Muscle cramps are painful contractions of the muscle that happen involuntarily (i.e. without the athlete intending then to happen).
Leg cramps affect most people training hard, particularly running at some point and a common site for cramps is the calf muscles.
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Other sites

http://www.doctorsexercise.com/journal/cramp.htm

http://www.crampshelp.com/calfcramps.html

http://www.naturalfitnesstrainers.com/SR_calf_cramps.htm

http://idotmatrix.wordpress.com/2007/11/20/muscle-cramps-101/

I have been working out real hard lately and the other day I had a leg cramp in my right calf.......My dvt calf dang that hurt. love the faces

Hey Justin,

One thing I have found to help with calf cramps is eating a banana per day, most of the time it means that you are low on potasium ,which is found in bananas. The other thing that helps is to stay hydrated, specially when working out (I'm sure you are aware of that...) On a normal day I will drink 3 litres of water, on a ridding day I would drink up to 6 litres.
I just hate getting a cramp while sleeping, what a way to wake up
Yes,those calf cramps in your DVT leg HURT!!!!!! Bolt upright out of bed.

Here is one way I have never tried...
Pinch your upper lip. Oddly enough, pinching the area above the upper lip with your finger and thumb can make a leg cramp vanish, according to Dr. Nirschl. He's not sure why this works, but there are two possible reasons: The upper lip may be a pressure point that helps relax the muscle. Or, he says, it simply may be that the pain of the pinch distracts you from the pain of the cramp until it releases on its own.

Dero,

Hey, I have been eating banana's and drinking tons of water now, It seems to help.. I will have to try the upper lip thing, sounds strange. But like you said cramps in those legs hurt like crazy, and any method to make it go away is worth trying.

Hey Guys--

I'm NOT working out hard, but I have leg cramps all the time--not just the calf of my DVT leg, but also the muscle on the front/outside of my shin and it pulls my big toe straight up in the air. The worst are when they cramp on both sides of the calf at the same time. They last a very long time on some nights.

I've been told to take magnesium, but it isn't working very well. I hate bananas--too slimy. I'll buy some potassium tablets. I drink lots of water. I will definitely try the lip thing.

For me the lip thing DOES not work, I've tried it four, five times recently and the cramp persist...

I think drinking a lot of water everyday and I eat a banana almost everyday... It seems to help me.

Maybe you can try heat pads!? I am not sure if your allowed while having a clot , good question for the doc. If I can remember next time.

I'm seing my doc tomorrow, I'll ask her...

More info on calves

FYI. This was taken from the Sigvaris (compression stocking) brochure (link: http://www.sigvarisusa.com/prod_web/NorthAmerica.nsf/vw_mf/PDFs/$FILE/PatientBrochure.pdf). This bit below talks about the calves:

"Venous Return:

The body has a number of ways to help blood return to the heart. Just as the arterial system uses the power of the heart to drive fresh blood into the tissues, the calf muscle acts as a ‘second heart’ by contracting and relaxing as a person walks.

One-way valves in the superficial and deep veins help blood to flow back to the heart. The deep system handles up to 90% of the venous blood volume and is the high pressure system of the venous circulation in the legs. The superficial system handles the other 10% and is the low pressure system. When calf muscles relax, the valves close to prevent blood from flowing backwards into the lower part of the vein. These valves are fragile and can be easily damaged.

Other ‘pumps’ help push blood toward the heart, such as the ankle, the foot, and the diaphragm."


Re: HEAT (also from the same brochure:)

"Avoid excessive heat, such as sunbathing and very hot baths. Heat dilates veins, reducing effective circulation and
increasing the pooling of blood."

So I'm thinking heating pads would not be a good idea. Personally I would stay clear of it, and would definitely check with a Dr. before trying anything like that.


Hope this helps...

The fastest way to get rid of these annoying cramps is to tap your toes really fast. It gets rid of cramps everytime.

I find I only get them when I have not drank enough water. I do take a potassium summplement everyday and I have take that for years to avoid leg cramps.