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mikechell

Charlie Horse !!!

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Yesterday, I sat around with a bunch of guys, hashing out new curriculum for the upcoming Dealer season.

As far as I know, I was sound asleep at 3:30 am.

At 3:31am, I roused, slightly, and stretched. I don't know why I awoke, but the stretch was feeling good.

At 3:32am, I was snapped fully awake, as my left calf muscles contracted into a tight ball. Took about 5 minutes before it started to relax. Took another 15 before I could get back to sleep until my alarm went off at 4:45.

 

Why? I didn't do anything strenuous with my legs. I walked less than a usual day, and much less than a lawn mowing day, etc.

 

Just a charlie horse with no explanation.

 

I am assuming some of you get the same affliction once in a while. Does anyone have a "reason" ... or a way to keep them from happening. Before you mention it, I do eat bananas. Not always "one a day", but enough that potassium shouldn't be a problem.

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Well you're on the right track, potassium. Add to that hydration and electrolytes. Don't rule out body changes and nerve inflammation.

 

FWIW i was on satins for cholesterol, they tried several, all of them caused me leg and foot cramps and other side effects after about 3 months on each one. It was determined I can't take them. And some of those effects are long term, Statins suck. Again FWIW. My wife gets leg cramps if her potassium gets low.. Sometimes you need more than just a banana and of course we all need proper hydration..

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Yesterday, I sat around with a bunch of guys, hashing out new curriculum for the upcoming Dealer season.

As far as I know, I was sound asleep at 3:30 am.

At 3:31am, I roused, slightly, and stretched. I don't know why I awoke, but the stretch was feeling good.

At 3:32am, I was snapped fully awake, as my left calf muscles contracted into a tight ball. Took about 5 minutes before it started to relax. Took another 15 before I could get back to sleep until my alarm went off at 4:45.

 

Why? I didn't do anything strenuous with my legs. I walked less than a usual day, and much less than a lawn mowing day, etc.

 

Just a charlie horse with no explanation.

 

I am assuming some of you get the same affliction once in a while. Does anyone have a "reason" ... or a way to keep them from happening. Before you mention it, I do eat bananas. Not always "one a day", but enough that potassium shouldn't be a problem.

As just getting older & slower have a multitude of rotating from one muscle to another muscle cramps which calls for daily doses of turmeric which is in mustard & some no high fructose diet tonic water before bed that don't always work.

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Far as I know I have always heard/read that it is mainly caused by what was mentioned above, not drinking enough water. Sitting too long in one immobile position can also cause it to flair up later that night. I've gotten a few in my life but thankfully it has been so long since I did I can't remember the last time it happened. I do remember it hurts like hell though.

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Been having them off and on and sometimes frequently for 50-60 years and nothing prevents them. The worst one actually pulled the tendons in my knee and has been several months healing. It happened as I was napping in the recliner after a strenuous day eating Thanksgiving dinner, involved muscles in both the thigh and calf.

Potassium helps, magnesium helps, maybe more than potassium; turmeric (the yellow in yellow mustard) helps. lots of water may help, although I am a gallon a day drinker and still get cramps

Some guys eat yellow mustard by the spoon full before bed, but there really isn't that much turmeric in mustard and it is available as a supplement, fwiw- "No Salt" sodium free salt substitute is mostly potassium and may help your health in other respects as well as putting potassium in your diet.

It's been a bit since I looked into it, but, iirc bananas have so little potassium that you'd need a few pounds daily to effect and real gain, apples may be better source or cider vinegar or mashed potato. Mythology is important though.

My Dr.s are currently promoting magnesium as the best preventive, but a caution-Mg acts as a laxative if taken in large doses. Since I have been using the Mg supplement I have not had cramps as frequently or severely as previously, but I use the potassium salt at every meal and put mustard on most things and so on.

 

Standing on a cold floor does help cure the calf cramp quickly, but when the toes are crisscrossed and tied in knots standing is a problem. :)

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I didn't know turmeric helped with muscle cramps. Maybe that's one reason I haven't had a charlie horse in years, I take turmeric in with my daily vitamins each morning because it is supposed to also be good for OCD.

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Another popular treatment is drinking pickle juice, again like mustard it contains turmeric and vinegar, one school of thought is the acid is just as important (or more so than) than either the water or the electrolytes in the pickle juice.

In this same vein I have read that drinking too much water washes the electrolytes out of our bodies.

Some medicines like anti-psychotics, statins, steroids, etc. add to the probability of getting cramps. I don't take statins anymore either.

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Yep water and pickle juice works

The company I work for makes pickle juice.

I dont get them any more...One shot at the end of the day.

Google it

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Plus one with Steve. It could be THE "male enhancement" miracle ... AND cure cancer ... AND make me 10 years younger ... I'm still not drinking pickle juice.

 

(20 years younger and I might consider it ... everything has a price!)

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