Muscle Cramps

[AGDee]

Irony: I do go to an osteopath. I like DOs because they can usually give me alternate ideas. And yeah, these are those charlie horse kinds of cramps that will wake me up in the middle of the night, usually in my feet though, occasionally in my calves. The last time I had one in my calves, that muscle was painful for almost a week afterward. Ibuprofen has usually worn off by the time of the night that I wake up like that.

Hot towels is an interesting idea. How did you heat them? One of those heated towel racks?

Definitely not using shapers.

[thetaj]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Irony: I do go to an osteopath. I like DOs because they can usually give me alternate ideas. And yeah, these are those charlie horse kinds of cramps that will wake me up in the middle of the night, usually in my feet though, occasionally in my calves. The last time I had one in my calves, that muscle was painful for almost a week afterward. Ibuprofen has usually worn off by the time of the night that I wake up like that.

Hot towels is an interesting idea. How did you heat them? One of those heated towel racks?

Definitely not using shapers.

I finally did end up getting a heated towel rack (one of the cheap ones) but before that, fresh out of the dryer they stay hot for awhile and warm for a looong time. On my knees I would dampen a hand towel and microwave it. It wouldn't stay hot for long but it would stay warm and the dampness was soothing.

[KSig RC]

It's pretty easy to mistake foot/calf/lower leg "cramping" with simply "soreness" - especially if you don't work out a lot, the culprit could be something much simpler than salts ... anything from improperly fit shoes to improper technique to difficulty getting loose.

Start from the ground up - if you haven't before, look at the wear pattern of your shoes and find styles that are designed to fit your footstrike. Next, get properly fit for a good pair of shoes that fit what you're using them for. Even something like moving from a "padded" running shoe to a "stability" shoe (think Asics Cumulus to Kayano) can make a huge difference in the pressure put on the foot and the small muscles of the foot/lower leg.

Try low-impact exercises as well, and build up slowly - this may help the muscles strengthen, particularly smaller 'support' muscles. Don't bite off too much at once. Things like yoga can really help too, increasing stability and working those muscles that don't get worked in normal, everyday tasks.

Once you've eliminated the mechanical or equipment issues, you can also work with a PT (or possibly very specialized trainer) to design a program to work around the cramping, too - but it may be easiest to start with the easiest things to change, and hope to get lucky. Good luck!