.