excruciating leg cramps....only in one leg?? - General Health Message Board

diamondgirl · 09-12-2001, 09:03 PM

Hi,
I sure do hope I get some responses to this post....I've been having these unbelieveable leg cramps, maybe 2 or 3 nights a week. They seem to happen at night, when I'm at rest, my left leg just starts to cramp up into the WORST pain! And it's only in the left leg, NEVER the right one. They last a couple of minutes, and then afterwards sometimes, my leg feels sore for a while. Has anyone ever had anything like this, in one leg? I went to the doctor for it a while back, he ran some blood tests, and all he told me to do was take Advil at night. Yeah, right...oh, and I take a multi-vitamin and a calcium supplement every day, no other meds, no caffeine, no smoking or drinking (yes, I'm dull!) Thanks in advance.

jug · 09-14-2001, 10:19 PM

i think i have an idea of what you're talking about, i sometimes get something similar. usually at night, or if i've been sitting in a certain position for awhile, and then move suddenly to a different position. when it happens, my calf becomes really tense and somewhat painful...although, i enjoy the feeling. if this is the same thing as you, i don't think there's anything to worry about...maybe do some exercising or something to work those muscles, i really don't know.

jug

siouxzee · 09-15-2001, 07:17 AM

Leg cramps are fairly common disorders that may affect all age groups. They are often refered to as "Charley-horse."
They seem to occur with greater frequency in the middle-aged and older populations. Leg cramps can be extremely painful and usually affect the calf muscles or the intrinsic muscles of the soles of the feet.

Treatments consist of:
Stretching of the affected muscle (as in walking).
Mechanical prevention. Advise to stretch calf muscles intermittently throughout the day, use a footboard during sleep, and dangle feet over the edge of bed when lying prone.

Pharmacologic prevention.
The efficacy of quinine sulfate at low doses (such as 300 mg PO QHS) has been supported by several recent analysis. Its use is controversial since the FDA has banned quinine-based OTC preparations for nocturnal leg cramps. Potentially fatal thrombocytopenia, hypersensitivity reactions, or arrhythmias can occur with quinine use.
Other reportedly helpful medications include vitamin E (800 units/day), verapamil (Calan), carbamazepine (Tegretol), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), phenytoin (Dilantin), methocarbamol (Robaxin), and riboflavin; however, no randomized, controlled studies were found in the literature.

During a painful attack, one method to immediatly stop the pain has been obsereved. Sit up in bed, with your legs out in front of you. Reach down and grab the top part of the foot of the effected leg and pull toward you. Another way is to stand up and squat. These exercises stretch the muscle and make it go out of "cramp mode".

diamondgirl · 09-16-2001, 07:19 PM

Thanks for the great information!

RealityCheck · 10-07-2001, 01:44 AM

For these type of cramps, I've heard moist heat is good. If you can manage a tub full of hot water, or a hot wet wash cloth applied to the affected area. Good luck.