What Are the Treatments for Foot & Leg Cramps?

Foot and leg cramps are involuntary contractions of the muscles that can occur at any time and without warning. They can be extremely painful but are usually not serious and can be treated easily. Foot and leg cramps can occur for a variety of reasons, including circulation problems, dehydration, overuse of the muscles and lack of salt in the diet.

Drink Fluids

• If you become dehydrated, you may experience leg cramps, especially at night. This happens a lot to runners and other active people who sweat a lot and therefore lose a lot of body fluids. According to the Mayo Clinic, you should try to drink at least 64 ounces of water a day to stay fully hydrated. Drinking tonic water that contains quinine can also help calm leg and foot cramps. Drink 4 to 6 ounces of tonic water before bed to help fight cramps.

Moist Heat

• Take a hot shower or bath to relax the muscles in your legs and feet. Try to get the water as hot as you can stand it. Do this right before you go to bed to help prevent night cramps. Try soaking or allowing the water to run down your legs for at least 15 minutes. If you start getting cramps during the day or after exercising, take your hot shower then.

Stretching

• Stretch the muscles completely before exercising to prevent them from tightening up. Stretching the muscles lengthens them and helps prevent cramping. If your legs and feet begin to cramp sit down and and pull your toes up towards the ceiling. This will help stretch out and loosen your muscles.

Massage

• Massage can quickly remove tension in your muscles. Ice your muscle while you are massaging it to relieve the tension. Move up and down the muscle until the cramp goes away. The cramp may come back after you stop the massage. If so, simply massage again as necessary until the cramps subside.

Homeopathic Remedies

• Chamomile tea can help relax the muscles and provide relief from cramps. Place chamomile leaves into a pot of boiling water and allow the tea to steep for several minutes. Drain the water and add sugar or honey to sweeten the tea to your taste. Allow the tea to cool and sip it slowly.

Vitamins

• An imbalance of calcium and potassium can cause muscle cramps. Take a good multivitamin that contains Vitamin E, A and folic acid, and eat foods that are rich in potassium, such as bananas, orange juice, and potatoes.