My 91 year-old mom gets severe leg cramps at night. Last night they were so bad she wanted to stand because walking sometimes helps. Her left leg gave out and she fell. She was on the floor about 1 1/2 hours. Her lifeline was on the charger and she couldn't get to it. She called out to me but I did not hear. She is okay but my question is what do people do to stop nighttime leg cramps? I have heard that she needs to drink more water during the day, take mustard, magnesium and quinine water. She has taken the mustard in the past and thought it helped a little but certainly not enough. She is going to start taking a 250 mg magnesium pill before bed time and will try to drink more water. What do other folks do to stop these horrible cramps which not only hurt badly but keep her up at night?
If she gets a cramp while in bed, this is what my 93-yr old mom's PT told her to do;
Lay flat on your back. Keeping your cramped leg straight and your toes pointing up (ie like how your leg and foot are when you're standing upright on a floor) - then slowly raise that leg as high as you can from the hip without bending the leg and keeping the foot in that same position. It really works for my mom and I've had to do it myself and yes, it does relieve the cramp quickly.
Do give her the magnesium as well, it will help that and other things and help her sleep well.
Just wondering if that would have any effect?
https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/night-leg-cramps/basics/when-to-see-doctor/sym-20050813
Summary:
"Most of the time, no apparent cause for night leg cramps can be identified. In general, night leg cramps are likely to be related to muscle fatigue and nerve problems. The risk of having night leg cramps increases with age."
Known causes are:
Structural disorders like:
- Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
- Spinal stenosis
Metabolic problems:
- Acute kidney failure
- Addison's disease (adrenal insufficiency)
- Anemia
- Chronic kidney disease
- Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver)
- Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)
- Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
- Type 1 diabetes
- Type 2 diabetes
Medications and procedures:
- Blood pressure drugs
- Cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins)
- Dialysis
- Diuretics (water retention relievers)
- Oral contraceptives
Other conditions:
- Dehydration
- Diarrhea
- Muscle fatigue
- Nerve damage, as from cancer treatments
- Osteoarthritis (disease causing the breakdown of joints)
- Parkinson's disease
Wishing you and your mom a good solution that will work for her.
You are right, it is amazing for many things, we would all be healthier if we took it everyday.
Another option is Gabapentin, has she tried that?
My DH wears compression hose every day, all day. This has greatly reduced his 'jimmy legs' or the creept crawly sensation he'd get.
I think it's a trial and error kind of thing. So annoying!
Of course, you should ask your mother’s doctor before giving it to her, especially since she is already taking magnesium.
It is available at natural foods stores. It is a little tart; I sometimes add stevia. I hope your mom has found some relief.
When I get leg cramps I put on a pair of Birkenstock sandals and get back into bed.
For me, this works every single time without fail.
Put a bar of deodorant soap under the fitted sheet where her legs rest in bed. When she feels a leg crap coming on, rub on it and that will stop it. Also keeping a stick of anti-perspirant deodorant by the bed and rubbing on when the cramp starts will stop it. Or swiping some of the deodorant on the legs before bed will stop leg cramps from starting up. If not totally stop them, they reduce the severity.
The deordorant has to be a stick. Not a spray. Not a roll-on. Not an all-natural one either. A regular anti-perspirant deodorant stick. Try it. This works