How to Treat Charley Horse Cramps
Charley horse cramps is an involuntary contraction of one or two muscles of thighs, feet, calf, stomach, hands and some other parts of the body. These types of cramps are more common in feet, back of thighs and calf areas. These problems happens all of sudden just before sleep, while sleeping or just before planning to run or drift. There is no particular reason why it happens but generally it can be due to some weakness in the muscles areas or fatigue.
Instructions
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There is no immediate medical solution for charley horse cramps at the time of the problem. You should massage the affected area with your hand, with or without using any liquid, and it will relieve the muscles quickly. The stiffness of muscles can take some time to go.
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If it happens in your leg or thigh area, you can stretch your muscles for a while and the problem should be relieved immediately. Initially, you will find it difficult to even stand on the leg but after stretching you can get better.
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You can also relieve the cramped muscles with some ice. It works the way massage and other techniques do.
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Charley horse cramped muscles can also be relieved through warming up the muscles gradually. You can use the basic conventional technique of warming a piece of cotton cloth and then touching it on the affected area for a while.
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Another way to relieve the muscles is to take bath with warm water and Epsom salt. In fact it will give you more relief than other basic techniques, although it will consume more time.
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Putting weight on just the affected area, especially if the legs are affected, can relieve your muscles and make you feel comfortable again. However, it will be difficult to put weight on your stomach muscles or hands.
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To get permanent relief from this problem, you should improve dietary intake habit. For example, you should drink a lot of water regularly. Consume food which has higher level of proteins, calcium and magnesium.
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You can also check with your doctor if this problem happens too often. It can be coupled with muscles numbness. So in that case you should see your doctor, not just depend on home remedies.
