Leg Cramps

[k8sl8]

I have EXTREME lower leg cramps, most nights, sometimes more than once a night. It is usually the muscle up the FRONT left of my shin (left leg)and it curls my foot under. Very painful, and difficult to release sometimes as I can't even straighten my foot enough to stand on it.

It has a direct correlation to my eating RAW and happens very quickly - usually just a couple days in to starting raw again. (I have started and stoped a couple times in the past year for a variety of reasons and this is a constant.)

Has anyone experienced anything similar or is this just my thing? It never stops completely when I'm raw but does not happen as often after several months. Huge PITA, for sure.

I eat several bananas a day so not low potassium and I shouldn't be dehydrated with all the fruit and veggies - to say nothing about plain ol' water.

[MysticTree]

It was suggested to me that stretching your muscles really well before bed will stop this. Long, slow stretches. Also, though maybe it's an old wives tale, salt. When you are raw what is your salt intake like?

[Arky]

Can be a sign of low calcium and/or low magnesium.

Can also relate to fibromyalgia in some cases.

Does it happen more when you eat raw greens, or just raw foods in general? (please try to think about this for a while and answer as accurately as you can).

[Revvell]

I shouldn't be dehydrated with all the fruit and veggies - to say nothing about plain ol' water.

Yeah you could be. Are you drinking about 64 ounces of fluid a day?

What does this mean? "It has a direct correlation to my eating RAW...."

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

lt could be calcium and magnesium deficiency, but it could also be a variety of things. Have you tried adding sprouted poppy seeds, sprouted chia seeds and sprouted sesame seeds to your diet?

l used to get bad cramping in the legs and feet but the sesame and chia stopped it. l haven't had a cramp in a long time now.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Calcium from food assist the muscle. If you are lacking of vitamin D, you won't be able to utilize calcium. If your body is acid, your body will use the calcium to maintain your blood stream balance.

If fibromyalgia as suggested, you need to get your lymph fluid working, see dr. Morse (robert morsend on youtube)

All the best.

p.s I am not a doctor, please research.

[Norie]

The same thing happens to me! But not to do with raw... I get this when I'm dehydrated. Are you drinking enough fluids? Or maybe you're eating something new that has a high sodium content. Anyway try drinking a big glass before bed, I find it helps!

[MysticTree]

this may be interesting to you.

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Cramps-in-the-Leg.htm

[k8sl8]

What does this mean? "It has a direct correlation to my eating RAW...."

It means when I eat RAW, the leg cramps start for no apparant outside reason, ie, overwork, lots of standing, walking, etc.

[k8sl8]

It was suggested to me that stretching your muscles really well before bed will stop this. Long, slow stretches. Also, though maybe it's an old wives tale, salt. When you are raw what is your salt intake like?

Salt intake is pretty low and I don't like tons of celery, usually a good source of natural sodium, therefore I only have a bit in things. I don't add to much of anything except my avocado if I'm eating it alone and then it's sea salt.

[k8sl8]

Can be a sign of low calcium and/or low magnesium.

Can also relate to fibromyalgia in some cases.

Does it happen more when you eat raw greens, or just raw foods in general? (please try to think about this for a while and answer as accurately as you can).

It happens when I eat raw in general I believe - this time as well as historically. Now I'm eating more fruit than anything, avocado and some greens. I grow kale, chard, spinach, beet greens and lettuce, but I'm sick of big salads all the time. Do you have a direction you're going with the greens question?

[k8sl8]

Calcium from food assist the muscle. If you are lacking of vitamin D, you won't be able to utilize calcium. If your body is acid, your body will use the calcium to maintain your blood stream balance.

If fibromyalgia as suggested, you need to get your lymph fluid working, see dr. Morse (robert morsend on youtube)

All the best.


p.s I am not a doctor, please research.

I have an outside job in ND and spend winters in FL so I don't think Vit. D is a problem but the acid could be, good call. I probably should key on some higher calcium foods.

I have also increased my water intake to see it this helps. (Not my favorite thing, I'd much rather have coffee... YES, I know it's not good for me!)

[k8sl8]

this may be interesting to you.

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Cramps-in-the-Leg.htm

Thanks. Very informative and one I hadn't seen before. No meds here, but all experts state dehydration as a cause, so I'm going with that for now. Water, water, water...

[Raw Angel Mom]

If you are ok with fruits, do fruits for breakfast up to lunch. You will hydrate your body with great quality of water this way and also help your lymph and nerve system.

Consider also to do green smoothie. I find this is my coffee now and i cannot do without, lol.... So delicious. A great combination is any greens, banana mango and enough water to blend maybe 1 cup or 2. It will help your body PH balance.

All is well!

[DawnD]

I would suggest massage therapy. You live in FL and should be able to find a therapist that specialized in neuromuscular therapy. You may have a trigger point-a place of waste build up in the muscle- and massage can help clear that out. I would also add some calcium or magnesium to my diet. When I need to relax my muscles or even have sluggish bowels I take a dose of powdered magnesuim before bed. The SAD diet leads to magnesium deficiency also.

Wish you the best.

[k8sl8]

I have taken the advice of more hydration. I feel I was drinking 'enough' ie. recommended amounts of water, but I have shifted when I was drinking to more into the evening. I was doing most of my water before dinner. With part of it in the evening now, I seem to be getting some better. I still have some nasty cramps, but not as often and not as severe. Of course I also have to "get up" at night more often too, lol.

I do fruit smoothie or green smoothie every morning not always when I get up, but when I'm hungry. Mostly fruit until dinner with sometimes a salad at lunch. Lots of 'wet' food in my life!

[streetsurfer]

This may not be much help but I suffered leg cramps for several years. They'd come after exertion, light dehydration, days in the heat, even when I couldn't find a reason; mostly in my sleep, but often throughout the day as well.
After finally finding out I had many food allergies and a problem with wheat/gluten, and then the elimination of them from my diet, the leg cramps went away. Mine weren't just in the legs, but whatever muscles saw extensive use that day. If I was pruning my hands and forearms would cramp, and if I spent much time bent over working or lifting, my back would spasm. Ladder work or walking, leg cramps.
In the years since the dietary changes, the cramps have only visited me on very rare occasions. If I slip and get contaminated with wheat, I suffer the leg cramps at night again. Adding salt to my water helped before I did the food eliminations. I still use the salt to help me keep hydrated.

I am reading a good book now on the importance of staying well hydrated in order to support the body's metabolism processes, and it explains the connection between chronic dehydration and disease. Maybe you would be interested in reading it. You Body's Many Cries For Water, by Dr F. Batmanghelidj (that's right-Dr. Batman, lol).

[k8sl8]

Thanks. I may have to find that.

[walnutty]

Are you eating lots of bananas and oranges?

I have a close friend that started getting severe leg cramps and she was diagnosed with Hyperkalemia (higher-than-normal levels of potassium in the blood). She is not allowed to eat any fruits and veggies that have med-high amounts of potassium and has to get her blood checked regularly.

If it continues, please see a doctor...

[therawmichelle]

I also had a lot of leg cramps at some point, and they were extremely painful, nearly made me cry. In my case, it was diet related, because i only ate junk food at that time.
The causes of leg cramps are varied, and they may be linked to your raw diet, but only if you're not getting enough of some nutrients. You could try getting your blood-work done, to see if the issue is diet related.

The causes of leg cramps may be:
- dehydration and electrolyte imbalance
- low levels of calcium, potassium, magnesium or sodium in the blood
- muscle fatigue, overuse, or injury
- artery disease that narrows the blood vessels in your limbs
- damage to the nerves in the lower spine
- different types of medications, including diuretics

In your case, my amateur diagnosis is that you're not getting enough minerals in your system. But again, a blood-work could solve this mystery easily.