Leg cramps - raise legs - *was* Blood pressure

[Guest guest]

> I know I am low in potassium that is why I do the orange juice and

> parsley

> thing, because water pills take away potassium and I get bad leg

> cramps, kick a

> hole in the wall leg cramps in the night ...

I had brutal leg cramps, sometimes in the quads, sometimes in the

calves, ankle/foot or toes. I would take potassium occasionally, tons of

magnesium, try stretching, hotpads on the legs before bedtime - very

little relief. Last October, my blood tests showed excess potassium and

calcium, so I had to stop taking them. I got the go-ahead to take as

much magnesium as I wanted, but still little or no relief. I had cramps

practically every night. The ones gripping my ankle and foot were awful,

they'd make my foot contort, and I heard a loud pop when I tried to

force it back into a neutral position.

 

For Christmas, I got my mother a motorized lift recliner chair to help

her get up. The guy gave me a good deal on a regular recliner for

myself. I had a bit of a prejudice against them, with visions of Archie

Bunker and holding a beer can being imprinted on my cultural engramme

regarding that kind of chair. I needed a new chair in the sun room where

I take breaks from work to read or watch TV, so I got it.

 

The leg cramps stopped within one day of using it. The problem was I was

not elevating my legs enough for the blood supply to return to the heart

during the day, so there was a major traffic jam at night when the

gravity took over to complete the blood flow, which caused the cramps.

 

I pop in and out of the chair probably 20 times a day, sometimes for

just five minutes. I've only had a few Charley horse cramps in my calf

in six months after a lot of sudden exertion, like climbing a lot of

stairs, which is kind of understandable.

 

YMMV, of course, but I suggest trying to raise your legs periodically

during the day, maybe with just a footstool to start if you don't have

or want a recliner chair.

 

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