What is the treatment for a leg cramp?
Stretching and massaging the affected muscle (usually a calf muscle) can usually relieve an attack of cramp. Most cramps soon ease off. Painkillers are not usually helpful for a sudden attack of cramp. However, a painkiller such as paracetamol may help to ease muscle discomfort and tenderness that sometimes persists for up to 24 hours after a cramp has gone.
What are the options for preventing leg cramps?
If cramps do not occur often, then no particular treatment is usually needed. However, if you have frequent cramps, you may wish to consider ways of preventing them.
Consider your medication (where appropriate) or other conditions
Tell your doctor if you take any of the medicines listed earlier. It may be causing the leg cramps, or making them recur more often. Alternative medicines may be available. Also, if you have other symptoms apart from cramps, see your doctor who may examine you or do some checks to rule out a secondary cause for the cramps.
Stretching exercises
Stretching exercises are commonly advised. However, there is a lack of good research evidence to prove that it works. One research study concluded that stretching exercises did reduce the number and severity of cramps, but another study did not confirm this. So, as it may help, it is worth trying if you are able to do the exercises. If it works, you will not need any tablets to prevent the leg cramps.
At first, do stretching exercises of affected muscles for about five minutes, three times a day. Do the last exercise shortly before bedtime. If the cramps ease off, you may then only need to do the exercise once or twice a day to keep the cramps away.
To stretch calf muscles, stand about 60-90 cm from a wall. Then, keeping the soles of your feet flat on the floor, bend forward and lean on the wall. You will feel your calf muscles stretch. Do this several times, each time for as long as you can manage. It may take a week or so of exercises before you notice an improvement. So, it is worth giving yourself a 2-4 week trial of regular calf stretching exercises to see if your cramps ease off. The cramps may not go completely, but their frequency and/or severity may reduce.
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Jung woo kim, about 1 year
this was very good, and i would i happy to know more about this so can you send me a mail eveyweek plz and informations will be good.
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matt, about 1 year
hay ma names matt and i play footy every saterday in uk and im fit and healthy but what i wana know is that i can play for 40mins hard and then cramp starts to set in at the bk of me legs and its not a little cramp it really painfull what should i do to prevent it?
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