Leg pain at night can be quite uncomfortable and can cause disturbances in sleep apart from making an individual worried about its cause. While it’s possible to get leg cramps due to extreme physical activity or dehydration, mainly during summer, certain medicines or health conditions could also be the cause behind it.
Nocturnal leg pain is also called Charley Horse and is a common condition. If the leg pain is because of physical strain, stretching or hydrating, then workouts can help prevent this condition. Individuals can try flexing the muscles or apply hot or cold pads for relief.
“Leg pain at night, or nocturnal leg pain, also called Charley Horse, is very common and it is mostly self-diagnosable and self-treatable. Most of the times, the reasons are not well known but in some cases muscle cramp is due to long exercise or physical activity, especially during summers. Dehydration, age, pregnancy, and certain medical conditions or continuously use of some medications may increase the risk of a muscle cramp,” Dr. Ramkinkar Jha, Chief and Unit Head – Department of Orthopedics, Artemis Hospital, Gurugram said in an interview with HT Digital.
“Some unusual causes like tendinitis, DVT, insufficiency fractures, varicosity of veins, peripheral arterial disease, and Metabolic like gout or electrolyte dysfunction should not be left out, especially if the pain is intractable or difficult to deal with,” adds Dr Jha.
“Leg cramps are painful muscle spasms that might last seconds or minutes. They have an effect on your sleep, exercise routine, and overall quality of life. Certain medical illnesses and medicines can cause them, and there are many risk factors to avoid. When you have a cramp, try moving the muscle, managing heat or cold, and massaging the affected area. Leg cramps are sharp, involuntary muscular aches that normally occur in the calf, foot, or thigh.
Dr Rakesh Nair, Consultant Knee replacement surgeon at Zen Multispecialty Hospital said that, they are also referred as ‘Charley horses.’ Your leg may tense uncontrollably or spasm, as a result of the cramp. Though cramps, are uncomfortable, but they are often harmless
A leg cramp feels like a tightened, constricted muscle which has knotted up. It can be very unpleasant, painful, or even excruciating. Your muscles in the affected area may pain for hours after the cramp has passed.
Dr. Ramkinkar Jha recommends some possible remedies to get rid of nocturnal leg cramps.
During exercise or work stretching and hydration can help to prevent Charley horse, Simple massages and stretches with Epsom salts can help to stop it from cracking and relax the muscles, to smooth the relaxation process heating pads will and to reduce swelling and pain an ice pack would help.
If these simple measures don’t solve the issue, then popular medications like naproxen and combi flam can help a lot. Most of the time within few minutes the Charley horse will ease out fast.
