Home Remedies for Leg Cramps

Leg cramps can strike out of the blue and cause excruciating pain. It can last for less than a minute or torture you for much longer. Many people suffer from leg cramps primarily at night.

It occurs due to involuntary contractions or spasms of the muscles in your legs. It can affect the calf muscles, thigh muscles and even involve the hamstrings and quadriceps.

Leg cramps can attack anyone including both children and adults, but pregnant women and the elderly may be more prone to it.

You are also more likely to suffer from lower leg cramps if you do exercises that rely heavily on the leg muscles, such as recreational running, weight training using the legs or sports that require a lot of running.

Other risk factors include nutritional deficiencies, muscle fatigue, dehydration, alcoholism, kidney failure, thyroid issues, Type 2 diabetes, vascular disease, being overweight, imbalance of electrolytes, circulatory problems, hormonal imbalance, neural disorders and restless legs syndrome.

Leg cramps can be very painful and often occur suddenly, but they may give warning signs like tingling and twitching of the muscles before you feel the abrupt pain. Other symptoms include swelling and soreness in the affected area. Also, when having the cramp, you may not be able to move your leg.

If you experience leg cramps, you can alleviate the pain and even prevent the problem with some lifestyle changes and home remedies.

Here are the top 10 home remedies for leg cramps.

1. Walking or Stretching

When you have a leg cramp, the best thing that you can do is engage in some physical activity immediately. A simple exercise like walking will also do wonders. Walking will cause pain but if the pain is bearable, take a slow walk for some time, and you will soon feel better.

Taking a walk sends a signal to your brain that your muscle needs to contract and then relax. This will ease the tight muscles and provide relief from the discomfort.

• As soon as you have a leg cramp, stop everything and lightly stretch the affected area for 15 to 30 seconds at a time, then gently massage the area to relax the tight muscles.
• Alternatively, you can simply walk around to ease the muscle tightness.
• To reduce the chance of having a cramp at night, stretch your leg muscles before going to bed. The best way to do this is to ride a stationary bicycle for 10 minutes before you go to bed.

In addition, you must try to exercise daily. Regular exercise helps the muscles function properly, which in turn reduces the risk of leg cramps, especially at night.

If you cannot join a gym or devote time to do intense exercise, try walking. Do 30 minutes of brisk walking daily.

Caution: If stretching causes more intense pain, stop doing it.

2. Massage

Massage is another effective treatment for leg cramps.

Massaging the cramped area increases circulation in the tissue, which provides a rush of new fluid to relax the tense muscle.

However, before using this remedy, bear in mind that massage can cause a lot of pain in the beginning but soon the pain will be gone.

1. Apply some warm olive or coconut oil to the cramped area.
2. Massage the cramped muscle with long strokes until it relaxes.
3. After the massage, wrap the area with a warm towel and leave it on for a few hours.
4. Repeat as needed.

3. Epsom Salt Soak

An Epsom salt soak is an age-old remedy for leg cramps.

The magnesium in Epsom salt promotes muscle relaxation and healing, thereby reducing the discomfort of leg cramps.

Also, this type of bath is an easy way to prevent or correct a magnesium deficiency, a common cause of cramps.

1. Fill your bathtub with warm water.
2. Add 2 cups of Epsom salt and stir it thoroughly.
3. Soak in this bath for 20 minutes.
4. Usually, taking this bath once will take care of the problem.

Caution: People who have heart problems, high blood pressure, or diabetes should not use an Epsom salt bath.

4. Apple Cider Vinegar

To combat leg cramps, apple cider vinegar is also effective. It is rich in minerals like potassium that help reduce the frequency, intensity, and pain of leg cramps.

Plus, apple cider vinegar helps control the fluid balances in the body, thus preventing dehydration, a common cause of leg cramps.

• To ease a leg cramp, mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into a glass of warm water. Drink this tonic and soon you will get relief from the discomfort.
• To prevent leg cramps, mix 1 teaspoon each of apple cider vinegar and honey and 1 tablespoon of calcium lactate in half a glass of warm water. Drink this solution daily before going to bed to prevent the problem.

5. Blackstrap Molasses

Another time-tested remedy for leg cramps is blackstrap molasses.

Being rich in calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, vitamin B6 and selenium, blackstrap molasses helps ease the tight muscles. This, in turn, lessens the discomforts of leg cramps.

1. Mix 1 to 2 teaspoons of blackstrap molasses into 1 cup of warm milk.
2. Drink it daily for a few weeks.

6. Yellow Mustard

This may sound strange but many people have reported getting immediate relief from leg cramps simply eating a spoonful of yellow mustard.

The exact reason why it works is still not clear, but its pungent taste is believed to trigger neuronal stimulation which regulates nerve function, thus influencing the nerves causing the leg cramp.

• Eat 1 teaspoon of yellow mustard as soon as you experience a leg cramp. It will help relieve the pain within minutes.
• If you do not have yellow mustard then you can try having an ounce of pickle juice.