# Techniques/solutions for muscle cramps **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 10, 2019, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765 "2019-05-10T08:00:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/1 "2019-05-10T08:00:40Z")
For some reason over the last 2 or 3 years the number of muscle cramps I’ve been getting has been increasing. And not just the number, but the severity of the cramps and sometimes the location of the cramps is a pain in the ass. In particular, I’ve been getting cramps in my abdomen that are really hard to relieve. Usually you just stretch the muscle in the opposite direction of the cramp, but when abdominal muscles cramp there’s often no clear “opposite direction”, they’re kind of involved in every movement. So I end up contorting my body in weird ways, finding the least painful option, and then waiting it out. But it’s pretty unpleasant. More recently, I’ve been getting really intense hip adductor cramps. Especially if I sit cross-legged. They come on so suddenly and so strongly that it feels like the muscle is going to rip itself apart. They go beyond normal cramps into “oh shit, this feels like serious damage” territory. I’ve never had cramps that intense. Anyway… what are my options? I hydrate very well, I drink around a gallon of water a day on average. Is it an electrolyte issue? Should I take some sort of electrolyte suppliments? More gatorade? Pedialyte? Eat bananas or other high-electrolyte foods? Should I be stretching more? Are there any sort of techniques I can use to reduce the tendency to cramp? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/2 "2019-05-10T12:23:10Z")
Hydrate even more? I drink a rediculous volume of water in an effort to keep my gout quiet while still drinking beer and eating all the bad gout foods. If my water intake slips a tiny bit, muscle cramps are my first warning. A re you on a statin? I eventually had to stop my statin because of muscle cramps. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/3 "2019-05-10T12:48:03Z")
The best thing ever for cramps is quinine but you can’t seem to get it anymore. I still have a few capsules for the really bad nights. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/4 "2019-05-10T14:05:41Z")
I use[Hyland’s Leg Cramp Pills](https://www.google.com/search?q=leg+cramp+pills&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS797US797&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=HMOrbZrbZNdIoM%253A%252CG8EXgC7RoayCPM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQ1Bfuw-aHpkUOu1cGIe7UQnvaKuQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwigsJTRkJHiAhVLQq0KHZ51BVUQ9QEwAHoECA8QBw#imgrc=HMOrbZrbZNdIoM:). I get foot cramps and they work pretty well for that. They do contain quinine. Available at my local health food store. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/5 "2019-05-10T14:27:25Z")
Muscle cramps are usually caused by lack of water or electrolytes such as calcium, potassium, or magnesium. If you are getting enough water then it is probably electrolytes. Eating bananas can help with the potassium. There is a spray on magnesium foam called Theraworx that is supposed to help with cramps. Diuretics can cause cramps if you are taking them. If they don’t go away after upping your electrolyte intake or using the foam you should see your doctor. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/6 "2019-05-10T14:46:04Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > I use[Hyland’s Leg Cramp Pills](https://www.google.com/search?q=leg+cramp+pills&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS797US797&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=HMOrbZrbZNdIoM%253A%252CG8EXgC7RoayCPM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQ1Bfuw-aHpkUOu1cGIe7UQnvaKuQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwigsJTRkJHiAhVLQq0KHZ51BVUQ9QEwAHoECA8QBw#imgrc=HMOrbZrbZNdIoM:). > > I get foot cramps and they work pretty well for that. They do contain quinine. Available at my local health food store. Umm, ya see that thing on the side of the box that says ‘3X HPUS’? That means the pills contain no quinine. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/7 "2019-05-10T14:51:55Z")
Homeopathic means it contains nothing. Are there pills that contain quinine, though, and do they work? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/8 "2019-05-10T15:16:25Z")
How many vodka tonics do you have to drink to ingest a meaningful amount of quinine? ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/9 "2019-05-10T15:57:39Z")
Guy in my cycling club gets on the tonic water before endurance races and claims it works for him, not sure how much he gets through to perceive an effect though. Different to the OP but I’ve been susceptible to calf cramps at night in bed for as long as I can remember, can be severely painful. I read on here advice to just stretch your foot up in the split second you’re awake before it comes on - so simple but it really works for me. Doesn’t stop the cause I guess, but it prevents that muscle clench that deals the pain. Hitting up Dr Google for information on muscle cramps will inevitably throw up type2 diabetes links. Depending on age it might not be a bad idea to have some blood sugar analyses done, but seems like every malady of middle-aged men can possibly be linked to type2 D so I wouldn’t get too alarmed. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/10 "2019-05-10T16:22:34Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > Different to the OP but I’ve been susceptible to calf cramps at night in bed for as long as I can remember, can be severely painful. Me too, shortly after waking. > [@](#): > > I read on here advice to just stretch your foot up in the split second you’re awake before it comes on - so simple but it really works for me. Scrunching my toes works for me. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/11 "2019-05-10T17:43:37Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > How many vodka tonics do you have to drink to ingest a meaningful amount of quinine? Not sure on the vodka tonics, but from personal experience, about three gin and tonics makes it so you don’t care about the cramps. I’ve gotten muscle cramps, mainly calves and feet, my whole life. I’m starting to get them in my hip flexors now too. I drink a lot of water and eat a couple bananas a day. I cycle a lot and on longer rides always add a salt/potassium supplement to my water bottle (or eat the margarita Bloks which have extra sodium). And like others, when I wake up and feel a cramp coming on, quickly stretch whatever is getting ready to cramp. I can usually tide them off or make them less extreme. When I was going through my growth burst (I grew about a foot in a year), there were many times I had cramps in both calves at one time. The kind where it feels like you have a baseball in your calf. Intense pain. And then it feels like a pulled muscle the rest of the day. Luckily I don’t get them like back then. ---
**Author:** ![mind\_the\_gap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@mind\_the\_gap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mind_the_gap)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/12 "2019-05-10T19:41:40Z")
I work in a machine shop, and sometimes get cramps in my hands from pulling on levers hard, repetitively. Mustard. Plain ol’ yellow kind. Bicycling friends of mine stock up on the little packs fast food places have, and carry them along. Works like a charm. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/13 "2019-05-10T19:54:57Z")
> [@mind\_the\_gap](#): > > I work in a machine shop, and sometimes get cramps in my hands from pulling on levers hard, repetitively. Mustard. Plain ol’ yellow kind. Bicycling friends of mine stock up on the little packs fast food places have, and carry them along. Works like a charm. 😕 Oral or topical? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/14 "2019-05-10T21:21:57Z")
After some negative reports on quinine, the [FDA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinine#Regulation) went after the OTC leg cramp pills in 1994. You can still get them with an Rx if you have malaria. Similarly there are [limits](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonic_water) on it in tonic water. Putting it below theraputic levels. I.e., the water’s probably helping more than the quinine. You should presume that any “medicine” saying it helps cramps or some such with quinine nominally in it is homeopathic and therefore no help at all. If you are reasonably hydrated, not consuming stuff that is known to cause cramps (like [Earl Grey Tea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Grey_tea#Toxicology) which has bergamot), and still get cramps … go see a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/15 "2019-05-10T21:26:19Z")
Another vote on the quick stretches. I’m also finding regular daily stretching mostly prevents them from happening in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![mind\_the\_gap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@mind\_the\_gap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mind_the_gap)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2019, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/16 "2019-05-11T00:32:37Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > 😕 Oral or topical? Oral. Not sure about the chemistry or why it works, but everyone I’ve told about it has had it do the trick. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2019, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/17 "2019-05-11T00:33:58Z")
Oh, oops. I assumed you meant rectally and now I made a mess ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/18 "2019-05-11T00:43:05Z")
Take a b-complex vitamin. Gallons of water. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2019, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/19 "2019-05-11T00:51:45Z")
I had bad leg cramps. I told my doctor and he said it was probably low potassium. So I’ve been eating bananas (around one a day) and the leg cramps have stopped. I realize this is just one anecdote. But eating bananas to try it out shouldn’t hurt you (unless you have too much potassium already). ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2019, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765/20 "2019-05-11T03:47:11Z")
To prevent leg cramps, I drink a glass of milk (calcium) and eat a banana (potassium) daily. Other sources of these minerals (even pills) don’t help. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/techniques-solutions-for-muscle-cramps/833765.md?page=2)