What to Do with Muscle Cramps

Don’t Let Foot Cramps and Charley Horses Slow You Down

7 causes and remedies for foot cramps and charley horses

 

You’re sound asleep, and then, without warning, you wake up with a paralyzing stiffness in your calf or foot.

Whether you call it a foot or leg cramp (aka “charley horse”), it’s a common, somewhat mysterious pain that happens when a muscle gets involuntarily stiff and can’t relax.

“They tend to happen more frequently as we age,” says sports and exercise medicine physician Kim Gladden, MD. “While they can be uncomfortable, they are rarely harmful.”
Here’s what causes these cramps, as well as tips to help prevent them.

Article