what to do for leg cramps in calves

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If your dogie muscle painfully seizes up and feels tight, you're likely suffering from a dogie cramp. Cramps are common during exercise, but they also plague many people at night while they slumber. Although painful, a calf cramp is typically a relatively harmless condition that will get away on its own after a few minutes. If yous get dogie cramps often, evaluate your personal habits and come across what yous can do to prevent them from happening in the time to come.^[1]

1. 1

   Transfer your weight to your cramped leg. At the onset of a calf cramp, elevator your other leg or lean to the side where you're cramping to run across if your leg can concur weight. If it can, try walking for a few minutes to see if you can walk information technology off.^[ii]

   • Y'all tin likewise alternate your weight from i leg to the other and milk shake your leg out. This tin help loosen the muscle and release the balk.

2. ii

   Sit down with your leg extended if you lot tin't stand. If the cramped leg won't agree your weight, find a comfortable place where you can sit down with your leg extended direct out from your torso. Roll your foot in circles to appoint the calf muscle and try to loosen it up.^[three]

   • You can besides lean over and grab the toes of your foot, pulling them back gently towards you lot. This volition give the calf muscle a practiced stretch and hopefully encourage information technology to loosen upwardly and release the balk.

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3. 3

   Gently rub the affected musculus. Calorie-free massage not only relaxes the muscle to help it release, only it also soothes the tissues so your calf may not be every bit sore later. Even after the cramping ends, you'll probable experience sore and stiff for several hours.^[4]

   • Massaging the musculus also warms it. Heat can help the muscle loosen upwardly and release.

4. four

   Place a warm towel or heating pad to the musculus. Damp heat provides hydration and helps loosen upwards the musculus. It may also reduce inflammation around the area of the cramp, which can aid ease soreness in your calf later.^[5]

   • You might too find relief from soaking in a warm bath for a few minutes as y'all gently massage your calf.

   Variation: Add anti-inflammatory treatments to the h2o, such equally baking soda, Epsom salts, or oatmeal.

5. 5

   Apply an ice pack to a severe cramp. Astringent cramps don't e'er reply to heat. For some people, applying estrus to a cramp makes it experience even worse. If your balk doesn't answer to rut, endeavor placing an ice pack on your calf for a few minutes.^[vi]

   • Identify a towel between your skin and the ice pack to avoid dissentious your skin. Just leave the ice pack on for 10 to fifteen minutes.

6. vi

   Contact your dr. if your cramps are severe and persistent. You may demand prescription drugs to provide relief if you suffer from repeated cramping that doesn't respond to self-treatment. Your doctor will review your medical history and diagnose the cause of your cramps, which may be symptomatic of another health condition.

   • Doctors may prescribe muscle relaxers or pain-relievers to help foreclose dogie cramps or brand them a bit easier to deal with. The medications prescribed volition depend on the cause of your cramps.

   Tip: Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen, typically won't provide whatsoever immediate relief for muscle cramps because they take as well long to work. However, they tin can help ease any soreness or tenderness in the affected muscle later.

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1. 1

   Stretch your calf muscles gently before engaging in activeness. To stretch your calves, stand arm's length away from a wall. Face the wall with your feet flat against the floor, toes pointed towards the wall. Press your hands confronting the wall and lean forward slowly until you experience a stretch in your calves. Hold the stretch for 2 to iii seconds, so release.^[seven]

   • Repeat the stretch 5 times, breathing deeply through the stretch. Don't stretch and so far that information technology hurts – merely enough that you experience the stretch.

   Variation: Stand with your toes and the front one-half of your anxiety on the border of a footstep, with your heels hanging off. Slowly lower your heels until you feel a stretch in your calf. Concord the stretch for two to 3 seconds, then heighten your heels support. Repeat the stretch v times, breathing securely.

2. two

   Stay well-hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Exercise-related cramps are more probable to occur if you are dehydrated. Men should beverage at to the lowest degree fifteen.5 cups (three.vii liters) of h2o each mean solar day, while women should drink at least 11.5 cups (2.7 liters). When exercising, drink water before, during, and afterwards your workout.^[8]

   • Sports drinks, such as Gatorade, can besides help reduce cramping by restoring your torso'south balance of electrolytes.^[9]

3. 3

   Cool down and stretch subsequently each workout. Subsequently you lot've finished any vigorous workout session, engage in slow activity to help your muscles relax over again. But walking for ten or 15 minutes and stretching your leg muscles tin be an effective cooldown.^[10]

   • Y'all can apply the calf stretches you lot used for a warm up to absurd down also. They will go on your calves loose and less decumbent to cramping.
   • Hold each stretch for xx-xxx seconds on each side.

4. 4

   Build up your do programme gradually. Exercise-related cramps often occur if you increment the duration or intensity of your exercise program rapidly before your muscles have fourth dimension to arrange. Follow the ten per centum rule, in which yous merely increment the intensity of your practise by 10 percentage each week.

   • For example, suppose you currently run ten metres (0.010 km) per week and want to build upward to 20 metres (0.020 km) per week. The beginning week, you would run eleven metres (0.011 km) per week, an increment of 10 percent. The next calendar week, y'all would run 12.1 metres (0.0121 km), an boosted x per centum increase, and then on until you reached your goal.
   • If you get persistent cramps, you lot may need to lower the intensity of your workouts, or alter the blazon of practise you do until your muscles have time to rebuild and adjust. For example, if you lot've been running, you might try swimming until your calves get stronger.

   Tip: If y'all're a relatively active person and often engage in intense do, cramps may signal an injury. If your cramps are accompanied by dark urine, this is a sign of muscle damage. Encounter a doctor immediately.

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1. 1

   Stand and movement effectually one time an hour if you have a sedentary task. If you sit for long periods of time during the solar day, this can put undue pressure on your dogie muscles. As a event, they may go twitchy and spasm or balk up at nighttime. You can prevent this by standing one time an hr and moving around a little.^[11]

   • You tin can set a reminder for yourself on your computer or your smartphone to nudge you when yous demand to stand and motion around. Take a minute to become upwardly and become to the restroom, become some water, or paw-evangelize papers to someone else rather than emailing them. And so return to your seat.
   • If you do have to sit for long periods of time without a break to stand, make certain you're sitting properly. Your chair should be at a meridian that you can residuum both feet on the floor. Sit down upwards straight with your shoulders back and down, so that your shoulder blades fall in line along either side of your spine.
   • You lot can do posture checks throughout the mean solar day to make sure you're sitting correctly. It may feel awkward or uncomfortable at starting time, particularly if you're used to slouching – but your legs and back will thanks in the long run.

2. ii

   Limit your consumption of booze and caffeine. Booze and caffeine consumption has been linked to nighttime leg cramps. The relationship is strongest if you lot consume alcohol or caffeine in excess, or immediately earlier going to bed.^[12]

   • If y'all take frequent calf cramps at night, stop drinking caffeine at least 4 hours before you go to bed.
   • If y'all drink alcohol, don't have more 2 drinks in an evening and stop drinking at least 2 hours before you lot go to bed.

3. 3

   Stretch your calves earlier you become to bed each dark. Stand to face a wall arm's length away with your toes pointed forward. Identify your hands flat on the wall and lean forrard just until yous feel a stretch in your calves. Hold the stretch for ii to three seconds, breathing slowly and securely.^[thirteen]

   • Render back to standing and then repeat the stretch four or 5 times. Afterward, you may want to walk around a bit or shake your legs out to keep them loose.

4. 4

   Beverage a glass of water before going to bed. Nighttime calf cramps and spasms tin also be caused past dehydration. In addition to drinking water throughout the day, endeavor a total drinking glass of h2o right before bed to ensure you lot stay hydrated while sleeping.^[fourteen]

   • You might also proceed a thermos of h2o next to your bed. If you wake up in the middle of the nighttime, drink some water before you go back to sleep.

5. 5

   Avert vigorous activity just before sleep. If y'all exercise late at night before bed, your calf muscles may react to the sudden subtract in activity by spasming or cramping. To foreclose this from happening, effort moving your exercise to first thing in the morning, or in the middle of the day, rather than in the evening.

   • Endeavour to set bated a half hour to an hour before bed each night to relax your mind and body and set up for sleep. Dim the lights and meditate or engage in a quiet, relaxing activity, such as reading or listening to calming music.
   • A warm bath earlier bed can also help relax your body to forbid nighttime cramping.

   Variation: While vigorous activity is not recommended, you lot may find that riding a stationary bicycle at a gentle step for a few minutes or going for a leisurely walk helps loosen your muscles and prevents night dogie cramps.

6. 6

   Go along your feet in a relaxed position while sleeping. As y'all sleep, keeping your anxiety at correct angles from your legs may proceed your calves from contracting and tensing up, which can lead to cramps. The position may vary depending on how you normally sleep. If you lie on your side, just remember to keep your feet relaxed at right angles, rather than pointing your toes.^[15]

   • If you prevarication on your back, your feet should be pointed straight up. Y'all might desire to put a pillow at the foot of your bed for the soles of your feet to rest against.
   • If you're a tummy sleeper, let your toes hang off the end of the bed, with your heels pointed upwardly. This will keep your feet in the right position. Yous tin also place a pillow nether your shins to give your feet room to point downward.

7. 7

   Avoid binding upward your legs while sleeping. If the sheets and blankets are wrapped also tightly effectually your legs, your calves may contract and cramp. Keep the sheets and blankets loose on top of you, and avoid tucking them around your torso.^[sixteen]

   • Keep the edges of the sheets and blankets loose as well, rather than tucking them under the mattress.

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• If you take consequent cramping, either at night or during practice, that does non respond to bones self-treatment, seek medical attention every bit soon equally possible. Your cramping muscles may be a symptom of some other, more serious health condition.

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