Treatment
Self-care measures usually can treat muscle cramps. A health care provider can show you stretching exercises that can reduce the chances of getting muscle cramps. Drinking plenty of fluids can also help prevent muscle cramps.
If you keep getting cramps that wake you from sleep, a care provider might prescribe medicine to relax muscles or help you sleep.
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Clinical trials
Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
Lifestyle and home remedies
Calf stretch
Calf stretch
While holding on to a chair, keep one leg back with your knee straight and your heel flat on the floor. Slowly bend your elbows and front knee and move your hips forward until you feel a stretch in your calf. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds. Switch leg positions and repeat with your other leg.
If you have a cramp, these actions might help:
-
Stretch and massage. Stretch the cramped muscle and gently rub it. For a calf cramp, keep the leg straight while pulling the top of your foot on the side that's cramped toward your face. Also try standing with your weight on your cramped leg and pressing down firmly. This helps ease a cramp in the back of the thigh too.
For a front thigh cramp, try pulling the foot on that leg up toward your buttock. Hold on to a chair to steady yourself.
- Apply heat or cold. Use a warm towel or heating pad on tense or tight muscles. Taking a warm bath or directing the stream of a hot shower onto the cramped muscle also can help. Rubbing the sore muscle with ice also might relieve pain.
Alternative medicine
Taking vitamin B complex and other vitamins might help manage leg cramps. Talk to your health care provider about what to take.
Preparing for your appointment
See a health care provider if you have muscle cramps often that are severe and not getting better with self-care.
Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment.
What you can do
Make a list of:
- Your symptoms, including any that seem unrelated to the reason for your appointment, and when they began.
- Key personal information, including major stresses, recent life changes and family medical history.
- All medicines, vitamins and supplements you take, including doses.
- Questions to ask your provider.
For muscle cramps, questions to ask your provider might include:
- What's likely causing my cramps?
- Are there other possible causes?
- What tests do I need?
- What can I do about the cramping?
Ask any other questions you have.
What to expect from your doctor
Your provider is likely to ask you questions, including:
- How often do you get cramps and how bad are they?
- What, if anything, do you do before you get a cramp? Do cramps usually happen after exercise?
- Do you get cramps while resting?
- Does stretching help your cramps?
- Do you have other symptoms, such as muscle weakness or numbness?
- Have you noticed changes in your urine after exercise?
FAQs
In mild cases, it might feel like your muscle is jumping around on its own. Sometimes, you might even see your muscle twitching. In severe cases, it might feel like your entire muscle stiffens up into a tight ball. (This happens a lot with leg cramps.)
What is the proper treatment for muscle cramps? ›
Apply heat or cold. Use a warm towel or heating pad on tense or tight muscles. Taking a warm bath or directing the stream of a hot shower onto the cramped muscle also can help. Rubbing the sore muscle with ice also might relieve pain.
What drink stops muscle cramps? ›
Electrolyte-containing drinks may help with leg cramps, but there's no proof that they work for everyone. There's no best electrolyte drink for leg cramps. But sports drinks, oral rehydration solutions like Pedialyte, and coconut water may all help ease leg cramps by replacing electrolytes lost from sweat.
What is the number one cause of muscle cramps? ›
Muscle cramps are common and often occur when a muscle is overused or injured. Working out when you have not had enough fluids (dehydration) or when you have low levels of minerals such as sodium, potassium, or calcium can also make you more likely to have a muscle spasm.
What diseases have muscle cramps as a symptom? ›
Although the vast majority of muscle cramps are harmless, muscle cramps can sometimes be a sign of a more serious health condition, such as:
- Spinal nerve irritation or compression (radiculopathy)
- Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
- Narrowing of the spinal canal (spinal stenosis)
- Thyroid disease.
- Chronic infection.
Q. It's been suggested that drinking 2 to 3 ounces of tonic water before bedtime can prevent leg cramps at night.
What vitamin gets rid of muscle cramps? ›
Vitamins B1, B12, and D may help relieve them, along with potassium and magnesium. This article discusses whether vitamin deficiencies can cause leg cramps, home and medical treatment, and when a person should see a doctor.
What is the strongest natural muscle relaxer? ›
The Best Natural Muscle Relaxers, According to Experts
- Magnesium. ...
- Epsom Salt. ...
- Tart Cherries. ...
- Chamomile, Lavender and Peppermint Essential Oils. ...
- Yoga and Meditation. ...
- Rest and Hydration.
The acetic acid (which is what gives the brine its sour bite) and salt in pickle juice are thought to trigger the cramp-relieving reflex faster than water, a narrative review in Muscle & Nerve indicates.
What foods are bad for muscle cramps? ›
Simple foods swaps
| Eat more | Eat less |
|---|
| Plant-based dairy free alternatives such as nut milks or tofu | Dairy foods, especially milk |
| Dried fruit such as figs | Processed foods including baked goods, cakes, crisps or fast food |
| Pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds | Eggs |
7 more rowsJul 27, 2018
Drinking cinnamon, lemon, dandelion and hibiscus teas can help with bloating. Raspberry leaf, chamomile, thyme and oolong teas can help relieve menstrual cramps. And ginger, peppermint and green teas can help with both. Plus, these herbal teas can have other benefits, like stress relief and helping with insomnia.
What is your body lacking when you have muscle cramps? ›
Minerals and electrolytes
Some of these important substances include calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. Inadequate diet, dehydration, vomiting and diarrhoea are just some of the factors that are thought to disturb the body's balance of minerals and electrolytes, and make muscles more susceptible to cramping.
How to stop muscle cramps fast? ›
Takeaways. Muscle cramps can be painful, but they're usually short-lived and not a cause for concern. Self-care like stretching, heat, and massage can help with discomfort in the moment, while stretching and drinking enough water may prevent cramps from happening.
What is the best natural remedy for leg cramps? ›
Apply heat: Use a heating pad or take a warm bath. Apply cold: Wrap a bag of ice in a towel and apply it to the area. Take pain medications: Take ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help with the pain. Elevate: Prop up your leg after the cramp starts to feel better.
What medicine is used for muscle cramps? ›
Medical treatment for muscle cramps
Muscle relaxant medications may be used over the short term in certain situations to relax muscle cramps due to an injury or other temporary event. These medications include cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), orphenadrine (Norflex), and baclofen (Lioresal).
How do doctors test for muscle spasms? ›
If the individual's medical history and physical examination are not sufficient to diagnose muscle spasms, the clinician may order blood tests to check the individual's levels of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. A creatine phosphokinase (CPK) blood test can be used to detect muscle breakdown.
How to tell the difference between muscle cramp and muscle pain? ›
There are two main causes of muscle pain, cramps and strains. Brief acute pain is usually due to muscle cramps. Continuous pain is usually due to muscle overuse from a strenuous activity.
When should you see a doctor for muscle cramps? ›
Cramps are usually harmless but may sometimes be symptomatic of an underlying medical disorder, such as atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries). Regular cramping or severe cramping that lasts longer than a few minutes should always be investigated by your doctor.
What is a cramp test? ›
The test is performed with the person in prone position. Against a forceful knee flexion, the examiner holds the leg with one hand and applies a force to overcome the knee flexion. The finding is positive if the examined person feels a disturbing cramp in the leg or thigh.
