Calf cramps

[Marko62]

The only way to avoid severe pain and soreness is to immediately get out of bed and stand with your full weight on the cramping leg.
Its going to hurt initially but within 10 to 15 seconds the cramp will go away and you'll just be left with some soreness .
The quicker you get your weight onto that leg the better. If you feel the cramp coming on leap out of bed quick.

(The severe pain is caused by the calf muscles being locked in an extreme tension spasm You need to reduce that tension by forcing the muscles back to a normal tension.)

Once the pain has subsided gently over-stretch the calf muscles by bending your foot up ie by leaning into a wall with your leg straight to counteract the muscle tension created by the cramp

I suspect that you are either losing some salts through deydration or you may have a mild UTi urinary tract infection .If you are waking at night for a pee then you probably have.
Get some rehydration salts from Asda or Boots they will replenish the sodium and pottasium salts you have lost. They are nothing like table salt and will do you no harm whatsoever. They will stop the cramps.

Sounds like good advice peanut, I don't get regular cramps so for now I think I will forego the salts but as soon as I feel a cramp coming on I will be out of that bed and doing your stuff I went out for a 40 mile ride the day after my cramp and it all went ok, today two days after my initial cramp there is no soreness whereas previously the soreness usually persists for 3 days or more...

Welsh Pirate, lemonade sounds like a tasty remedy ta

 

[Morrisette]

This is all interesting stuff, I get cramp at night sometimes as well as on the bike. I've noticed getting more cramp as I'm doing more riding as well.

I have another solution for bike-related cramps. Take the following on a ride:

Legwarmers
Salted pistatioes (spelling?)
Water

It's not a foolproof combination, but it does seem to work most of the time.

I don't get it much when I'm hot, only in cold weather. I get cramp in my toes a lot doing yoga in a chilly studio, and on the bike if my ankles are cold I'll get calf cramps as well as in my feet. Hence the legwarmers.

If it strikes at night, the muscle does feel stiff the next day - I think this is normal. K Turner, good tip about not stretching the toes downwards as well - I have noticed this, the trouble is I do it while asleep and wake up only when the pain strikes!

 

[porteous]

Leg cramps at night

There may just be another reason. You don't say how old you are but lower leg cramps at night are sometimes a sign of the onset of type 2 diabetes. It happened to me at 59, 12 and a half stone fit(ish) all my life retired army officer thinking it only happened to fat people. Did a lot of research and found type 2 diabetes can be kept at bay by getting very fit and slight diet changes. Got in the gym regularly, went back to cycling after 40 years and got my BMI below 22. Bingo, no more cramps and no more signs of the dreaded type2.

Of course it could also be any of the good reasons you have already been offered but worth getting the blood sugar checked if your doctor doesn't do it every year anyway.

Best of Luck

 

[Scoosh]

I always stretch my quads and calves as soon as I get off the bike, to prevent later cramps. Works for me

 

[peanut]

There may just be another reason. You don't say how old you are but lower leg cramps at night are sometimes a sign of the onset of type 2 diabetes. It happened to me at 59, 12 and a half stone fit(ish) all my life retired army officer thinking it only happened to fat people. Did a lot of research and found type 2 diabetes can be kept at bay by getting very fit and slight diet changes. Got in the gym regularly, went back to cycling after 40 years and got my BMI below 22. Bingo, no more cramps and no more signs of the dreaded type2.

Of course it could also be any of the good reasons you have already been offered but worth getting the blood sugar checked if your doctor doesn't do it every year anyway.

Best of Luck

That's very good advice !

I am sure that I have the onset of type 2 but cannot get my quack to do any tests.
Two members of my Family have died from type1

The other point worth mentioning is the side benefits of regular exercise which is increased blood and lymph flow which aids the immune system and the bodies renewal and healing processes amongst lots of other things.