Last week on our blog we talked about ways to avoid painful leg cramps. Well, this week it seemed appropriate to address when all that prevention fails, and we still get a cramp. How do we lessen the pain especially when they happen late at night, while we are sleeping? Here are a few home remedies and suggestions that might help.
First, soak your foot and leg in an Epsom salt bath. Put warm water in a bin and add 2 cups of Epsom salt, then stir to dissolve. Soak in the bath for around 20 minutes and it should help loosen up that cramp. This remedy is not recommended for people with certain health conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure.
Second, apply heat or cold. Both temperatures can be helpful in relaxing a seized up muscle. You can even use Zim’s Max Freeze Cooling Liquid to provide deep pain relief at the heart of the muscle. Hand warmers or other heat therapy may also be effective.
Third, massage the muscle. You don’t need to be a professional masseuse to gently massage the cramped up muscles. Just rub the cramped area to get more circulation to the muscle tissue hopefully easing up the cramping. A professional massage may also be helpful to help avoid cramping in the future.
Fourth, when you have a leg cramp it is best to keep moving as much as possible. By stretching and other gentle movements your nerves begin to tell your muscles to relax and the cramping should begin to calm down. We also recommend stretching or going on a gentle walk around the room until the cramping eases.
Fifth, drink lots of water and consider apple cider vinegar. Dehydration can be a cause of leg cramping so if we up our water intake we are less likely to get cramps in the first place. We can also drink more during the cramping to try and invigorate our body that may be in need of water. Apple cider vinegar can also help prevent dehydration and contains potassium which helps muscles function at their best.
By following these simple steps hopefully we can help relieve the pain leg cramps can cause. There are also many other home remedies, which many people swear by, that can be effective. What are some of your favorites? We would love to hear in the comments section.
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