Hello Ladies,

Back again! Been getting these really painful horrific calf problems lately. New symptom, and my legs feel really achy these days particularly the calf area which feels like it will go into cramp any time. i do a fair bit of walking but im just wondering if this is another hormonal demon haunting me?? I seem to remember getting these types of cramps during pregnancy. Does anyone else get these awful muscle leg cramps? Can anyone suggest anything that works to prevent cramping calf muscles?

Thanks for any help.

I've been getting cramping too....could be lack of potassium. Try eating some bananas or get a supplement to see what happens.

No one seems to know the exact cause of muscle cramps, but some believe that muscle cramps occur because of low calcium or potassium in the blood. Others have said that lack of proper fluids, resulting in a mild case of dehydration can cause muscles to cramp. Some have even said that not getting enough blood circulation can cause cramping.

Types of muscle cramps that occur through the course of one’s life:

· Women who are on their menstrual cycles tend to get severe leg cramps when their legs are exposed to cold air, such as the freezer section of the grocery store.

· Pregnant women tend to get muscle cramps while sleeping. This could be because the baby is taking most of the nutrition the woman places in the body; thereby leaving little for the woman’s own body. It may also be that the woman is not drinking enough fluids, for fear of living in the restroom.

· People wearing the wrong shoes can end up with leg and feet cramps. Improper footwear can be too high of a high heel shoe, non-padded flat sandals, exercising in something other than the proper footwear, ie. running shoes, tennis shoes, crosstrainers, weightlifting shoes...etc, or simply not wearing shoes while doing some form of exercise.

· People who have had some form of surgery can be affected with cramping of the muscles.

· Over use of the muscles through exercising, such as walking up hills when your legs are not properly warmed up, or entering freezing cold ocean water and trying to swim to shore.

· Cramping due to tight clothing, which cuts off the flow of blood throughout the body.


Preventing muscle cramps can be as simple as:


· regular exercise can help with circulation

· stretching of your muscles on a daily or nightly basis

· drinking eight glasses of liquid on a daily basis, preferably water

· eating enough foods rich in calcium and potassium; such as bananas, orange juice, potatoes and fresh vegetables

· cutting down on "bad" fats ( ALL trans fats, contained in most junk food) as well as fried foods

· wearing elastic stockings throughout the day, thereby keeping the legs warm [This is especially helpful when one has varicose (enlarged or inflamed) veins.]

· wearing sock on your feet at night helps because when your feet are warm, your legs tend to stay warmer

I had thigh cramps - back and front, both thighs - for a couple weeks and ended up getting a complete blood panel done. As it turns out, my thyroid was low, which can cause muscle cramps. I've been on thyroid meds for a month and the cramping is gone. You may want to have your thyroid checked if you haven't, as it is not uncommon for women to suffer from low thyroid at this time in their lives.

It could be an imbalance of electrolytes (calcium/potassium/magnesium/salt). I've read that vitamin E can help, as well as vitamin C.

I've had a lot of cramping problems for the past couple of years - in my foot arches, or calves, or shins. The worst time was when I had all three at the same time! I'm attributing it to the hormone changes of perimenopause - it's listed as a symptom of menopause in some books.

I saw my mother last month and asked her what kind of symptoms she had with menopause, and she only had two - and one was leg cramps. She said they were no longer a problem after she actually passed through menopause.

I'm on quinine (perscription), vitamins E and C, magnesium glycinate, and I've started using Smart Water because it has electrolytes. I also started low-dose birth control pills for it. I still get the tingling sometimes that seems to indicate leg cramps, but it's been a lot better.

can be a lack of magnesium too...

Hi ladies,

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. your posts have given me food for thought, I think my cramps could be due to poor footwear, because I don't think I am lacking in calcuim. I also eat fruit on a daily basis including bananas. As for the dehydration issue, i'm rather sceptical as to how much water a person needs to drink per day, and I feel that liquid is being taken in though other sources such as fruits and vegetables. My sceptism is more towards the manufacturers of bottled water. I am sure that your body will tell you when you need a drink i.e feeling thirsty. I'm very sceptical these days, I guess it is part of my impending old age.

Perhaps it is potassium and/or magnisium, and as I like to go totally natural what other foods contain these minerals?

Thank you ladies, I hope all is well. Will be grateful for any further input.

This is as natural as I can get, and these are a lot of the foods that MUST be bought FRESH, never frozen or packaged! Although tuna from a can is OK, but it must be the "light" variety, not the white albacore tuna. It also must be packed in olive oil, so check to make absolutely sure that it is OLIVE oil, and NOT just vegetable oil. This means that if you are watching calories, you need to be careful, or just go to your local fresh market and get fresh tuna.

High Potassium foods:
- Banana
- Kiwi
- Orange
- Honeydew
- Tomato
- Spinach ( Bayam)
- Potato
- Milk
- Fish
- Prunes

Moderate Potassium
- Apples
- Carrots
- Corn
- mushrooms
- Brinjal
- Onions
- Peach
- pears
- water melon
- Onion
- Pineapples
- Raisins

Low potassium
-Cabbage
- Cucumber
-grapes
- plums

Magnesium containing foods:
Milo
Hot chocolate
Coco powder
soya products
wholemeal
bread ( coming from yeasts)
Dried Apricots
Dates
Peach
prunes
Figs
parmesan cheese
skim milk
Walnut
Almonds
Beras kampong
Yoghurt
baked potato with skin
Spinach
oats
Banana
raisins
Tuna
Tomato paste

I can attest to the potassium, magnesium and calcium thing. If I don't eat potassium rich foods, take my magnesium and calcium, I get the most horrible leg cramps at night. Sends me straight into saying words I usually never say. Poor hubby. Imagine being suddenly jolted awake by someone talking like a sailor in bed next to ya!



Stephanie

I get leg cramps if I don't get enough exercise. My diet is very high in an assortment of raw vegetables, whole fruits, whole grains and milk products.