# What's your treatment for leg cramps? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 26, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824 "2005-11-26T19:09:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Angels\_Flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@Angels\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angels_Flight)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/1 "2005-11-26T19:09:04Z")
There’s a truism that “If there are many treatments, there is no cure.” But I also know that there must be some treatments I haven’t tried yet. What helps you? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/2 "2005-11-26T21:21:40Z")
I assume you’ve tried bananas and tonic water. My leg cramps stopped when I stopped stretching my legs while I was in bed. That’s what always brought them on. ---
**Author:** ![VegaBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ee7513/32.png) [@VegaBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VegaBean)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2005, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/3 "2005-11-27T21:57:33Z")
Try to get the weight off your heel. It has the sciatic nerve and achilles tendon. Put a small pillow or a loose hand towel under your ankle, and the weight will be distributed to the whole leg, removing the pressure point. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/4 "2005-11-27T22:22:37Z")
My husband has had leg cramps frequently over the years. One thing that worked surprisingly well for him was [Pedialyte pops](http://www.pedialyte.com/thisispedialyte/variety.cfm) they are an electrolyte replacement for babies. When he has one, dispite the preventive measures, I ger a towel wet with th hottest water he can stand, and wrap his leg in the hot towel. That stops them cold, but they often come back once towel cools off. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/5 "2005-11-27T22:25:58Z")
My massage therapist told me calcium is the often overlooked key to cramps, especially if you have soft water. If I chew up a Tums EX® before bed, I don’t wake up with cramps. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2005, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/6 "2005-11-27T22:44:05Z")
Calcium/magnesium supplements, and tonic water, every night. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/7 "2005-11-27T22:53:54Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > My massage therapist told me calcium is the often overlooked key to cramps, especially if you have soft water. If I chew up a Tums EX® before bed, I don’t wake up with cramps. I drink alcohol more than I should. I always thought that potassium was the key to my not getting cramps from this. That’s why I eat a banana every morning. Is calcium also at play here? Specifically, in excessive alcohol consumption. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2005, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/8 "2005-11-27T23:15:22Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > I drink alcohol more than I should. I always thought that potassium was the key to my not getting cramps from this. That’s why I eat a banana every morning. > > Is calcium also at play here? Specifically, in excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol is a diuretic, and so it causes a lot of water to pass through you. It takes minerals with it when it goes. So, yes, calcium is part of that process. ---
**Author:** ![RickQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@RickQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickQ)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/9 "2005-11-27T23:48:57Z")
Nothing stops mine except quinine tablets. It is prescription, although you used to be able to get it over the counter. Quinine is the ingredient in tonic water that helps. ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2005, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/10 "2005-11-28T10:31:28Z")
For calf cramps, try walking backwards, heel first, then toe. REALLY akward, but is one of the most effective ways for me to get rid of them. -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2005, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/11 "2005-11-28T12:31:10Z")
I get them every now and again at night. My doctor recommended bananas and milk for the calcium and potassium. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/12 "2005-11-28T22:46:41Z")
I would also toss a Vitamin C tablet in there, too (it seems to help my restless legs). It won’t hurt, and I seem to recall reading somewhere that it operates in keeping your muscles healthy in the same system as the Ca and K. ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/13 "2005-11-29T00:21:43Z")
I used to get horrible calf cramps. A few times I got them when I stretched while sleeping; more often, while swimming - especially with fins on. They were quite painful. I even bruised myself once. I tried all sorts of “cures”. I started with bananas, worked my way up to potassium pills, calcium pills and zinc pills. I drank great quantities of fluids, I drank next my normal amount. Nothing worked. Just recently I read about a study on calf cramps. No one really knows what causes them. They examined blood samples of triathletes before and after a triathlon, and they measured dehydration levels. The cramping group and the group that didn’t cramp were identical in all regards - electrolyte levels, dehydration levels, etc. Nothing correlated with who cramped and who didn’t. A friend at work got me to try a stretch that works for me. I stand on the balls of my feet on a stair, or similarly raised platform. I relax and let my body weight push my heels down, and stay that way for a while. Since I started stretching like this everyday (about a year ago), I haven’t had a calf cramp. ---
**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/14 "2005-11-29T00:55:45Z")
I pinch the upper lip just under the nose (filtrum?) - it’s like an accupressure thing. Works, too. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/15 "2005-11-29T00:59:52Z")
When I was getting them, it was due to lack of exercise. I found stretching my legs during the day stopped my cramps at night. While sitting at my desk at work, I would just stretch my legs out and tilt my feet until I could feel the muscles in the backs of my legs pulling and then I’d hold that for a few seconds. I didn’t keep count, I just did it repeatedly during the day and, hey presto, no more leg cramps at night. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/16 "2005-11-29T06:08:39Z")
Thanks for all the tips. The reason I’m up at this ungodly hour is…leg cramps. Has anyone heard of an old-wives tale of putting two bars of soap underneath the sheets? One under each foot? What on earth would that do? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/17 "2005-11-29T06:59:20Z")
[Vinnegar, mustard or pickle juice](http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_cramp.htm). No, really. I had my mom try mustard after I read it in the People’s Pharmacy newspaper column. She won’t confirm if it helped or not, but we decided that the nastiness of eating a teaspoon of mustard straight up takes your mind off having a leg cramp and might make you relax. [Snopes on soaps](http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/legcramp.asp) ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/18 "2005-11-29T07:26:14Z")
heh. 🙂 Thank you **Zipper JJ** Licking salt sounds easy and not too disgusting, huh. ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/19 "2005-11-29T14:37:55Z")
> [@gum](#): > > Thanks for all the tips. > The reason I’m up at this ungodly hour is…leg cramps. > > Has anyone heard of an old-wives tale of putting two bars of soap underneath the sheets? One under each foot? > What on earth would that do? If it works, I’m guessing that it keeps you from stretching your legs and pointing your toes, which really brings them on. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824/20 "2005-11-29T15:03:20Z")
Another bananas & water vote. Preventive, obviously. Once I’ve gotten one I’ve always just screamed like a girl until it went away and then remembered to overdose on bananas & water for the next week or so. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-treatment-for-leg-cramps/332824.md?page=2)