Leg cramps! Ouch.. any help?

Marjory Wildcraft
Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin
edited October 2020 in General Health

OMG, brutally awoken during the middle of the night with a severe leg cramp in my right leg.

Is it calcium deficiency? Magnesium? Yikes, what can I do?

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Comments

  • Ruth Ann Reyes
    Ruth Ann Reyes Posts: 577 admin

    Yes, Magnesium! This one is my fav!

  • hmsadmin
    hmsadmin Posts: 123 admin

    Yep, mostly likely magnesium or potassium deficiency.

    This is the magnesium foot cream I was talking about earlier that has helped with some tendon troubles I was experiencing (I'm pretty sure it was due to magnesium deficiency) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JJV532Q/ref=ppxyodtbasintitleo05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 These were the guys that sent me the nice little face lotion gift too!

    It deffinitely makes you sleepy, though they may have one without the sleep-inducing ingredients.

  • StacyLou
    StacyLou Posts: 89 ✭✭

    Great information @rainbow!

  • Sandy Forest
    Sandy Forest Posts: 28 ✭✭✭

    I rarelly get cramps and my husband gets them often. He does far more physical work that I, but both of us are working hard all summer when we also sweat profusely. We drink a lot of water all year, but in summer I have learned to offer him green coconut water. We live where we can't get it fresh, but it is available canned. Recently I have noticed there are a lot of cheap brands, but those taste like there are artificial ingredients and make me feel thirstier, so I think they are adding "something" sweet but not nutritious, and it makes me feel very thirsty. It works best for him during the afternoon or early evening. It is very high in potassium, and magnesium, among other good stuff, but has a very low glycemic level. It will keep him awake if taken right before bed, for some reason. If we are out of that, he takes a calcium/magnesium powder mixed in water before bed, or if he forgets and cramps, as needed and relief is very rapid. My body is very different. Since beginning to follow your recommendation to drink herbal tea all day I have been making a mug of strong tea from nettle, comfrey and goldenrod flowers that grow on our land. I dilute a little of this tea in a few ounces of spring water and chug it down whenever I step inside. It helps me stay cooler and I haven't cramped all summer or suffered from a persistent thirst that was not quenched by plain water and I think is associated with the cramping. I hope you get some relief!

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin
    edited July 2019

    Hi @rainbow , @Ruth Reyes-Loiacano @Linzi @Sandy Anderson

    Rainbow, yes, thank you fro the thougtful response. I eat a ton of green vegetables and dark chocolate - so I am guessing my magnesium is pretty good most of the time. What I am guessing is the issue is dehydration. I've been pretty ill from teh Mexico trip (see the thread on travellers diaherra). That illlness went on for three weeks - yikes!~ I was doing my best to keep up with fluids but it got away from me.


    It's so true that when you get ill, you don't really think well... I just haven't noticed it in myself. But the chapped lips, and the very sluggish thinking are all the classic signs.


    It's why we need community.


    😀And hey, any excuse to drink coco nut water is a good thing IMHO.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hi Marjorie,

    You know I have wondered how long it took you to finally recover from whatever nasty bug laid you low some weeks ago, & am relieved to hear you are on the mend. - And totally agree on the Coconut-water... I love it too. Just wish the real deal was less expensive. Where do you buy your Coconut-water ?

    Also thank you again for this wonderful/caring community here. (Far too many! forums on the www are dysfunctionally negative & punitive, eager to Ban anyone) inspired to bring... & inject Positivity, & Good-humor, & even praying. Yet here such qualities & habits are Welcomed, & actively encouraged. What a tribute! to what kind of people you, & Jimerson, & Linzi & Merin, etc are. Thanks again for this blessed community!

  • seeker.nancy - Central Texas
    seeker.nancy - Central Texas Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭

    Hi everyone, happy to be here. My name is Nancy.

    For supplementation of magnesium you want the citrate form for about the best absorption. It's generally safe to take to "bowel tolerance", or until you are having diarrhea. This form is what is used to prep for a colonoscopy, but in a high dosage. Something that is fast acting and I have used for years is Hyland's Leg Cramp Formula. This is a homeopathic supplement and you just put two of the fast so acting tablets under your tongue. Small bottle so its easy to tuck in a purse or pocket.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    If you wish to avoid the internal effects of magnesium completely, use magnesium chloride. Is is easily absorbable through the skin. You dont want to eat it...lol...it tastes BAD. You can make an oil or a lotion with it.

    I buy Ancient Minerals flakes. Mixed with water, it creates an oil. You rub this oil onto your skin and leave it for 20 minutes, then rinse it off. You may have to experiment to see where it will feel best, as it can get itchy. The feet are a good place to use it. Some people make a strong solution, and after about 3 months, when the magnesium stores are restored and for maintenance, use a weaker solution that can be left on.

    We have used this to clear psoriasis, which has never returned, and as a bonus, it healed even bad cavities & reversed the lesser ones.

    I am sure it can do much more, seeing as magnesium is an essential. This is just what we observed.

    My biggest problem with using it is consistency. 😯 I wish that wasn't a factor for me.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    I am putting this in a different post because it is a slightly different subject. Coconut water is highly touted to contain lots of good stuff, but did you know there are other options?

    When we were looking for electrolytes that were natural (not the rotten gatorade) for our kids in judo competitions, we found maple water. It has all kinds of goodness for that purpose.

    I had made a homemade electrolyte solution in the past for homebirth, but my kids don't like the flavor...the maple water, although more expensive than a DIY solution, went over very well.

  • bmaverick
    bmaverick Posts: 175 ✭✭✭
    edited July 2019

    Have a non-gmo organic banana. :)

    Bummer that banana's became GMOed a few years back. errr.


    And the banana peel can be used for a few good things, including good relief of poison ivy.

  • Leslie Carl
    Leslie Carl Posts: 255 ✭✭✭✭

    I agree with @Laurie ; Magnesium Chloride made into what they call magnesium oil, works wonders for muscle cramps! It's very easy to make... Just use equal amounts of magnesium chloride flakes and distilled water (it's important to use distilled to extend the shelf life). Bring the water to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the flakes until they are dissolved. I keep mine in an amber glass spray bottle (plastic will work too).

    I used to get leg cramps every night, any time I stretched my legs out. It takes about a minute for the oil to relax the muscle when you rub it in, but it works wonderfully! I started rubbing my legs and my rib cage with it every day and my cramps gradually decreased in frequency until they just didn't occur anymore. I could finally stretch my legs without cramping! Boy did that feel good!!

    The first few times you use it, you may feel a tingly feeling on your skin which could last for 10-20 minutes. You can dilute it with more water to reduce the sensation. After a few uses you won't feel that anymore. If it's too uncomfortable, you can easily rinse the oil off with water. It isn't really an oil, it just has an oily feel. It's perfectly safe to leave on your skin without rinsing, if it doesn't make you feel uncomfortable. You can also use coconut oil or a lotion bar to moisturize about 5 minutes after applying the oil. Personally, I never felt any tingling.

    It works great as an underarm deodorant too. A great alternative to aluminum containing deodorants that can cause breast cancer.

    Magnesium is more easily absorbed transdermally through the skin, than it is when taken internally and magnesium chloride is better suited for transdermal absorption.

    One word of caution: DO NOT apply the oil to broken skin! It will sting like H*ll! However, if this should happen just rinse with water and the sting will go away. 🙂

  • Edie
    Edie Posts: 1 ✭✭✭

    First aid for charlie horses or cramps... we've had near miraculous results over the years with a few drops of Lobelia tincture under the tongue where a full blown cramp seemingly "melts away" in literally seconds with much quicker recovery than letting the thing take it's course. On a very few occasions, we've been able to get it under the tongue in the first few seconds when you feel one coming on and it just stops it cold. We keep it handy at all times with a bottle of homemade stuff on the nightstand, a 1oz bottle of HerbPharm Lobelia tincture in my day bag at work or on trips (makes it easy to scream out to someone to "GRAB THE BOTTLE WITH THE BRIGHT ORANGE LABEL!!", and a canning jar of the stuff on the herb shelf.

    Lobelia is considered a "drop dose" tincture and honestly, for most folks, that's often all it takes to be effective. Instead of counting drops in the middle of the night in the dark while someone (or yourself) is in agony, pull just enough tincture into the dropper barrel to get a smidge past the neck where it chokes down, squirt it in under the tongue and watch the magic happen. I've found that method to usually equal a'rd 6-10 drops under controlled conditions (depending on your dropper shape) and I'd imagine somewhere a'rd 12-15 drops when administered in the midst of a cramp. If ingesting even a few drops of alcohol tincture is an issue for you, Lobelia is one of the herbs that is thought to work better in ACV than alcohol but I'm not sure how the shelf life would compare to an alcohol based product.

    As with most things herbal, research it for yourself, try a few drops ahead of time to test for any reaction, decide if it's a fit for you, and then keep it handy by the bedside or wherever. If you're prone to cramps, Lobelia may become your new best friend while sorting out the causes.

  • Blair
    Blair Posts: 46

    My wife would get "charlie horses" at night, then she started eating a banana on a regular basis (preferably daily to every other day), good by charlie.

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin


    hi @seeker.nancy Welcome to the forums! SO glad to see you here.

    And yes, I am a bit behind is responding to everyone :)

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin

    Hi @Edie I've never worked with Lobelia before, so I am intrigued. Also, I really like Herb Pharms products. They grow a lot of the herbs themselves there on the Oregon farm. I'll pick up a bottle and put by the night stand.

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin


    awww @rainbow thank you for your kind words. Yes, we are working to get more connection in this incredible community. Whew, I see so many other places and quite frnakly negativity really seeems to build audiences - but I just don't want to spread any more of that in the world. So I am delighted with the genuine group we have here. Definitely let me know if there are any features you would like to see added.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Marjory Wildcraft - Unsure what you mean by "features". -- Let me guess: About six weeks ago, Heather & I asked you to Please "add a General science category" for discussing specific topics related to any live critter: Plant or Animal or Human. - Absent that, she told me to just post where I did; - but as it was in her Home Medicine category, she assumed Rx-protocols were called for. - No, I asked just re Minerals in general, & then unable to get my general Intent... back on track, I transferred my question to my food-Foresting discussion. -- Heather took Offense, where none was ever intended, she told me off, & has not posted since. - Heather's another genuine person, & she knows so much. - While I understand bio-chemistry in vague generalities, she has studied it in much greater detail. Awww, I miss Heather.

    So re your "Definitely let me know if there are any features you would like to see added." - Please explain what specifically you mean. Thanks! Marjory 🙂

  • CynthiaGraves
    CynthiaGraves Posts: 15 ✭✭✭

    Magnesium and Potassium balance out on the scale - as one goes up the other down. So if you are taking Magnesium to stop the charley horses and still get them. Go the Potassium route. I learned this in 2012 when I ended up in the hospital, it took them a week to figure out what was wrong. I have fibromyalgia and they told me to take lots of Vitamin D which meant lots of calcium which meant lots of magnesium. For the year that I was taking 50k units of vitamin D to get that in balance (okay only 42 weeks) I had pushed my potassium almost to 0.......

    I now try to get this message out as much as possible. Too many people I've talked to didn't know that one destroyed the other and once they switch to try the other the relief they are feeling has been almost miraculous.

  • MarillynRatliff
    MarillynRatliff Posts: 7 ✭✭✭

    I agree that magnesium is key for cramping and I do take a supplement but what really helps is the spray for me. Spray it on the back of your legs and rub it in. My muscles went from rock hard to a relaxed state which makes all the difference. Hope this helps someone else.

  • maryannfricko
    maryannfricko Posts: 133 ✭✭✭

    I would try some magnesium. As it is not absorbed well, you could also try a magnesium spray. The skin absorbs it that way.

    If the magnesium does not help, it could be other electrolytes (such as potassium). Coconut water helps balance them.

  • MaxFax
    MaxFax Posts: 10 ✭✭✭

    I hear most of us are deficient in magnesium and leg cramps can be a common symptom. Some say (Dr, John Grey for example) Magnesium Orotate is best if taking it internally. I get it in bulk from bulskupplements.com. Taking it internally isn't always the best way to absorb it though. Soaking in Epsom salt baths also helps. And then rubbing the body with magnesium oil. All three will help the body absorb magnesium. It definitely helps with leg cramps. I try to do a combination of all three when I can.

  • Melissa Swartz
    Melissa Swartz Posts: 270 ✭✭✭

    My chiropractor recommended this stuff, and says that several of his patients swear by it. I found it at a local grocery store, but haven't tried it yet. The ingredients are apple cider vinegar, ginger, and garlic juice.



  • sallyhoward
    sallyhoward Posts: 106 ✭✭✭

    These are all great suggestions. I love a soak in a warm bath with epsom salt and a few drops of lavender oil (and other favourite oils and flowers) or even just a foot soak with the same ingredients. Sally

  • Melody Castello
    Melody Castello Posts: 13 ✭✭✭

    I used to have severe leg cramps at night to the point that I couldn’t straighten my feet. I agree that getting up and standing eases the pain. However, I recently started making Haymakers punch and can’t believe the difference it has made. It’s a simple recipe to make and tastes great. I haven’t had a cramp since!

  • spj510
    spj510 Posts: 2 ✭✭✭

    Love all these great suggestions!

    I have only gotten leg cramps while pregnant, and magnesium definitely helped them in those cases. I would agree with all of the above - hydration, magnesium oil on the legs, and magnesium supplements.

  • Amy
    Amy Posts: 35 ✭✭✭

    I never get charley horses, leg cramps, until this past weekend! I was at an amusement park and the temperature outside was well into the 90s. My calf muscles bound up in the worst pain I have had in years after going into the water to indulge the relaxation of the Lazy River. I am not sure if the cold water had a hand in the leg cramp but I am sure I was getting dehydrated.

    After Three days my muscles are still sore. I put magnesium oil on and increased my water drinking which is helping.

    The magnesium is definitely helping.

  • Sandy Forest
    Sandy Forest Posts: 28 ✭✭✭

    Quite some time ago I listened to a presentation on magnesium from a retired engineer who had studied the health benefits of magnesium to a great degree of depth. One the first things he said was that magnesium is vastly more effectively absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes rather than through digestion. So gardening (or any other pursuit in which you end up smeared with soil) is generally a very effective way to absorb magnesium (I wear gloves, but the smear factor remains quite high, so I guess I'm still benefiting). This may be a contributing factor to the longevity of traditional farming cultures.


    Caveats: My notes are packed away with my former life as a city girl, but I believe he also said that some aluminum compounds will bind magnesium and interfere with its benefits. Regarding the magnesium in chocolate, keep in mind that raw cacao is a great source of magnesium, but the dark roasted cacao used in most chocolate barrs and for baking is roasted to 400F, which neutiralizes the magnesium. A cacao farmer at the Hilo Farmers Market told me that raw cacao is heated to about 100F to kill parasites, a temperature low enough to protect the nutrient benefits in the bean. The best way to get magnesium from raw cacao is to crunch down a small amount of raw cacao nibs. This is a limited culinary thrill, a bit more appealing when it is mixed with a handful of trail mix or tossed in a bowl of meusli or something else uncooked in which a small amount of gravelly, crunchy stuff is fun. Industrial grinding of the beans into powder will heat it up high enough to neutralize a good deal of the absorbable benefits from raw cacao.


    rrainbow, the way I conserve the cost of coconut water is to hold the first few sips in my mouth for several seconds, chug another slug or two and pour off the rest into a glass container to keep chilled for up to 24 hours or to split it with my husband. In theory, we could get a good 2 doses each out of each $2.79 can. It is possible to buy the fresh green coconuts from Asian markets or health food stores and extract the juice from it using a machete, an ax or a power drill. Cost plus: You will then have the coir and the delicate, pudding like pulp inside the shell, too. These are often small nuts, yeilding about half the houice. but the flavor from these imports is pretty close to the fantastic, freshly harvested nuts you can get in more tropical climates.

  • Sandy Forest
    Sandy Forest Posts: 28 ✭✭✭

    Quite some time ago I listened to a presentation on magnesium from a retired engineer who had studied the health benefits of magnesium to a great degree of depth. One the first things he said was that magnesium is vastly more effectively absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes rather than through digestion. So gardening (or any other pursuit in which you end up smeared with soil) is generally a very effective way to absorb magnesium (I wear gloves, but the smear factor remains quite high, so I guess I'm still benefiting). This may be a contributing factor to the longevity of traditional farming cultures.


    Caveats: My notes are packed away with my former life as a city girl, but I believe he also said that some aluminum compounds will bind magnesium and interfere with its benefits. Regarding the magnesium in chocolate, keep in mind that raw cacao is a great source of magnesium, but the dark roasted cacao used in most chocolate barrs and for baking is roasted to 400F, which neutiralizes the magnesium. A cacao farmer at the Hilo Farmers Market told me that raw cacao is heated to about 100F to kill parasites, a temperature low enough to protect the nutrient benefits in the bean. The best way to get magnesium from raw cacao is to crunch down a small amount of raw cacao nibs. This is a limited culinary thrill, a bit more appealing when it is mixed with a handful of trail mix or tossed in a bowl of meusli or something else uncooked in which a small amount of gravelly, crunchy stuff is fun. Industrial grinding of the beans into powder will heat it up high enough to neutralize a good deal of the absorbable benefits from raw cacao.


    rrainbow, the way I conserve the cost of coconut water is to hold the first few sips in my mouth for several seconds, chug another slug or two and pour off the rest into a glass container to keep chilled for up to 24 hours or to split it with my husband. In theory, we could get a good 2 doses each out of each $2.79 can. It is possible to buy the fresh green coconuts from Asian markets or health food stores and extract the juice from it using a machete, an ax or a power drill. Cost plus: You will then have the coir and the delicate, pudding like pulp inside the shell, too. These are often small nuts, yeilding about half the houice. but the flavor from these imports is pretty close to the fantastic, freshly harvested nuts you can get in more tropical climates.

  • RICHARD
    RICHARD Posts: 22 ✭✭✭

    My go to for leg cramps is drink a glass of water before going to bed. because I am constantly in motion at work, I include avocado's when they are in season, Bananas year round! Most green leafy vegetables will help, curried cauliflower for something cooked. But I was told that cramps are frequently a sign of dehydration. Oral re hydration therapy is recommended for those who sweat a great deal, have diarrhea, or suffer from night time cramps. The standard recipe is 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, three teaspoons of sugar (honey for those over two), mixed into a half liter of water. mix well, serve at room temperature (60 to 75 degrees F) as needed.