I woke up this mornin bout 3 Am with a doozy of a leg cramp,,,finally rolled out of bed and got straightened up enough I could start massaging the muscle ,,,Dang, but did thet sob HURT like the dickens,,!! the muscle that runs from your inner thigh down to the knee was tensed up like an old battery cable and like pulsing all the way thru,,,,grabbed my cell phone in case I had to call 911 ,,is how bad it was,!!!  Dang,,I ain't likin this,,,,

 Guess I'm gonna have to go see my PCP  for some guidance, cause if one of them comes on where you cannot get out of bed quick enough to stand and walk it off,,,you is gonna be  in some bad chit,,cause I can't expect any help from a wheel chair bound wife,,,dang it hell gettin old,,,!!!

I don't know you from Adam, but what is your age, what is your occupation,how much water do you drink/day and did you perform a "task" the day before that was out of your "normal" routine ?? Wait until you get a cramp on the TOP of your shin, got a feeling at your age,you WOULD have dialed 911 

 Well,,Freed,,I'm on the other side of 70 and in pretty good health compared to some others,,,chit,,better stop right there,,, I drink a lot of water 5-6 32 oz glasses per day  just cause I like water,,,,maybe a coke a month. I tend to always be trying to stretch my legs while asleep ,,I think is what starts them dang cramps and I can feel one coming because of the stretching,,I think,,, Can't get in to see my PCP til dec ,,so I;m gonna have to watch my friggin stretchin so I don't start another one,,,,

  Chit, Leon,,I'd try that but the wife's hospital bed ain't big enough for two,,!!!

shameless dude wrote: I had one of them while driving the other morning...drove right off into the ditch, jumped out...well kinda slid out and grabbed the outside mirror trying to stay upright! dang...yer right...it did hurt! whew

 Hey Shameless,,,did you go see a sawbones bout that,,?? I'm kinda worried bout this chit happenin as this last one was pretty strong and I hobbled around for bout 20 minutes till I felt I was NOT gonna have to call 911. Some time back, a member here told me bout gettin some "Hyland's Leg Cramps" pills at walmart and I did but the dosage is to take 1-2 pills every 4 hours,,but chit,,I wasn't really wantin to start takin any more pills every day,,,CHIT,,I take too dang many now as it is,,,,may have to tho,,,

My legs and feet have cramped at night for many years,until,in August I had to go to the hospital to have a quad bypass,and before surgery,they had me on an IV for 5 days before they operated.

 A couple of things they had in the IV was potassium and magnesium,and so far I have had only minor cramping.

 Maybe coincidence,but it may bear asking your DR. to test your levels.

Potassium is necessary for stabilizing electrolytes, so take it to reduce cramping.

Magnesium is necessary for rebuilding the sclera (the lubricant sheathing for nerves).  Take it to recover from nerve pinches.

The one to look out for... is Deep Vein Thrombosis.  If your lower leg gets crampy, swollen up, and stiff, get to your doctor quick.  DVT is the result of a clot forming in the deep vein in back of your knee.  It will restrict blood returning from your lower leg and foot.  You'll notice it long before it can do any damage to your foot...

But if that clot busts loose, it's on a high-speed collision course with your heart and lungs... results in a pulmonary embolism (blockage in the lungs)... you'll be coughing up blood, and a first-class ticket to the wrong side of the flowerbed...