What to do for cramps in feet and legs?
Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night, screaming from a sudden cramp attack? Have you ever tried to get out of bed while your legs felt like two sticks glued together?
Well, look no further than this guide, as we have compiled some tips that might help ease your pain.
What Exactly Causes Cramps?
In order to deal with cramps effectively, it is important first to understand what caused them. Here are some common reasons why one may experience cramps:
Dehydration
If you do not drink enough water throughout the day or sweat excessively during exercise/activity/etc., it could lead to dehydration. This can result in an imbalance between electrolytes (sodium/potassium/calcium/magnesium) which affect muscle function and contraction.
Pro tip: Drink 8 cups of water a day!
Nutritional Deficiencies
Another potential cause for leg/foot crises would be due to an inadequate intake of critical vitamins/minerals such as magnesium, potassium or calcium. So don’t forget those healthy veggies on your plate!
Pro tip: Eat more leafy greens and nuts!
Injury/Overuse
Sometimes our bodies tend to play hard, whether running around trying ‘to save our lives’ until one injury leads us towards other external causes; such as overexertion which strains muscles + joints leading eventually towards disarrayed contractions.
Pro Tip: Ease up on vigorous activities! Think twice before betting it all out there pretending you’re Usain Bolt…
Quick Fixes
Now let’s dive into some fast solutions when confronted by immediate pain; because sometimes despite being wise/stupid/well-trained/professional/doctors/NOBODY HAS IT ALL TOGETHER—we just need quick relief.
Here are three hacks that could potentially help alleviate the discomfort:
Stretching
Stretching can do wonders when it comes to treating cramps. You could perform a nice stretching routine before bed or as soon as you wake up in the morning, and especially after cheat day chomping down cheeseburgers!
Pro Tip: Try Yoga moves – Downward Dog or Pigeon Pose!
### Massage
Massaging affected areas with oils/creams can also relieve muscle tension.
Pro tip: Your better half/friend/bathroom wall could try helping out for best results (nothing wrong with self-massage though)!
Hot/Cold Therapy
This is all about Viva la variation; if hot therapy doesn’t work then go cold & vice versa! You can start with hot towels/warm bath/showers before gradually shifting towards an ice-cold compress.
Pro tip: Add Epsom salts/mint oil into soaking water for periods of 20 minutes per treatment — that should chill out those darn culprits until next time!
Preventive Measures
As Benjamin Franklin said: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Here are few preventive measures one can take to avoid further episodes:
Warm-up exercises
Before engaging oneself in intense workout session, proper warm-ups throughout aid while decreasing injury risk which triggers muscle soreness due to overextending tendons/joint leading again towards painful spasms.
pro-tip: A good way around this would be having an athlete/trainer plan/schedule ahead beforehand.
Balanced diet/herbal supplements
A healthy balanced meal including magnesium, potassium and calcium will ease seamless contractions while avoiding excessive consumption processed foods/drinks along w/physical stressors/dehydration/etc…
pro-tip: Herbal remedies such as Turmeric/Ginger/Tart Cherry might theoretically help swelling/pain but do not replace thoroughly researched solutions recommended by medical professionals.
Increased hydration
Keeping oneself hydrated remains an essential aspect of preventing foot and leg cramping issues.
pro-tip: Drinking 8 glasses of water daily will help increase electrolytes making everything about that tingly feeling go away.
Over-the-counter Treatments
As much as we advise against relying solely upon self-diagnosis/treatment, there does exist some OTC options which could potentially benefit when experiencing muscle pain.
Pain Relief Gels/Lotions/Creams
These are topical medications which one can quickly apply without ingesting liquids/pills to decrease discomfort probably from menthol source or similar analgesics reacting on nerve endings (ex: capsaicin in sports creams)
Pro tip: Be sure to carefully read the label for warnings; sometimes skin irritation/allergies might react harshly unexpectedly!
Vitamins/Minerals Supplementation
In addition to incorporating leafy greens/nuts/dairy products etc.—taking multivitamin supplements + magnesium/calcium/vitamin B-12/Vitamin D would normalize variations possibly hampering muscle contractions over a prolonged period .
Pro tip: Always stick to recommended dosages! And excess vitamin amounts may lead towards internal harm too.
There you have it, folks — our comprehensive guide full of tips tricks wannabes/snaps/pizzazz for dealing with painful cramps in feet and legs. Remember always consult medical advice if symptoms continue/multiply though so don’t be like Joey Tribbiani dancing with a hurting foot pretending everything’s okay because seriously NOBODY WANTS THAT…
Stay healthy, people!