Leg cramps sometimes are also Charley horses, come on quickly, can last for a few seconds to several minutes and can be quite painful. Sometimes in the morning, you wake up to an excruciating pain. While any muscles can be spasm or cramp, the muscles that are most commonly involved in the leg cramps are calf muscles in the lower part of the leg, the hamstring, or the muscles along the back of the thigh, and the quadriceps and found along the front of the thigh. You can quickly treat the cramped muscle and stop the pain, but sometimes you need to take additional steps if you have frequent leg cramps. You can get rid of leg cramps using these remedies.
Ways to Get Rid of Leg Cramps:
1.) Stretch the Cramped Muscles
Muscle cramps are sudden and unexpected spasm or contractions of a muscle. To stop the cramped muscle quickly, the cramp muscles needs to be stretched.
- If you will stretch the muscle, that means you are preventing it from remaining in the contracted cramped position.
- If you can hold the stretched position for about a minute or until the cramps feel better, it works best. You will need to repeat the stretching if you feel the cramp returning.
2.) Towel stretch to Get Rid of Leg Cramps
If you have a handy towel, so you can use it gently to stretch your calf muscles and hamstring.
- Lie down on your back and place the towel under the ball of one foot. Hold both ends of the towel. Keep your knee straight and slowly lift it until you feel a gentle stretch in the back of your leg.
- Adjust the towel so the ankles bend towards you. This will help to stretch your calf muscles and relief your nerves.
- Hold this stretch for about 30 minutes.
3.) Stretch Calf Muscles
If your calf muscle is cramping so there are several stretches you can do without needing a towel or a place to lie down to get rid of leg cramps.
- Put your weight on the leg which has the cramp, and slightly bend your knee, while keeping your foot flat on the floor.
- Stand a short distance away while facing the wall and lean against the wall with the help of your hands for support. Keep your cramp leg straight and the foot and heel on the floor, as you lean your upper body into the wall.
- Or you can position yourself with your hands on the wall and place the toe area of your foot, of the leg with the cramping calf muscles, against the wall and your heel on the floor. Then keep your leg straight and lean your upper body closer to the wall to stretch your calf muscle.
- If you are not able to stand, so sit with your cramped leg extended and pull the top of your foot towards your head and chest area, while keeping your leg straight.
4.) Stretch Hamstring Muscle to Get Rid of Leg Cramps
If the towel exercise doesn’t work for you to solve a cramping hamstring, so try these
- Sit down and pull your foot towards the head and chest area and keep your leg straight.
- Lie down on your back and pull your knees to your chest. If someone is available for you, so they can help you by gently putting additional pressure on your knees, and forcing them a little closer to your chest.
5.) Massage to Get Rid of Leg Cramps
- For most people, the immediate reaction to a foot cramp is massage. You should apply some pressure using your fingers to the area of the foot which is cramping and firmly press on the spots where you feel the pain. A soft and hard touch can be appropriate depending on which one works best for you to reducing pain. Massage help to reduce muscle tension and also helps to blood flow to the affected muscle.
6.) Apply Heat or Cold Compress
Applying heat on the cramped muscle help the muscle to relax and soothe the pain from the cramp.
- The method used to apply heat include using a warm towel, taking a warm bath or shower, a heating pad. Most people feel relief when warmth is applied to the cramped muscle. It improves the circulation. Some people also report the benefit with the application of ice to a cramped muscle. Determine what works for you.
- Done apply ice directly on the skin. Fill a small to medium sized baggie with the ice, and add enough water to little bit cover the ice. Then squeeze the air out and seal it well, then wrap the baggie with the damp towel and apply it to the cramped muscle.
- Another quick option is to use a bag of frozen veggies, like corn or peas. Wraps the package in damp towel and apply it on the affected area.
7.) Ginger to Get Rid of Leg Cramps
It makes a delicious tea and great biscuits, but this root can also be used as a way to reduce the effect of cramp muscle and in the long run, eliminating them entirely. Magnesium is the natural alternative to muscle and skin medicines, owing to its essential oils that to improve the blood flow. Drinking ginger tea or bathing with the extracts of ginger too can help to improve the blow flow which creates a warming effect. It not only soothe your muscle but also improve the flow of blood means that more oxygen is delivered to your extremities, allow for better performance and health.
- You can buy ginger tea in the store and it is pretty simple to make, you only need ginger and hot water. Many people enjoy grating ginger finely and dropping it n hot water along with the tea bag, to give you a regular warm drink a kick. Over the time the improve blood flow will help your with exercise and to prepare your muscle for more workout, it will also give you improve agility and stop cramps from happening in the future.
8.) Vitamin E to Stop Leg Cramps
Deficiency of vitamin E has long been known to cause leg and cramp muscle, that why so many athletes and sports enthusiasts make sure that they are getting enough amount of vitamin in their diet. There are lots of reports around this area, with most of eh people coming to the conclusion that vitamin E can also help to reduce the frequency of leg cramps and keep your muscles in a generally better condition that they be without.
- There are lots of food that contain vitamin E, that means you don’t need to take lots of supplements every morning. Try to eat more spinach, nuts, sunflower seeds, tofu, avocados, shellfish, plant oils, pumpkins, broccoli, squash.
9.) Magnesium to Get Rid of Leg Cramps
Magnesium has long been known to have muscle relaxant properties, it will give you relief from muscle cramps and pain after a workout. You will find a magnesium naturally within your muscles, bones and your brain. It is an essential part of your body, and help you to produce energy and relax the muscles. With the lack of magnesium you will begin to suffer not only cramp muscle and pain, but insomnia, headaches, obesity, fatigue and so much more.
- Luckily you can easily increase your intake of magnesium. Try incorporate more wheat, soy beans, kelp, dates, brown rice, nuts, garlic, shrimp in your diet. You can also take magnesium supplements which are available over the counter.
10.) Potassium to Stop Muscle Cramp
Like calcium, potassium is also an essential ingredient in our meal. By increasing our potassium intake you can reduce the intensity of muscle cramps or to stop them from happening altogether. Bananas are perhaps the best and natural source of potassium, but a simple apple cider vinegar is a great way to stop cramps from occurring regularly.
- You need to combine three teaspoons with eight ounces fo water and add a teaspoon of honey in it. stir them well. Drink it on a regular basis and you will find that the muscle cramps begin to disappear.
