When I get up in the morning or an afternoon nap, I start stretching various limbs. Now, I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older, there is an increased probability of a muscle spasm occurring when I do perform a stretch. Normally, these spasms will cease as soon as quit the exertion. There is one stretch however that has plagued me all of my life–curling my toes and pointing my feet. If I engage in this longer than about three seconds, my calves go into a spasm and becomes as hard as a steel, and the pain is absolutely incapacitating–lasting sometimes as long as two minutes. (If this is equivalent to what women go through with respect to a non-anesthetized childbirth, I’d rather just adopt).
I thought this was just some genetic quirk I had, but other people have told me the same thing happens to them when they engage in the same action. So what causes this? Is it an autonomous response (like a reflex action when a doctor taps the knee)? Or is some biological deficiency (diet, exercise)?
I don’t know what causes it, but it happens to me sometimes, too. My guess is that the arrangemt of the different muscles, ligaments, and tendons being streched puts pressure on some very sensative nerve.
I don’t know what causes it, but it happens to me sometimes, too. My guess is that the arrangemt of the different muscles, ligaments, and tendons being streched puts pressure on some very sensative nerve.
As for why it is hard as steel, perhaps multiple nerves are involved? Both pain sensing ones and ones that tell the muscles to contract?
This first happened to me when I was 29. I woke up, one morning, stretched, and BANG!
People told me it was a Charlie horse, but I thought that was a very cutesy-sound name for something so painful. My first one lasted about 20 or 30 seconds, after which I was certain I wouldn’t be able to stand. I thought something had ruptured. But when I got out of bed and stood up, I was fine. About a month later, it happened in the other leg. About a year after that, it happened once more.
Now I stretch very slowly when I first wake up. It hasn’t happened again in the past three years.
I always thought these were just muscle cramps. Goes away after a while, but sooner if you can stretch them out properly… They do hurt like hell though, and tend to happen at night w/ me too…
My mother has problems with toe cramps, and she was told to take supplements of some kind- I think it was magnesium. I’ll check and report back. Worked wonderfully, though.
I used to have cramps in my hands, feet, and calves, the worst ones in my calves. These would make me jump out of bed yelling and damned near in tears. I would have to walk in circles for maybe five minutes in my tiny abode, moaning all the while.
I finally went to my doctor for relief,after reading up on possible fixes, one of which was magnesium. He said I was getting plenty of magnesium, and prescribed 324 MG CAPSULES of QUININE SULPHATE. This has drastically reduced my cramps to almost zero. The caps are tasteless (not the tacky meaning) and I only need one a day. I get them on medi-cal so I have no idea what they cost otherwise, but I suggest asking your doctor if your cramps are severe enough.
“Doctor, are my cramps severe enough?” Well, you know what I mean.