[kepi]

Basically once a week or so my left calf muscle cramps up severely. It always happens during sleep to violently wake me up. I have a banana a day so I don't think it's due to lack of potassium. I walk a lot, but other than that... any idea why?

[J_9]

Are you on any meds? A banana is great, but there are other foods out there than can aid in giving you potassium such as Kewi (has more potassium than bananas, but is a little expensive), orange juice, etc.

Some meds though will cause cramping. I am curious about your calcium too. Too much calcium can cause this.

[kepi]

I have kiwis every other day. I drink about three 8 oz glasses a day. I am not on an meds. I take a "Men's One-A-Day" pill. And some orange juice.

[Sanjay Persad]

That happens to me on occasions as I play tennis competitively. Does your job entail walking or do you participate in sports related activities which can cause muscle exhaustion?

[kepi]

I'm in nursing school and we stand around a lot... but nothing extreme, you know?

[Sanjay Persad]

That's pretty strange because usually when someone gets a cramp it is a strain of the muscle. Basically from what I know is that calf cramps occur also when you get dehydrated, essentials salts are somewhat depleted or there is a restriction of blood flow

What you should do is find out the cause of the injury by consulting a doctor. Without medical treatment it may get worse. Stretch the leg regularly and you can ask someone to massage it.

Also diet plays an important role. As I said depletion of essential salt, potassium, magnesium and calcium would cause severe muscle spasms/cramps.

[sunit]

Did you ever get this resolved? My son & I are having the same problem.

We're fine when we go to bed, and then we wake up sore in the left calf just above
The achilles... weird!

Thanks