# OW!!! Toe & foot cramps - help! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 6, 2004, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ow-toe-foot-cramps-help/227795 "2004-02-06T04:49:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ow-toe-foot-cramps-help/227795/1 "2004-02-06T04:49:47Z")
Ouch … all evening I’ve been having cramps in my toes … any Dope on what causes these cramps (I also occasionally get them in the arches of my feet, and sometimes my calves) … how to prevent them … and how to GET RID OF THEM!!! Thanks, S. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ow-toe-foot-cramps-help/227795/2 "2004-02-06T04:52:34Z")
Cold surfaces have been known to cure cramps. (cramps being that thing where a limb ‘locks’ if I am not mistaken) Try lying down on your kitchen floor. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ow-toe-foot-cramps-help/227795/3 "2004-02-06T05:10:15Z")
IANAMD. Try taking some calcium citrate. If the cramping is mostly evening, night, take it before bed. My MD has also asked me to try coenzymeQ10 in conjunction with calcium citrate + D to see if the problem is muscle oxygenation. When I’m getting more exercise, or take a hot bath before bed, I also have fewer cramps in my calves, arches, toes, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ow-toe-foot-cramps-help/227795/4 "2004-02-06T05:12:48Z")
I’ve found that walking for unaccustomed lengths of time, or wearing a different type of shoe for a long period of time, will cause foot/leg cramps. Every pair of shoes you wear makes you hold your foot in a different position, causing tension in different areas of the foot and leg. Quinine can stop those cramps fast, however, I found it also seems to make them come back with a vengeance about an hour later. Legatrim was a quinine-based OTC medicine that came out for leg cramps a few years ago, but I think it’s been taken off the market because of side effects of the quinine. You might be experiencing a temporary calcium or potassium deficiency. Take a multi-vitamin for a few days and see if it clears up. To prevent cramps, try taking your shoes off when you get home and walking around. Sometimes that serves to relax the muscles enough that your feet/legs won’t cramp. Or, take a couple advil or like medicine before bed after extensive walking or standing. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ow-toe-foot-cramps-help/227795/5 "2004-02-06T05:37:20Z")
Drink some tonic water every day. It has quinine in it and might at least mitigate the cramps if you still keep getting them. And the calcium is an excellent suggestion too. ---
**Author:** ![RayMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e495f1/32.png) [@RayMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RayMan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ow-toe-foot-cramps-help/227795/6 "2004-02-06T05:57:28Z")
My sister, who is a nurse gave me this advice once when I had bad cramps in my legs and toes: as soon as the cramps set in, curl your feet and/or toes (wherever the cramps are) upwards and hold them there until the pain subsides. If you are a masochist, you might notice that curling them downward actually _increases_ the pain. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ow-toe-foot-cramps-help/227795/7 "2004-02-06T06:17:41Z")
Just sounding out for the extremists. My kidneys are bad and one of the effects of this is that I tend to get my potassium out of whack and this causes cramping. I mostly get them in my hands but occasionally in my feet or calves as well. My instant cure for feet or calves is standing up and putting pressure on the foot. It seems to work.