Leg Cramps: Causes and Treatment

Leg cramps are not usually a serious illness*, but they can be incredibly painful and debilitating until they subside. They may be caused by several things, so there I’ve listed a few treatments to try. What works best for you will depend on the underlying cause, so you may have to experiment to find the most effective treatment and prevention strategy.

What Causes Leg Cramps?

Leg cramps at night are called recumbency cramps, and are caused by spasmlike muscle contractions. You might also experience leg cramps after exercising if you are dehydrated. In both cases leg cramps can be caused by electrolyte or mineral imbalance in the body.

Leg Cramp Treatments

If your leg cramps are brought on by exercise, you may be dehydrated. Try drinking more water, both throughout the day and during exercise. Be sure to warm up and stretch before exercise and warm down and stretch afterwards as well.

Food Therapy Treatments

If you get leg cramps frequently, especially nocturnal leg cramps it could be due to an electrolyte imbalance.

Low potassium levels can cause leg cramps. Apple cider vinegar is high in potassium and this tonic should help quickly if your leg cramps are caused by low potassium: Mix 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon honey in warm water and drink.

If the above tonic helps relieve your leg cramps, try to boost your potassium levels by eating more of these potassium-rich foods: apples, bananas, dried fruits, avocado, mushrooms, yogurt, milk, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, baked potatoes and cantaloupe. Potassium works with sodium to control the fluid balance in your body, and they have to be in the right proportions to each other in order to work effectively. If you have a high sodium diet try cutting back on the sodium a bit, and at the same time eat more of the foods that are high in potassium. Also, make sure you are drinking enough water.

Boosting your intake of calcium and magnesium can also help alleviate leg cramps. So eat more vegetables, especially dark leafy greens like broccoli and kale, almonds, and dairy products, all of which are high in both calcium and magnesium.

Other calcium-rich food sources include: salmon, sardines (with bones), green beans, turnip greens. Additional magnesium-rich foods include: nuts and pumpkin seeds, molasses, spinach, baked potatoes, bananas, wheat germ and seafood.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

To prevent leg cramps take a daily vitamin E supplement of 400 international units. If the Vitamin E alone doesn’t stop them try adding 500-1000 milligrams of calcium and up to 1000 milligrams of magnesium daily.

Physical Therapy Treatments

Acupressure or massage may help to ease the cramping once it’s started. Sit and bend the knee of your cramped leg, bringing your leg up toward your chest. There is an acupressure point in your calf muscle on the back of your leg. It’s about halfway between the back of your knee and your heel, at the bottom of your calf muscle bulge. Press and hold there for about a minute or until you feel the cramp release – remember to keep breathing while you do. You can also try gently massaging the back of your leg with long strokes upwards, from your heel to the back of your knee using the palm of your hand

*There are rare cases of leg cramps which are symptoms of more serious conditions, so if you have frequent leg cramps be sure to see your doctor about them.