What should I do for an aching leg/cramp?

[DizzyDesii]

I biked for only like an hour each day Mon-Friday. Then Saturday i sat around. Sunday i was at the casino for 6 hours but i was prob only standing for 2-3 hours. I caught a charley horse/leg cramp around 2 this morning while sleeping. It eased up but now that im awake, i can hardly walk. I've been hoppin from room to room. I’ve used heating pads, rubbing alcohol... like what else should i do? Ice pack? Tylenol? This has never lasted more than a few seconds but its going on for hours. #LegCramps #FeelFreeToList #ToCatchACramp

Ice

Heating Pad

Rubbing Alcohol

Take a tylenol

Stretch

Massage

Other

Updates

+1 y

I was hoping to continue exercising on the bike later today. Is that prob not an option?

Updates

+1 y

Thanks everyone! My problem was probably dehydration 🤦‍♀️ I drink 1-3 bottles of water maybe every 2 days. I def skip days 🙈

[Prof_Don]

Eat potassium. Bananas, tomatoes and potatoes are common high sources of potassium.

Stretch your legs (even if u have to lay in bed to do it).

Eat more protein to aid your muscle recovery.

[DizzyDesii]

Thanks

[Prof_Don]

Also forgot to mention... lower your physical activity with your legs. Take a day or two off from cycling 😛

[DizzyDesii]

Thats when the spasm started. I exercised Mon-Fri. Did nothing Saturday/Sunday. Caught a cramp at 2am Monday morning and it lasted until 2am Tuesday morn

[Prof_Don]

That’s because your muscles are recovering & growing. Stretching right after any physical activity with your legs (like cycling) will very likely prevent cramps.

[NightOwl8801]

Stretch it out and massage it little by little...
Drink some pickle juice to help with cramps it almost immediately starts to help.

[DizzyDesii]

I heard pickle juice helps but i hate pickles so i had to suffer a while lol

[NightOwl8801]

Water with alkaline in it should help just as good if you don't like pickles/juice...
Quinine or tonic water can help too

[MORPHEUS_12]

I have muscle aches as well from time to time and I have found that soaking in a bath with magnesium flakes and/or using Theraworx Relief which is a very light solution that comes out of a pump that is foamy. I rub it whenever I hurt and it helps greatly. Even if you are too physically tired to soak in the tub you can use a kitchen dish bin and run hot water and add the magnesium flakes to dissolve and the magnesium will absorb through your feet. Either way they all work.

[DizzyDesii]

Thank you!!

[_food_lover234]

you need to take cod liver oil or omega oils, its good for your joints. I'm a professional dancer and leg cramps are the ordinary for me. my secret weapon, calcium magnesium powder. i get the strawberry lemonade flavor, put it in water and drink before or after an intense workout. magnesium is suppose to be good for your muscles. it also means your depleted in some minerals, and stretch. hope that helps. also fluid.. lots of fluids

[DizzyDesii]

Oh wow thanks! Does magnesium also mean its gonna make me do #2? Lol

[_food_lover234]

haha I don't know, but all i know is it works really well. just read the instructions on the bottle because i think ur not suppose to take it before a meal or something.

[FreyaRed]

Ibuprofen instead of tylenol, hot bath for better blood circulation and drinking a lot to get rid of the lactic acid in affected muscles.
Massage could help too, but from someone who is competent in relaxation of muscles, otherwise... Ugh! I won't even imagine the pain

[DizzyDesii]

I think i drank 2-3 bottles of water befoee i felt to bloate to drink anymore. I also took a bath and drank potassium from powerade. I used the heating pad and rubbing alcohol. None worked. I have no bananas or ibuprofen. Im gonna try an icy hot patch but its now 2am the next day and this started 2am yesterday. Im still in pain

[Hans222]

E is the solution, that's in every first aid syllabus. That girl is better in it than us, but stretch the muscle for like 15 seconds and you'll be okay 😁👍
Don't forget to think about the cause... have you had enough to drink? Dehydration is the most common cause of cramps.

[DizzyDesii]

Yea i think im dehydrated

[Finchie40]

I am with ya , I been dealing with sharp pain in my right leg for awhile now , it comes and goes , I know exercising is what caused it , it doesn’t hit me everyday. But when it hits its sucks , I been taking Pain pills to take the edge off , the joys of getting older

[DizzyDesii]

Yea i hope i dont have to deal
With this constantly

[OlderAndWiser]

Yes, you were probably dehydrated and that can lead to potassium deficiency. Get some potassium pills or capsules (relatively cheap) and take a few every day and the charlie horses will stay away. And, of course. . . stay hydrated!

[DizzyDesii]

Thank you :)

[Jjpayne]

I'd say yes, Tylenol or ice pack, maybe an icy hot wrap too

[DizzyDesii]

Thank you

[Jjpayne]

You're welcome, I had a long day :) and another one coming tommorrow too...

[Flower7]

Tylenol probably won't work for that. You would need an anti-inflammatory like Naproxen or Ibuprofen.

[DizzyDesii]

Yea tylenol def ain't work cause im still in pain

[Flower7]

Those ones that I listed are better for muscle pain.

[JDavid25]

I can only say to stretch it out and hydrate... They say cramps happen when the body is not properly hydrated.. Although, I don't know if you hydrated yours..

[DizzyDesii]

Lol yea i drink water like once every two days 🤣

[JDavid25]

Aw yeah, then shoo you need to hydrate that body.. LOL..

[CHARismatic110]

You're over exerting yourself. I think we had the talk about drinking enough water. Especially once you start working out consistently.

[DizzyDesii]

Yea its just so haaaard. Last spring i drank 9 bottles a day and most of that was the same hour before GAG told me its not smart to drink it that close together. Now that i dont do that, its hard to drink more than 2 a day, if even that

[CHARismatic110]

Pace yourself. Get a gallon and mark times on it so you know how much you have to drink that hour.

[All4ur_pleazure]

Have you tried using a foam roller? I’ve used on a few times when I have cramps in my legs. That and some stretching always helps.

[DizzyDesii]

I've never heard of that. Whats is that lol

[All4ur_pleazure]

I can’t upload a pic to this reply. But you can usually find them in Walmart in the fitness area or on amazon. They’re great for sore muscles and cramps.

[DizzyDesii]

Okay i just looked it up. Would i just roll my leg over it?

[All4ur_pleazure]

Yeah. Do it for a few minutes and you should be fine.

[All4ur_pleazure]

And hydrate. Stay hydrated for sure.

[Purplemonkey24]

I always massage the area with warming oils or soak in hot water for a couple hours and slowly walk around a small distance. Goodluck I hate leg cramps

[DizzyDesii]

Thank you i’ll try

[Purplemonkey24]

No problem :)

[Purplemonkey24]

I've noticed stretch before and after workouts help for a future tip :)

[zoeadams3]

For that long and in this heat, it might also be electrolytes. Are you sweating a lot? Find a sports drink that has potassium and magnesium.

[DizzyDesii]

Oooh i forgot i have powerade and gatorade!

[Rab1901]

A combination of massaging, stretching and hot showers works best. Also drink a lot of water and have protein. Don't have sugary and salty snacks.

[DizzyDesii]

Lmao you say this as im eating sugary/salty snacks 🤣 and yea i drink water maybe once every other day 🙈 im workin on it

[Rab1901]

Oh that's not good. Seltzer water or club soda is a good replacement if you want something fizzy. Some people hate it but I enjoy it especially the flavored ones.

[DizzyDesii]

I have some bubly? Lol that new fizzy water. Think it counts?

[Rab1901]

I don't know too much about it but I think it should be good. way better than soda. thats for sure.

[abc3643]

Drink a shitload of water.
Take a hot bath with epsom salts.

[DizzyDesii]

Drinking lots of water is the hard part. But ill try

[abc3643]

Get Gatorade.
That's exactly why it was created... to help University of Florida football players ("The Florida Gators") rehydrate and replenish minerals and electrolytes during the game.

[abc3643]

http://www.gatorade.com.mx/company/heritage

BORN IN THE LAB
In early summer of 1965, a University of Florida assistant coach sat down with a team of university physicians and asked them to determine why so many of his players were being affected by heat and heat related illnesses.

The researchers — Dr. Robert Cade, Dr. Dana Shires, Dr. H. James Free and Dr. Alejandro de Quesada — soon discovered two key factors that were causing the Gator players to 'wilt': the fluids and electrolytes the players lost through sweat were not being replaced, and the large amounts of carbohydrates the players' bodies used for energy were not being replenished.

The researchers then took their findings into the lab, and scientifically formulated a new, precisely balanced carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage that would adequately replace the key components lost by Gator players through sweating and exercise. They called their concoction ‘Gatorade'.

PROVEN ON THE FIELD
Soon after the researchers introduced their Gatorade formula to the team, the Gators began winning… outlasting a number of heavily favored opponents in the withering heat and finishing the season at 7–4.

The team's success progressed even more during the 1966 season, with the Gators finishing at 9–2 and winning the Orange Bowl for the first time ever in the history of the school. Word about Gatorade began to spread outside of the state of Florida, and both the University of Richmond and Miami of Ohio, began ordering batches of Gatorade for their football teams. Orders from other college football programs across the country soon followed, as playing without Gatorade on your sidelines began to be likened to playing with just ten men on the field.

Today, Gatorade can be found on the sidelines of more than 70 Division I colleges as the official sports drink of their men's and women's intercollegiate sports.

[HOAAH]

When I had leg craps, the doctors said that I needed more potassium so eat a banana.

[DizzyDesii]

Thanks

[alice55]

Just wait, nothing will really help (at least personally nothing help it I just ignore it and it go away some hours after).

[DizzyDesii]

Mine lasted a whole 24 hours. Rn its tense but at least i cna walk again

[_no_one_]

According to naturopathy ice packs are the best. Massage can help to loosen up those muscles and u needa walk so as to get used to that pain.

[DizzyDesii]

Thank you

[_no_one_]

Your welcome

[pepperhicks]

Fluids, water is good. A banana. Work from the inside out.

[DizzyDesii]

Thank you

[mimi051998]

Simple stretches and massages can help relax the muscle. Heating pads can accelerate the relaxation process, while an ice pack can help numb the pain.

[DizzyDesii]

Yea i may have to try I've cause this heating pad ain't workin