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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staff
If you have a cramp, these actions may provide relief:
- Stretch and massage. Stretch the cramped muscle and gently rub it to help it relax. For a calf cramp, put your weight on your cramped leg and bend your knee slightly. If you're unable to stand, try pulling the top of your foot on the affected side toward your head while your leg is in a straightened position. This will also help ease a back thigh (hamstring) cramp. For a front thigh (quadriceps) cramp, use a chair to steady yourself and try pulling your foot on the affected side up toward your buttock.
- Apply cold or heat. Use a cold pack to relax tense muscles. Use a warm towel or heating pad later if you have pain or tenderness, or take a hot bath.
References
- Muscle cramp. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00200. Accessed May 4, 2010.
- Sheon RP. Nocturnal leg cramps, night starts, and nocturnal myoclonus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 4, 2010.
- Schwellnus MP. Muscle cramping in athletes — Risk factors, clinical assessment, and management. Clinics in Sports Medicine. 2008;27:183.
- Katzberg HD. Assessment: Symptomatic treatment for muscle cramps (an evidence-based review). Neurology. 2010;74:691.
- Laskowski ER (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 11, 2010.
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