I had a muscular cramp on my right foot not too long ago and it was rather painful. I felt like my foot was turning into this . Very very painful indeed. Not knowing what to do and being in great pain at the moment, I just started banging my foot on the floor. It stopped it, but I'm not sure if that is the best way to do it. I also had one a few weeks ago on my hamstring and it was SOO painful. I had never had one before that one and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't really bang it on the floor as easily as my foot so I just slapped it around. Not a pretty sight. I was fighting that thing for at least half a minute and it seemed like an eternity. Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
Sometimes I have muscular cramps in my leg or foot. I found the best remedy (for me) is to take my own foot and pull it hard. It makes the cramp go away fast.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I do pretty much what Anna does...I stretch the muscle really really far, and then I rub it.
-pH
Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
After many years of the same problem. I think I have found a correlation with a mineral deficiency. It very well could be potassium. Try eating a banana a day for a while and see if the tendency to cramp lessens.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
wow, from the title of this thread, i thought it was going to be about something else entirely. gross.
yeah, when i get cramps in my foot or leg i tend to just punch them until they stop. probably not the best thing to do.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Bananas definitely helped the spasms I'd get down my right leg while I was pregnant. Or at least the spasms would quit shortly after eating a banana by sheer coincidence...
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Menstrual cramps suck. Period.
Just 'cause that's also a good title.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Calcium can help those cramps sometimes, too. That's preventative, though; when you get them, banging on the floor is actually a good thing to do-- it stretches the crampy muscle-- but just putting constant pressure on it (say, standing on the ball of your foot) until it feels better may be an even more effective way to fix it.
Posted by Princess Leah (Member # 6026) on :
I get cramps when I'm dehydrated. Drink more water.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
I always isolate the muscle that is cramping by feeling and moving the joint around until I find the direction the muscle seems to be pushing in. I then pull in the opposite direction gently and massage the affected muscle. I then make sure to use that limb by walking around or pumping my arms to increase blood flow to the area. This always helps my cramps. Banging your limbs on the floor just seems counter-productive and, quite frankly, stupid.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
I get those when I'm potassium deficient. Bananas have a little potassium in them but not nearly enough. I have K-dur 20 meq (by prescription) that I can take when I need to supplement my potassium. The over the counter potassium supplements are about 1/30th as much.
If you are potassium deficient, it can have severe health consequences, i.e. your heart might stop. So I probably would go to the doctor and get it tested, and get a prescription for a serious supplement if it is low.
If you ever take diuretics to lose water weight or reduce swelling, potassium deficiency is a common side effect of those.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
The other cause for my muscular cramps is if I've been working out a lot, and then I slack off. When the muscles are in the process of reducing to their non-training size, they always cramp. The only cure for that kind is to go train some more. Run, lift weights, do yoga, or whatever it is you usually do. Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
I think it may be potassium defficiency as I am not fond of bananas. What other natural sources of potassium exist?
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
A cup a cup a cup a cup a cup. Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
I *hate* it when I get leg cramps. I usually get them in the middle of the night when I try to stretch in my sleep -- they shoot up my leg and wake me up :grumbles:. The yogurt I like to get usually has potassium, and it helps.
Posted by Nato (Member # 1448) on :
I had one of these foot cramps just five minutes before I saw your thread... creepy. and hurty.
Posted by CoriSCapnSkip (Member # 9153) on :
OOOUUUCH!
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
I used to get those foot cramps while I was swimming. That was never a fun time. But to remedy it, I would stretch my toes backward (i.e. not point them as I would to kick) for about ten seconds and the cramp would miraculously vanish.
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
quote:Originally posted by Nato: I had one of these foot cramps just five minutes before I saw your thread... creepy. and hurty.
I feel your pain!! *pat pat*
As for cramps when swimming, I used to get those on my feet too. NOT FUN TIME. Those things were evil!!!!!!! I'm glad I hardly ever went swimming by myself. I could call on help if I needed it.
As for potassium deffiency, I'm starting to think it may not be that as I am a huge tomato, meat and avocado freak. That's one of the many Mexican trinities. Oh, and I was just wondering, about potatoes, Debbie said that she had never seen anyone boil them like me. I just wash them and boil them skin and all. She said that she usually sees people peel them and cut them up before boiling them. I think it is a strange method. What is the difference I wonder? I think one of them is that since I boil them with the skin, the water contains all the nutrients so I can use it for something else. There was a neighbor of mine that used to drink the water, she was vegetarian, her skin was fabulous too. Well, any thoughts on potato water? I kinda suggested that I was going to drink it too, and Debbie looked at me like I was from some other planet. It's not like I'm not anyway.
Posted by Pinky (Member # 9161) on :
I was told to take Magnesium to prevent cramps. In contrast to vitamins, it doesn't matter that much if you take pills instead of eating bananas and stuff. Certainly, it should be high quality troches, but it's not expenssive. The body can use the magnesium best in a combination with calcium (I get that combination in drugstores, it's not necessary to take a magnesium AND a calcium troche).
@potatoes: The difference is the taste and the use, although I'm sure that potatoes that are boiled with their skins contain much more nutrients. The nutrients kinda enter the potatoes while cooking. (Or at least they don't lose to much of it when you boil them with their skin.)I wouldn't DRINK potato water, but only because of its taste... and you get everything you need from the potato itself.
Whether I peel and cut them ("Salzkartoffeln") or boil them with their skin ("Pellkartoffeln") depends for me on the other parts of the meal and on the potatoes (mealy or waxy or something in between("vorwiegend festkochend")).
Example: Peeled and cut: mealy potatoes; served with meat, and a lot of sauce. Or when you don't want to or can't spend so much time with cooking them(and don't want to eat noodles).
Unpeeled: waxy potatoes; with fish (for example young salted herring) or regular quark or yoghurt (spiced with herbs, salt, pepper and garlic); or for potato salad.
You use 'Something in between'- potatoes when you want to make fried potatoes, fried grated potatoes or fried mashed potatoes... well, just fry them
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