How to deal with charley horses?

Charley horses, those pesky muscle cramps that can strike at any time, are both annoying and painful. They often come out of nowhere and cause your muscles to spasm uncontrollably, leaving you wondering if it’s possible to rip your muscle fibers apart like tissue paper.

Even the name “charley horse” is kind of ridiculous. It sounds like something you’d see on an old western TV show rather than a legitimate medical concern.

But fear not! There are plenty of ways to deal with these uncomfortable spasms without succumbing to the temptation of cursing loudly or hitting yourself repeatedly in frustration (although we won’t judge if that’s your preferred method).

In this article, we’ll take a look at some tried-and-true methods for preventing and treating charley horses so you can kick them straight outta town whenever they rear their ugly heads again.

So What Actually Causes Charley Horses?

Before we dive into how to deal with these common cramps, let’s first talk about what causes them. Essentially, a charley horse occurs when one or more of your muscles contract involuntarily and don’t relax right away – think of clenching your fist tightly until it gets stuck that way for a bit. Not fun!

Though the exact reasons behind why charley horses happen aren’t entirely clear yet (science is still working on it), there are several factors thought to increase the likelihood of experiencing one:

  • Dehydration
  • Electrolyte imbalances
  • Overexertion or overuse of muscles
  • Poor circulation
  • Muscle fatigue
  • Nerve abnormalities
  • Certain medications

Preemptive Measures: Can You Prevent Charley Horses From Happening?

Like many things in life (cough cough taxes) , prevention really is key when it comes to charley horses. Here are some tips and tricks to reduce the chances of these cramps ever occurring or at least reducing their frequency:

Stay hydrated

Drinking enough water is key to preventing a range of health issues, including charley horses. When you’re dehydrated, your muscles aren’t able to function properly which can cause them to spasm or cramp up.

Stretch before bedtime

Going straight from being active to lying down in bed for six hours is never a good thing! Take few minutes at night (or any other time) and stretch out those leg muscles that often get targeted by these painful problems.

Here’s one great stretch: put both feet flat on the floor while sitting down and extend the affected leg so that it’s straightened all the way out with your toes pointed toward you, flexing towards your shin if desired.

Hold this position for about 30 seconds then gently bend your knee back until it’s right against your chest (you should feel an intense stretch through the calf) after which point just enjoy that sweet relief!

Try doing this every night as part of winding down routine whether anything specific is bothering you or not- who doesn’t love having more flexibility anyways? It can help stop any potential bouts of spasms almost before they have a chance to start even very much in advance.

Treatment Options If You Do End Up With A Charley Horse

While prevention tactics are super helpful, sometimes we inevitably still find ourselves dealing with muscle cramps (thanks life!). Again though fret not – there are plenty of options for treating charley horses once they’ve struck!

Massage The Affected Area

Gently massaging cramped muscles helps force circulation back into targeted area loosening tightness and calming things down overall. For effective massage tie long strip cloth across foot just below toes while seated then outwardly pull what has been tied off string; repeat cycle rotating angles until cramp dissipates.

Cold Or Warm Therapy

First it’s important to remember cold can worsen inflammation so if you’ve pulled muscle, this kind of therapy may backfire than helping.

Cold therapy main goal is reducing inflammatory processes and also numbs tissue so pain is less noticeable. Apply an ice pack wrapped in a cloth or bag for around 20 minutes every two hours until inflammation subsides enough not to worry about residuals which usually after about 3 days at most!

Warmth though works oppositely- by increasing blood flow toward that area while still easing out tightness; heat has many benefits including chronic pain relief where it might be unlikely conventional medication would have helped i.e arthritis.

Apply heating pad wrapped in tons of towels low setting high frequency always checks on the person who uses I.T especially ensuring their comfortability & tolerance level but with warming process rest assured that muscles will relax faster as discomfort decreases by constant comforting warmth being exposed upon them.

Conclusion

So there you have it – some helpful tips and tricks for preventing and treating charley horses when they strike (and unfortunately sometimes they do!). Of course sometimes more serious issues (compromised circulation or damaged nerves) are responsible behind spasms, but never hesitate seeking medical treatments.

Now go forth into your daily life with wisdom (AND TOE FLEXES) armed against any charley horse attacks that come your way- we hope our suggestions brought extra soothing rigidity-free existence does nothing but great things especially during colder winter months where these kinds of problems run rampant almost like little annoying acne pop-ups… Gross!

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