Stopping sharp leg pain in my calf during the night

Definition By Mayo Clinic staff

Night leg cramps are sudden, painful, involuntary contractions of muscles in your leg. In most cases, night leg cramps involve your calf muscles, but muscles in your feet or thighs may cramp as well.

Most of the time, true night leg cramps occur for no known reason, and they’re harmless. However, in rare situations, night leg cramps can be associated with an underlying disorder — such as peripheral artery disease or diabetes.

The risk of having night leg cramps increases with age. Pregnant women also have a higher likelihood of experiencing night leg cramps.

Causes By Mayo Clinic staff

In most cases, night leg cramps have no identifiable cause. However, night leg cramps may sometimes be associated with:

Addison’s disease Alcoholism Choosing blood pressure medications Cirrhosis Dehydration Type 2 diabetes Diarrhea Diuretics Electrolyte imbalance Flatfeet Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) Kidney failure, chronic Muscle fatigue Oral contraceptives Parkinson’s disease Second trimester pregnancy: What to expect Peripheral artery disease (PAD) Gastric bypass surgery: What can you expect? Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.

When to see a doctor By Mayo Clinic staff

For most people, night leg cramps are merely an annoyance — something that jerks you awake on an infrequent basis. But in some cases, you may need to see a doctor.

Seek immediate medical care if you:

■Experience severe and persistent cramping ■Have night leg cramps after being exposed to a toxin, such as lead Schedule an office visit if you:

■Have such interrupted sleep that you have trouble functioning during the day ■Are also experiencing muscle weakness and atrophy Self-care Activities that might help prevent night leg cramps include:

■Drinking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration ■Wearing shoes that have proper support ■Stretching your leg muscles, or riding a stationary bicycle, for a few minutes before you go to bed ■Untucking the bed covers at the foot of your bed Activities that might help relieve night leg cramps include:

■Flexing your foot up toward your head ■Massaging the cramped muscle with your hands or with ice ■Walking or jiggling the leg ■Taking a hot shower or warm bath

I have the same problem, The pain will come on for about 45seconds to two minutes were it then peaks and as long as I hold my leg in the same position it will go away but the next day when I wake up my leg will continue to be soar as if the pain will happen again, but usually it wont happen again but its a discomfort. I explained this to my father and he told me he also will sometimes have the same problem, he told me it was something called “dehydrated Muscle” while we was talking about my dads girlfriend over herd it and told me to put my foot on a cold object or floor, wich in my case is nice because the way my bed faces my beds directly parallel with my bed and with this cold season coming my walls are cold,I put my foot on the wall and some how it eased the pain in my calf. I hope this was a help, have a nice day and feel free to email me any time at Cmobilepccontrol@gmail.com with any questions requarding computers or any thing, if I don’t have an answer I will find one.

restless leg syndrome isn’t cramps.. its when you sit down to relax and your legs tingle and you feel like you want to get up and do something regardless of how tired you are.. what you’re experiencing is cramps.. what can fix that problem is taking a low dose potassium supplement.. but be careful, because you can overdose on potassium.. so.. my advice is to take one low dose potassium pill every other day.. just eating bananas won’t work ;).. but by taking one pill every other day, you lessen the chance of getting too much, but still get enough to help stop the cramps :)

I have that same problem! I woke up one morning and I fell off my bed because it hurt so badly. I was nearly in tears!! I feels like your muscels are being ripped apart. but al I can do is wait till I can move again and take some pain medicine. thats really all that can be done because you nv no what nights itll happen. so after the pain is bearable again then you can take some medicine. hope I helped ~ashley

I think my mother calls it a “Charlie’s Horse”. It’s just where a bunch of your muscle fibers get tight.

The quickest way to get rid of one is to pull your toes and foot towards you as far as you can while keeping your leg straight. IT will hurt at first, but it gets rid of the cramp within a few minutes.