The Steel Guitar Forum

Interesting that this thread surfaced again, now. I have nothing to contribute about the scientific "why" or "How" but FWIW:

A few nights ago my wife woke up at 0-dark:30, in agony due to a charley-horse in her right calf. She said it came upon her wave on wave, to quote the song. I tried rubbing it with my hands with no luck. In desperation I grabbed a little jar of Tiger Balm, and slathered it on thick. It took about a minute to work, and she said the cramp went away like flipping a switch. It did not come back at all.

I make no guarantees this will work for anyone else but it can't hurt to try.

Any time you sit or stand with your toes higher than your heel, You are stretching the tendons and mussels in your calf.
When I was a police firearms instructor, We trained and qualified on a range that the targets were uphill from firing lines at 3-7-15-25 yards. I stood on the cement walk in the middle of the range. Had trouble with cramps in my calves after long sessions. I drank a lot of Water, Ice Tea and Power Aid/Gator Aid, Still had problems with cramps in my calves at night.
I found that if I wore a pair of cowboy boots with high heels, No problem with night cramps.

That is the same problem with a lot of the foot wear made today, The foam in the heel flattens and before we know it, We are walking and standing with our toes higher than our heels. And this posture causes back and leg pain of some sort.

Assuming you’re getting annual doctor checkups, keep an eye on your electrolyte levels - sodium, potassium, magnesium. If these are out of whack, they can cause hydration issues that can’t be fixed by just drinking more water. (I lived with 15 years of dangerously low potassium due to an undiagnosed hormone condition. When it was finally diagnosed and cured, I felt like a whole new person - but it still did permanent damage to my cardiovascular system and cost me half the vision in my right eye!) So pay attention to those numbers and listen to your doctor. And if you’re not getting an annual physical and you’re over 40 years of age? PLEASE start. It can save your life.

Beyond that, strengthen your ankles and hips, as well as stretching them, especially if you experience a lot of knee problems. Much knee pain is because our hips and ankles are weak, so mobility needs get pushed onto the knees. If your ankles and hips are stronger, your knees hurt less. It’s better than any magic cure. It will also help your calves - and your ability to play pedal steel, which depends on ankle strength and hip strength.

My favorite simple exercise for this is to just stand on your toes. Plant your feet firmly on the ground and stand straight and tall. Then raise your heels up off the ground, and lower them again, as slowly as possible. Do this ten times, or as many times as you can.

Other important exercises are the classics - walking, and squats. Do them every day, to keep your leg strength and mobility up. Sitting is the new smoking, friends! It’s killing us. Don’t take life sitting down.

These pills are for cramps can be bought over the counter at Rite Aid. Two under your tongue and cramp will be gone in minutes. Brand name Highlads. Works great.

I don't know why but rubbing BioFreeze on a cramp will stop the cramping almost immediately.

Donny Hinson wrote:I used to have extremely painful leg cramps several times a week. I started taking a daily magnesium supplement (250 mg) and the frequency has gone down to less than once a month. Check with a doctor before starting this regimen, as supplemental magnesium is not recommended for people with kidney problems, or when taking certain other medications.

Donny and others: When taking Magnesium supplements it's good to know which ones are best to take. The most common over-the-counter forms are Magnesium Oxide and Magnesium Citrate, and to a lesser degree, Magnesium Glycinate. Of the three, the oxide and citrate forms are inexpensive to produce, and therefore, the most common.

Magnesium Oxide has a very low absorption rate - about 4%. If you take a 100mg tablet you'll only absorb about 4mg. Also, over time, high dosages of the oxide form can cause the kidney failure that Donny has mentioned. Don't waste your money on this one.

Magnesium Citrate (magnesium derived from citric acid) has a much higher rate of absorption - about 70 to 80%. This form is recommended for constipation, but should not be taken if you have loose bowel issues.

The third and more expensive type, Magnesium Glycinate combines elemental magnesium with a molecule of the amino acid, glycine. The glycine makes this form of magnesium the most bio-absorbable. The enhanced version known as Chelated Magnesium Glycinate (aka) Magnesium Bisglycinate combines elemental magnesium with two molecules of the amino acid, glycine. This form is even more bio-absorbable and is even less prone to have negative gastro-intestinal side effects. Recommended daily dosages of Magnesium Glycinate for adults 19 and older are: Approximately 400mg for men and approximately 300mg for women.

As Donny has said, if you have health issues, or are taking prescribed meds, check with your doctor to see if (and which) magnesium supplements are right for you.

Keep on picking'!
Glenn

I got a 2lb bag of "Micro Ingredients" Pure Magnesium Citrate on Amazon that has a scoop in the bag that equals 400 to 500 mg.. I like to mix with a little juice at night. I originally got it to stay asleep all night (recommended by my doc). It's also good to help avoid cramps apparently because of the electrolytes. I've been using that for months and haven't had cramps and do sleep all night a lot more.