My husband is 80. Recently he has been getting severe leg cramps especially at night. It keeps him up and is wearing him out. Is he lacking a mineral or vitamin? Also, his voice has become very weak. He doesn't understand why. He has had some heart issues and has 3 stents. Any insight would be helpful.
I myself was suffering leg cramps a few years ago and googled it and yuppers - the culprit was too little sodium. Now I try to keep my sodium around 1200+ mg daily.
My dad found relief by drinking a glass of tonic water every two or three days. While he was doing that he had no cramps. Also, I have heard for relief at the time of cramp you can consume any of these - mustard, cider vinagar, olive juice.
Now for the one that sounds crazy, but people swear it works. Put a bar of soap under your bottom sheet on your bed down in the area of your legs. Some say ivory soap, some say it does not matter which soap you use. Change to a new bar every 3 - 4 months. I have heard speculation that there is a substance used in the making of soap that keeps cramps at bay. Hope you find your solution.
1. Make sure the blankets or sheets don't pin down the feet in a toes pointing down position. Keeping the feet in this position promotes cramps as the calf muscles tire from being stretched.
2. Give massage to the legs either at night before bedtime or I do it in my bath using my fingers to press deeply into the calf.
3. Take several teaspoons of organic apple cider vinegar in juice or cold tea or water at bedtime. The vinegar needs to be unfiltered with must in the bottom of the bottle. I also tried pickle juice, but that didn't work as well.
4. I can't easily tolerate oral magnesium (diarrhea). So, instead, I found magnesium oil supplements in the form of creams. Two creams that have worked for me are Therawrox Relief (sold at www.therawrox.com) and Magsoothium cream (sold at www.magsoothium.com). The magsoothium cream is also available as a spray. You can also purchase magnesium oil which is messier to apply since it is somewhat greasy and drips. All of these products are also available on www.amazon.com. However, when you apply the products, they work better if you press firmly and massage them in. The firm pressure helps to release tension
5. Once your husband gets cramps, it's very hard to stop them immediately. I have found that flexing the ankle usually stops cramps in about 30 seconds--but you have to flex really hard. Maybe you could press back on his foot as he attempts to press against your weight. Or if he is strong enough and not distracted by pain, he could try it himself. I have heard that a mixture of DMSO and lavender oil--perhaps in some carrier could work. I tried it and other remedies, but none worked so well for me as massage/stretching to stop cramps and magnesium/vinegar to prevent them.
About the weakness--is it related to heart failure? What does his cardiologist say? Frailty is common in elders over 80. Perhaps he can be medically treated to improve his strength. Best wishes!
One would want to be sure the patient was not exercising or walking too much for their
level of usual activity.
On the other hand, my leg cramps came on from too much time in bed, level 10+, in pain, and lack of magnesium. Taking magnesium, vit. D, and going outside more to physical therapy and the chiropractor helped me.
There are articles discussing remedies for leg cramps, coughs, etc.
Some are old, tried and true formulas.
It is important to note a BALANCE of potassium, magnesium, and calcium is required.
If there are heart palpitations that can be caused by a potassium and magnesium deficiency. (heart palps are different than heart issues requiring stents), but check with your doctor rather than self-prescribed home remedies, imo. It was even noted that too much (magnesium, potassium) can cause same heart palps.
Enjoy reading this old publication with suggestions for even horse linament for leg cramps. Leg cramp terms: Charley horse, muscle hangover, wooden leg, thigh hen, thigh cookie, donkey bite, old woman, and water buffalo. Lol!!
Mustard and pickles contain vinegar
I always sleep a bit better if I take a calcium magnesium tab before bed
I don't know if I could hold a bar of soap between my cookie thighs all night though
Mustard and Pickles also contain salt.
Waiting for the brits to come along with their names for leg cramps.....
Do you think it will be called a thigh biscuit? A Cookie crumble?
What kind of soap should we use?
The strangest thing to me is, there are ALL these remedies, I am reading up for hours on it.......with cramping muscles, foot, ankle calf, thigh, piriformis pains increasing..by the hour....
and I have not yet tried even one suggestion. Truly, now I am an old woman.