Muscle Cramp Remedies

Pickle Juice

Posted by Gingerkat (Mcdonough, Ga) on 06/05/2017
★★★★★

Pickle juice is miraculous for leg, foot, or hand cramps

Pickle juice works within seconds whenever I have muscle cramps in my legs, feet, or hands. I couldn't believe it when one of my friends recommended it but it has never failed to work.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Gloria (Pgh, Pa.) on 11/04/2016
★★★★★

God bless you all. I jumped up 3am with pain in right foot, and left calf. Finally in between tears I found this forum. The cider w/mother worked miracles like it does for so many other things its worth its weight in gold.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Harriet (Federal Way, Wa) on 10/15/2009
★★★★★

I am 55 and battle fibromyalgia. One of the problems is muscle cramps, mostly in legs and feet, that approximate the hard, long cramps common in the 9th month of pregnancy. I can cramp up at any time depending upon the position I get myself into, but it is common for me to get bad leg cramps maybe every 2-3 months. Those keep me up at night loading on Vit C, Magnesium and Potassium, slapping hot towels on one leg then the other as I hop around crying in pain.

Last week it happened again, but because ACV was on my countertop (due to this site) I swilled down 2 TBSP straight (when you are in that kind of pain you don't care what it tastes like) then chased with maybe 6 oz water. WITHIN 2 MINUTES THE CRAMP WAS GONE AND DID NOT RETURN! This is amazing. On nights when this happens I generally attempt to sleep on the couch so I don't wake my husband because IF I get any sleep at all it is in between spasms that wake me up violently.

I am grateful for this site. Thank you!

Epsom Salt

Posted by Michael (New Zealand) on 06/19/2021

Hello GF of PA,

I have personal experience with this one and I know how painful it can be! Really BAD.

It would be best if, in the initial instance, you perused the "Muscle Cramps/Cramping" section on this Site for a comprehensive review of the problem: sort of a "Cramps 101" for lifestyle changes etc.

I think a half cup of Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate/Sulfate), fully dissolved in a foot bath/bowl of water, as hot as you can (comfortably) stand it, would be good to do. Too hot and it will damage you of course! Keep your feet in for no longer than fifteen to twenty minutes (by which time the water will be cooler anyway). There is a theory that a longer soak is counter-productive.

A foot reflexologist might tell you that trans-dermal foot soaking is the way to go, especially for Magnesium which can be difficult for the body to absorb actually.

I might prefer to do this twice a day to get a quicker response.

What I would do though, is to take 1 to 5 ml (or half a tsp) of Magnesium Chloride liquid in a glass of water twice a day, always replace the cap and store below 25 degrees centigrade. (Maybe difficult for you at the moment?! ). That works a treat for me. In a genuine emergency, I have been known to down a glass of salt water on at least a couple of occasions.

If one "over doses" with Mag. you might get loose stools but that is just the body's way of restoring the balance. No harm done. Nobody die.

I hope this is helpful, it should be, especially if you carefully follow the advice on Earth Clinic ... Editors Choice section etc. Seems strange that there is not much more feedback from our learned Posters on this affliction.

This condition IS fixable!!

Cheers from Michael,

Down Under

Magnesium

Posted by Rosiland (Mexico) on 11/27/2022
★★★★★

I have had leg cramps for years and I tried all sorts of things. I did magnesium and potassium plus some product from Standard Process. None of them worked, my cramps were so severe they would wake me up at night crying from the intensity! Then I read that MAGNESIUM GLYCINATE is the magnesium to take (magnesium citrate does nothing for leg cramps, I know I tried it). I ordered it from Luma Nutrition since I respect the quality of their products. The next time I had a leg cramp it was intense for a second or two and then it disappeared completely on its own without me having to get up and walk around. It happened one other time but since then I have been sleeping peacefully with no cramps or even a hint of cramps.

Calcium

Posted by Mama to Many (TN) on 03/15/2022
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Calcium for Nighttime Leg Cramps

My husband is on his feet a lot at work and is prone to leg cramps at night.

It used to be that if he made sure to have a banana in the evening, he wouldn't get leg cramps.

However, since he started on a plant based diet last summer, we know that his potassium level is actually a little high. (Probably from so many bananas and lentils.) The doctor isn't concerned about the level, but I don't think potassium deficiency is his problem.

I started giving him magnesium before bed. This reduced the cramps at night but did not eliminate them.

Ahah! Suddenly the pieces fit. Plant based diet. No dairy. He is lacking calcium. He started taking a couple of Tums before bed. Voila! Leg cramps stopped.

I ordered some NOW Calcium citrate since Tums is just Calcium carbonate and not the best form of calcium, as far as I understand. The NOW Calcium also has magnesium, D, zinc and manganese. He took them last night and they worked but they are pretty big pills to swallow....

~Mama to Many~

Bill Thompson's Protocol

Posted by June S. (Suffolk, UK) on 02/02/2024
★★★★★

Tried your Magnesium and Chloride protocol and it has worked first time. I have been in so much discomfort for months, now I am pain free from leg cramps. Bless you.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Roger B. (Salisbury, NC) on 03/16/2019
★★★★★

My father had really bad leg cramps. These cramps looked like baseballs on his thigh and calves. He would go down on his knees in pure agony. My grandmaw always gave him about 1/4 cup of ACV which he drank immediately. Within 20-30 seconds the cramps dissapated.

Acupressure

Posted by Mary (Arcadia, California) on 07/19/2016

Dear Donna, I use 1 tsp of yellow mustard to get rid of cramps anywhere on the body. It works like a charm I just put it in my mouth drink a little water and let it go down. You don't even feel the pain from the cramp on your muscle afterwards. Peace, Mary

Acupressure

Posted by Gottasmyl (Dundee, Scotland Uk) on 10/09/2011
★★★★★

Acupressure by pressing the bone between your nostrils with your index fingers works to get rid of my leg cramps. I am 27 years old and had never suffered from this problem until about 2 weeks ago when I started a course of antibiotics to get rid of helicobacter pylori. Tried everything I could think of but nothing worked. Someone suggested I press the bone situated between the nostrils with my forefinger and it instantly went away. It's amazing!!!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Stevebb1 (Stilwell, Usa) on 08/06/2012

You won't see common sense cures made known by doctors because they go by what the pharmacies tell them and they will never support a cure that can't be patented so they can make more money.

Stretches

Posted by Gary (Kitchener On) on 12/24/2023

Hi Mama to Many,

I read that if you rub Vicks Vapor Rub _ for your chest cold_ on the area where you get the cramp at bedtime you do not get a cramp.. I tried it for my cramps and after a week, I stopped and the cramps never came back.

God Bless

Gary

Nettle Root Tea

Posted by Bioh4ck (England) on 06/16/2020
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Having bad leg cramps most of my life, I finally found the solution that works by mistake while drinking nettle ROOT tea for something else.

I started drinking nettle root tea for my low blood iron levels, only to discover it cured my night leg cramps or charlie horse cramps as some call it. I collect the nettle roots from a near by field, wash them, dry in the sun for a few days and then grind them up which is the tough part of the process. I try to find the older nettle roots in big patches because they grow their roots over the ground and not in the ground, so no digging, I collect a big bag full which will last me the year or so. Just make sure to wear gloves and long sleeves so not to get stung when ripping the roots out.

If I go on a long walk, or a hard days work or take a hot bath or sunbath for to long due to the sweating out of minerals, I would get bad cramps in the evening mainly when in bed, so I make sure I drink a cup of nettle root tea. Drop a couple of teaspoons of dried nettle root in a saucepan and boil for 5 to 10 mins. Strain to a mug and drink. Taste is good too.

Works every time for cramps.

Acupressure

Posted by Winnie (Nairobi, Kenya) on 04/18/2019
★★★★★

Dear Robert, Yesterday I had severe cramping on my right leg and I came here looking for a solution. Yours worked instantly! Thank you so much.

Acupressure

Posted by Michael (New Zealand) on 05/28/2022

Nika from Holland,

Might I suggest a glass of water with Magnesium Chloride liquid (a very few drops ) might help with the muscle cramps a lot. I can speak from personal experience with this recommendation. Works for me every time and quickly too. Buy a reputable brand - ask around!

Apart from the muscle cramps, Magnesium helps with so many other tasks in the body and most people are short of it these days. Not very expensive to buy either.

The taste is not too bad if you only put a few drops in a medium-sized glass of water. otherwise it might be a bit off-putting!

You have my permission to claim the credit if it works!

Cheers from Down Under

Acupressure

Posted by Carlos (Texas) on 06/11/2018
★★★★★

Rub your stomach in a circular motion (clockwise) with a little pressure for a couple of minutes to help stop the leg cramps...

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Richard (Canada) on 03/05/2018
★★★★★

I just started taking apple cider vinegar. I had muscle cramps before that and now I don't. It started right away.

Acupressure

Posted by Donna (Ontario) on 07/18/2016
★★★★★

For leg cramps - acupressure on the opposite leg, at the same spot as cramp is in affected leg. Always works for me. eg. I will have a cramp in the right calf but no pain in that spot on the unaffected (left) side; but when I find the exact spot, deep, on the left side, it will be very painful to rub there. Left sided pain subsides when rubbed in a minute or two and then the cramp in the right leg subsides shortly thereafter.

Magnesium

Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee, US) on 11/25/2014
★★★★★

My son woke up the other morning doubled over with severe abdominal pain. He said it reminded him of the pain he had a few years ago that was a suspected appendicitis. We had treated that successfully with charcoal so I immediately began to fix him a charcoal poultice. The pain was rather high, though, just under his ribcage. It seemed more the location of the gall bladder....

Meanwhile, he mentioned having had a leg cramp in the night. Then we recalled that he had been helping someone install some panels on a ceiling and had worked for several hours with his arms in the air a good bit of the time. It made us suspect that he was actually dealing with a muscle cramp. I put 2 teaspoons of Natural Calm (magnesium supplement) into a mug with water. He drank it and was 85% better in less than 5 minutes! I still went ahead and used a charcoal poultice over his abdomen for a while. An hour later he was 100% and off to work.

Magnesium would not normally be my first thought for abdominal pain (unless perhaps the pain was caused by constipation or menstrual cramps.) And I have never heard of a cramp in the location he was experiencing pain, but when we put together all the information, and the fact that magnesium worked, it seems that this pain was indeed a muscle cramp.

~Mama to Many~

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Dave (Fountain Inn, Sc) on 10/05/2013

Hello Ms Peggy from Sacramento;

My understanding of how the H202 is working to relieve leg's muscle spasms is simple: spasming may be lack of oxygen. Others deficiencies... Such as lack of magnesium can also cause spasms. But you got it right and found peroxide worked.

But go one step further. The spasms and the fact that extra oxygen helped is a possible warning for you. You might have oxygen deficiency in your system. I take Natural (not synthetic) vitamin E to help deliver oxygen throughout the body... Especially muscles. Remember the heart is a muscle.

So the point is this: If you were having muscle cramping for years and if the hydrogen peroxide helped, then you might be oxygen depleted and that is dangerous most importantly for the heart.

Vitamin E (which is refined out of virtually all our grains) is essential to oxygenate muscles. I've taken 800 iu daily for about 40 years. E does 20 different things in the system. By taking E, I don't have to take an aspirin to thin my blood, for instance. By taking E I don't worry about cholesterol levels, because nothing is sticking to arteries, the E coating the veins and arteries. By taking E I know there will be no sudden heart craved spasm of my heart... instant death.

Remember the heart is constantly working and of all the muscles the one you cannot afford to have spasm!

Natural E is called "d-alpha tocopherol" and you get it in health food stores ... not in drug stores which sell the synthetic.

Start with 200 iu daily and over a few months increase to 400 and then go to 800. E will dissolve existing plaque formation so the slow start up of E is better so there is not a sudden release of a clump of plaque.

Glad you found a solution,

Dave

Acupressure

Posted by Judy (Crystal River, Fl) on 09/16/2018

The antibiotics they gave me for H. Pylori made me ill. I took mastic gum for two weeks every morning, when tested and it was gone.

Pickle Juice

Posted by Dorthy (Salt Lake) on 11/17/2006
★★★★★

Dill pickle juice cured my severe leg mucle spasms following knee replacement surgury. I found one site that said the pickle juice gives us acitic acid. Whatever it does, it worked almost instantaneously. I would like to find another way to stop the spasms, there is not a lot to do with bottles of pickle without the juice. Eating just the pickle does not give the same relief.

Pickle Juice

Posted by Dee (West Palm Beach, FL) on 10/21/2006
★★★★★

Just drank 4 tblsp of Claussen pickle juice 3 mins. ago...SEVERE ANKLE PAIN (right side), pain is abating as I write this!!!! Thank you, thank you thank you. Happened to have Claussen (dill) pickles on hand as daughter likes them for sandwhiches. I have had this severe cramp for five hours and went on your site for relief.

Pickle Juice

Posted by Bebe (Monticello, FL) on 08/13/2023
★★★★★

My son experienced vicious leg cramps after football practices. The coaches started providing dill pickle juice along with water. They would encourage the athletes to drink a half glass if they had cramps. Recently, I have had leg cramps at night. I now have a glass of pickle juice by my bed. After drinking 1/4-1/2 glass, the leg cramps go away.

Pickle Juice

Posted by Gary (Kitchener On) on 08/13/2023

Hi Bebe

Yes, I heard about pickle juice. I also heard about Vaper Rub, the kind you rub on your chest for a cold.. It works in less than a minute after applying to the cramp. It really works.

Take care Bebe

Gary

Posted by Heidi (Cumming, GA) on 02/23/2021
★★★★★

I have a bottle of Vitamin B6 pills next to my bed. When I get a cramp I take one vitamin B6 and as soon I swallow it, the muscle relaxes and the pain is gone.
I have usually cramps in feet and legs. Hope it helps other people as well.