Good morning!
I'm hoping that somebody can identify with this...
I seem to get cramps along my shins (front of leg not in the calf muscle) at night. They're very severe and when they occur I have to get up for a half hour to walk around and massage my shin. It alternates between legs. I feel like they happen in the days leading up to ovulation so I'm pretty sure they're influenced by hormones. I drink lots of water, get plenty of calcium, magnesium and potassium and take a Vit. D supplement. I have also not found any correlation to the shoes that I'm wearing. I was up at four times last night with this so am miserably exhausted today! Anybody else experienced this and found any relief?

Yep. I have had this. And not just in peri. I have had it at other times in my life too. It was at it's worst a year and 1/2 ago. It's much better now that I am in late peri. I have had a lot of calf cramps as well but shin cramps are the worst. You have my sympathy! Someone told me to eat a banana before I go to bed. I have done this religiously for around the last 8 months and it does seem to help. It may be the potassium, although you say that you are already taking potassium I think that nutrients often work better when they are accompanied by all the co-factors present in a food. I also find that my night cramps get worse if I have not kept my calcium up to a good level on that day. But again, you seem to be covered on the calcium front too. I usually have my banana chopped up in a bowl of plain yogurt or made into a smoothie with a cup of milk so that I am also getting calcium at bedtime.

[quote name='nhgirl' date='Nov 3 2009, 08:14 AM' post='317178']
Good morning!
I'm hoping that somebody can identify with this...
I seem to get cramps along my shins (front of leg not in the calf muscle) at night. They're very severe and when they occur I have to get up for a half hour to walk around and massage my shin. It alternates between legs. I feel like they happen in the days leading up to ovulation so I'm pretty sure they're influenced by hormones. I drink lots of water, get plenty of calcium, magnesium and potassium and take a Vit. D supplement. I have also not found any correlation to the shoes that I'm wearing. I was up at four times last night with this so am miserably exhausted today! Anybody else experienced this and found any relief?



HI "nhgirl" ... I haven't had that exact problem, but i've had so many leg symptoms in peri, it's crazy! It's hormonal. I've had burning/stinging/pins and needles/PAIN/DEEP aches/ shaking/weakness....etc.....sometimes all at once, other times, they interchange .... it's not so bad anymore, but in the beginning of peri...holy cow! Make sure you do get all the minerals, and the best way to get them, is in liquid!

Hang in there .... EVENTUALLY it gets better ........

Hi there and welcome!

Could also be symptoms of peripheral neuropathy......do you also get tingling, numbness and electric shock like feelings in feet, legs, ankles? Have a talk to your doc about it......the pain feels like fire or burning, or like someone has beaten your legs with a stick? Or just cramps? Or both? Does it get better with walking and then when you stop it comes back twice as bad? Fish oil helps me and I take a lot of it......it helps coat the nerve endings and relieves pain. PN was discussed with me a while ago and since I know what it is, it doesn't freak me out as much......might not be PN, but talk to doc anyway.....

Just a thought babe......take good care

Hugs,

Michah

I've noticed that on days whenI don't drink enough water I get a lot of muscle aches. Sometimes it is so easy to forget to drink those 60+ ozs. of water. Just a thought.