Charlie horse
 

Tonight my wife and I went out on our nightly walk. We bring the big old dumb Akita along.

Three-quarter of the way, on the return leg of our walk, I suddenly got hit with "charlie horse" on BOTH legs. The pain was so intense it dropped me to my knees.

I've occassionally experienced charlie horse before. But only on one leg and never while walking and never so painful.

I was down on my knees for a good 5 minutes (I am sure that it must have looked funny to passerbys). anyhow, I was able to eventually get up and made my way back home.

All the way back my legs both hurt. (Calf muscle).

The pain would lessen if I lengthened my stride. But if I stopped walking it would really hurt.

You guys know anything about charlie horses?

Any of you guys ever experience anything similar?

You need more potassium in your blood. Try eating some bananas or other foods with high potassium.

Or chew on the Volvo's bumper:D

Potassium supplements am correct,as I and my dear wife have what is vulgarly referred to as "leg jumps",in her case due to leukemia and mine due to seizure disorder.

Gabapentin,or Neurontin is quite effective as well,providing you know a "sympathetic"physician.............

I think that you and 300EVIL are right. I have cut back on my banana consumption (too much sugar) and I've noticed that I now get the occasional charley horse.

I may need to get potassium supplements. :idea2:

Trust me, it hurt so much and it came on so suddenly I almost bit my own legs off...or at least the Akita's leg. :eek:

I drink a glass of low sodium V8 juice at lunch time. It's got less sugar and more potassium than a banana.

I am only having a V8 if I can make a Bloody Mary and drink it at lunch!!! :D

My calves still feel tight. I have been going up and down stairs and it hurts like a mother going up...OUCH!

Getting "older" is not fun. :(

Two summers ago, I "partially" dehydrated myself (drank about 8 bottles of Gatorade...go figure) and ended up with the worst CH ever...situated right on the inner left thigh, near the groin...I was in tears and biting the pillow for 10 minutes...

Then this past fall, I started bowling. About 3 weeks after starting, I was on an approach when all of a sudden, it felt like someone just stuck a flaming-hot poker in my left calf, then ripped the bugger off the bone. I just about "wet 'em" 'cause the pain was so bad. I managed to finish bowling then headed home to a hot bath. Didn't help much.

Then I decided to check WEBMD.

Typing in "cramps" gets you fixes for menstral problems (NOT!) and other related items.

Closest cure was adding a bit more sodium to the diet.

Since then, not so bad or severe.

Hope that helps...

Do you suffer from any lower back pain? It's possible you might have a pinched nerve along your spine. I have a herniated disc at L5 S1 discs, which causes sciatica in my right leg. I will sometimes get incredibly intense charlie horses in my right leg, usually in my thigh.

Believe me, hijito, I didn't mean to belittle what happened. This has happened to me, and once in a while, about once a year or so, still does, but when sleeping with one leg crossed over another. It's agony, and it gets you out of bed INSTANTLY. I wonder if it has to do with circulation issues

I hope this goes away quick. It sounds like you are in pretty good shape, basically.

(Off topic, I saw a good foreign film "Beyond Silence" this evening, about a German girl with deaf parents, who was given a clarinet by a musical aunt and discovers her own extraordinary gift, goes to music academy in Berlin, falls in love, then a terrible accident happens to her mother. Also, unforgettable footage of early 90's Berlin, oh those W124 taxis under the Brandenburg Gate. Quite a good film)
Good movie if you like foreign movies)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116692/

i am a fan of banannas. i eat one a day.

but i would also get checked by a doc.

i think ch can be caused by other things that banannas will not solve.

tom w

'at's right.

Also, some meds can give you cramps in the leg muscles. If you're taking meds because you're a midnight dribbler (gotta pee a lot) or meds for BP, some of them have that side effect.

That's exactly how it felt. Sudden and painful. when I dropped to my knees my wife thought I was having a heart attack, except I wasn't clutching my chest, I was grabbing the back of my legs!

I'll try adding my salt to my diet. I have a relatively salt-free diet, so maybe that's it--also more potassium.

I have a doc's appointment coming up, so I'll mention it to her and ask her to run some bloodwork to see if I have some sort of chemical imbalance.

I ride my bike and use a rowing machine, plus I walk. Maybe I've been trying too hard. :(

Good idea.

I am seeing my doc on tuesday for my annual physical. I'll mention it to her and see what she says.