Arrg - cramp!

Curio · 24 Mar 2006 at 17:14

OK, no medical advice please etc etc......just want to share my pain and see if there are any other cramp sufferers.

Woke up at 4am this morning to a pain I cannot describe. I've had cramp before - I get it quite often in the arch of my foot and it hurts like a S.O.B. But this was in my calf muscle - it felt like.....erm.....I don't know. It was just searing agony. I swung out of bed yelling like a mad man, scaring my wife and the cat half to death. My whole calf was absolutely locked solid - it was like a huge rock under my skin where the calf muscle should be. I managed to wiggle my leg a bit (more yelling) and eventually it loosened up - but several hours later and it's still very sore....now it feels like a pulled muscle

The pain actually made me want to vomit.

Anybody know why I would get that from just laying there in bed :confused:

ps. The first person to call me a "big girls blouse" doesn't get a cookie :rolleyes:

PureAppleJuice · 24 Mar 2006 at 17:16

Could be gout :s

G|mp · 24 Mar 2006 at 17:18

Luke Hoffman, author of the HowStuffWorks article How Aspirin Works, offers the following thoughts on muscle cramping:

"First, since there is so little good research on cramps, a lot of myths have built up around the subject. So let's start with the facts. Muscle cramps are very common during (but more commonly after) exercise. There have been several theories about why they happen, including low blood sugar, dehydration, salt imbalances after sweating, and either extreme heat or cold. All of these are known to cause cramping by themselves, but it's unclear if any are the culprit with normal exercise-induced cramps.

According to current theory in the sports science literature (as of 1997), skeletal muscle cramps during exercise probably happen when muscles that are shortened (for example, a calf muscle when your toe is pointed) are repeatedly stimulated. This can happen if your foot is extended, toe pointed, and you keep extending it further. You can actively do this by, for example, running on your toes or doing lots of toe-raises without going down to extend the muscle. What appears to happen is that the muscle gets fatigued, and it doesn't relax well. There is a reflex arc -- made up of the muscle, the nerves carrying signals to the central nervous system (CNS) and the nerves carrying signals from the CNS back to the muscle -- that keeps carrying contraction signals from and to the muscle. This appears to lead to a sustained contraction in the muscle, also known as a cramp.

Stretching (in this case, grabbing your toe and stretching the calf) is about the only thing that breaks this reflex arc signal and stops the cramp when it comes to exercise-induced cases. But the muscle is still fatigued, and the cramp process is easy to re-trigger until the muscle rests for a while. The fatigue-cramp process seems to happen most often in muscles that cross two joints, such as the calf muscle (which crosses the knee and ankle), since the muscle is easy to shorten and continue contracting."

From Google

Ive heard its a lack of salt in your diet, dunno if its true though :confused:

Siders77 · 24 Mar 2006 at 17:18

I've had something like that in my shoulder in the past. I woke up at around 3am actually crying because it hurt so bad. I didn't want to move, talk or anything.

Have you tried having a nice hot bath then putting some deep heat on or something?

I know that usually works for me.

Pigeon_Killer · 24 Mar 2006 at 17:24

I got it in my calf muscles when I had a paper round, and was cycling 5 miles a day, years ago. It does hurt for a few days after but I always found standing up and straightening my leg helped to ease the cramp.

_-J-_ · 24 Mar 2006 at 17:28

Pigeon_Killer said:
I got it in my calf muscles when I had a paper round, and was cycling 5 miles a day, years ago. It does hurt for a few days after but I always found standing up and straightening my leg helped to ease the cramp.

I get it quite a bit in my legs, and that is the best way, stand up with your leg straight or bent slightly, takes the cramp away. I have heard its low salt in your diet too, and this could be true because i dont put salt on anything.

toy_soldier · 24 Mar 2006 at 17:29

To the OP, I had an experience very similar to what you described around 2 weeks ago, and it tends to be after I have been out drinking, I looked into it a bit and I did find somewhere a website which mentioned that alcohol can cause this(something to do with the dehydration I think) along with a few other things - one was lack of salt as mentioned by G|mp.

I wouldnt worry about it though I havent had any problems since, although I agree it did hurt like hell, I was sat up in bed in agony, it seemed to last forever although it was probably only about 10-15secs.

brakeinup · 24 Mar 2006 at 17:31

My wife sometimes gets cramp in the arch of her foot. She sorts it by standing on a cold can of her Jean Paul Gautier perfume container with the affected foot.

tom_nieto · 24 Mar 2006 at 18:23

G|mp said:
There have been several theories about why they happen, including low blood sugar, dehydration, salt imbalances after sweating, and either extreme heat or cold.

Ahhh that's why I get terrible cramp the morning after if I've been drinking heavily. Never thought of it like that before!

Tobes · 24 Mar 2006 at 18:40

When I was 14 I went on a trip with the school to some army thing. Did a course where I had to run, jump and climb over walls. Finished. 5 minutes later I got a very bad pain in my leg felt like it was going to snap itself (I have very thin legs). Army guys come over because I am collapsed on the floor. They lift me up and get me back on my feet... then the other legs starts to hurt bad. They chuck me on the floor on my back and start to move my legs..... I say "what are you doing!"

Turns out tis best to keep moving your legs. Had very very bad pulled muscles after that.

paul@ · 24 Mar 2006 at 19:13

I get this very often as I sit down in a chair and in a car all day.

My solution is really simple, exercise the affected area.

I believe this is caused by the lack of blood circulation.

VeNT · 24 Mar 2006 at 19:18

I hate it when you KNOW your about to get cramp and theres NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!

Lt. Manlove · 24 Mar 2006 at 19:22

VeNT said:
I hate it when you KNOW your about to get cramp and theres NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!

Made me laugh twice in two threads, well done

I got cramp after playing sports (serves me right for not warming down) and sometimes it is bareable but not nice - but sometimes you really do want to die it hurts that much and you dont know when the pain will end! I feel for you

VeNT · 24 Mar 2006 at 19:24

once got cramp in BOTH legs driving on the moterway to western super mare (nay nay and thrice nay) while overtaking, thats enough to put the fear of god into ANYONE!