Aisha Azar

Dear Group,
I am 53 years old, have been dancing since I was 21 and have not had this problem before, but I now seem to be developing , like... the beginnings of leg cramps in my calves at night when I am sleepng. So far they wake me up and have not gotten bad because I catch them in time and stretch out the calf.
Does anyone have any idea why this might be happening now, after all these years of dancing with no problem? Does anyone have any suggestions as to what to do to prevent them? They don't happen every night, but often enough to that I am aware there might be a problem developing.
Regards,
A'isha

Sara

My sister went through a phase of having bad leg cramps at one point, and I remember a way she made them feel better was to rub her legs...

My toes lock up and get cramp sometimes, cause there's something wrong with the muscles in them. They were twisted and bent when I was born. Mum says I get visited by the bent toe fairy, (which isn't fair, cause I don't get any money for em.) Could be your muscles perhaps?

I would go to the doctors, because it can be prevented prolly, but I don't know what it's like in America or anything. I hope they get better though.

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Mariesaffron

A'isha check it with your doctor, you may need some vitamins and minerals and or antioxidants, there are different kinds of cramps the muscular cramps can be caused by bad circulation I hear potassioum can help. good look; Marie

Yasmine Bint Al Nubia

Hi Aisha, I echo the suggestion to see a doctor for proper diagnosis. Leg cramps are common esp at night, and they have many causes. From electrolyte imbalances(low sodium and calcium) to neurological involvement and finally clots in the dep veins of the leg. So it is vital thaat you see a doctor soon. Here is a website that can answer a few of your questions and hopefully put your mind at ease, www.drmirkin.com.
Yasmine

Suhad

I third that, Aisha. It could be any one of a number of things from merely annoying and exhausting like restless leg syndrome to potentially life threatening. See a doctor and soon!

Shanazel

How lovely to not be the only one turning up with new and exciting body aches. I hope yours turn out to be nothing serious, A'isha. Bette Davis was right: aging is not for sissies!

gwinity

Definitely see a doctor, A'isha - if it's something that's only recently started, or if they're getting worse or more frequent, then it's better to err on the side of caution.

I've heard sodium (either a lack of or too much) can be a cause for leg cramps, and Vitamin E supplements are meant to be a remedy for them. Can you think of anything that's changed either in your diet or your excercise around the time they started?

Hope they get better soon ~hug~

Freya

Dear Aisha,

Long time no speak! I've been travelling and away from the internet for quite some time. I've also suffered a major computer crash and full harddisk meltdown, but luckily the computer "doctor" managed to save most of my stuff. Strange things have been going on this summer with the forums as well it seems... some kind of hack job? Well, its good things are up and running again and good to be back!

The leg cramps issue: I agree with the others, definately see a doctor to get a proper diagnosis and peace of mind. In the meantime I did some research on the website that Yasmine suggested, and I have included some info below that seems to describe your problem and suggest how to deal with it. But still, do see a doctor!

I am actually dealing with a mysterious leg cramp issue of my own these days in the left leg and thigh, hence my enthusiasm for doing research. By the way, thanks Yasmine for the great website you suggested!

Aisha, I hope the info below is somewhat soothing.
Best wishes for your speedy recovery!
Freya

Freya

NIGHT-TIME LEG CRAMPS (from www.doctormirkin.com)

Report #6752

Have you been awakened in the middle of the night by a sudden painful cramp in your leg? So have lots of other people.


Cramping during sleep is usually due to an exaggeration of a normal muscle reflex. When you turn during sleep, you contract your calf muscles and stretch their tendons. This stimulates nerve stretch receptors in the tendon and sends a message back to the spinal cord, telling the calf muscles to contract. Sometimes, the muscles remain contracted and hurt. Painful muscle cramps at night can also be caused by nerve damage such as that caused by pinching a nerve, muscle damage, a partially-obstructed flow of blood to the legs and abnormal mineral or hormone levels, so if you have this problem, check with your doctor. If you do not have a serious cause, you can often prevent night cramps by exhausting the stretch reflex before you go to bed by stretching your calf muscles with wall pushups, and applying a heating pad for 10 minutes before you go to sleep.

The only drug that has been shown to be effective in treating night-time leg cramps is quinine, but the Food and Drug Administration has ruled that none of the over-the-counter drugs used to treat night-time leg cramps are recognized as safe or effective and therefore, will be subject to regulatory action. Doctors often prescribe 1 or 2 quinine pills at bedtime, but they can cause birth defects and miscarriages, so they should never be taken by a pregnant woman. They can also cause ringing in the ears, headache, nausea, disturbed vision, chest pain and asthma.

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS News Radio
Checked 8/1/05


1) KM Leclerc, FJ Landry. Benign nocturnal leg cramps: Current controversies over use of quinine. Postgraduate Medicine 99: 2 (FEB 1996):177.

2) FDA Consumer November, 1994.

3) Quinine does not help to prevent or treat night-time leg cramps. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society June, 1993.

4) M Mansonhing, G Wells. Meta-analysis of efficacy of quinine for treatment of nocturnal leg cramps in elderly people. British Medical Journal 310: 6971 (JAN 7 1995):13-17-The results of six double-blind studies show that quinine can prevent nocturnal leg cramps in general ambulatory populations.


http://www.drmirkin.com/archive/6752.html

Recnadocir

Dear Aisha Azar,

In addition to my resident role as sassy male, I am also pretty familiar with this problem, having suffered it myself, as did my father. The answer is most likely magnesium deficiency, and very unlikely to be sodium, which most people get too much of, or calcium, which is supplemented in everything these days. Magnesium, however, is a common deficiency in the American diet, because of the overprocessing of foods.

The second choice of possible deficiencies is potassium, but as potassium is plentiful in a wide variety of foods- bananas, orange juice, potatoes, etc, it's more likely to be magnesium.

You can get a bottle of magnesium tablets at any major grocery store or drug store. In the common strength tablets, it takes 2 a day to get close to the RDA.

I'm telling you straight, Aisha Azar, and you will know within several days of trying the magnesium supplementation if that is the problem or not. You can't overdose at two tablets a day, either. Good luck, I know how excruciating it is to wake up with your calf muscles or hamstrings tying themselves into knots.

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