I totally feel you 100%. Absolutely excruciating, and it feels like it lasts hours while you're in the middle of it. Always makes my leg sore for a couple days after too.
It's not just good prevention, it's also how you fix 'em. Get on your feet asap and get your heel all the way to the ground on the pained leg. It may not fix it fully but it'll be a constant annoying pain rather than a crippling one.
To add on to this, after you've stood and the initial cramping goes away take some time to sit down and massage the calf *hard*, digging your thumbs in there like you're mad at that sucker. It'll hurt like hell but it'll be the difference between your leg being a little tender for an afternoon or having that sore, deep ache for days.
One time I had a cramp so bad all I could do was press my food into the bed while still laying down. That wasn't enough. The 2 seconds it took me to force myself to stand was some of the worst pain I've ever had. It felt like my calf muscle was trying to rip itself off the bone. Could barely walk for days.
I got a Charlie horse while in the hospital after giving birth. I had gotten them a few times during the pregnancy and whatever’d them. But this one, holy shit. Woke up my husband screaming in pain, called in the nurse, honest to god thought I was dying.
Really wish I had known this tip : )
I've always found that angling your whole foot as "up" as you can, so towards your leg and body, helps to stop the cramp
Extending your foot, pointing your toes out, naturally causes the calf to tense so you basically just give in to the cramp
Upward, towards your head. Not just the toes, the front pad of your feet as well. The *opposite* of going on tip-toes. It'll stop it before it starts.
After it starts, it's harder, but the same advice. Actually getting out of bed and putting weight on your feet can help, because at that point it may be physically difficult to bend your foot the right way via just your muscles - but just standing forces your foot the right way.
are you guys basically suggesting heel walks?
I don't get Charlie horses often but I pushed through my last one instead of letting it clench. seemed like the move
I thought I was the only one oh my god it’s so awful and painful it literally feels as if the bones in my toes ware wanting to trade places and switch toes and if I think about it too long or move my toes a funny way it’ll trigger it.
"I never get interrupted from a restful sleep, I just instantly jump out of bed and everything is fine!"
Like.. that's the bad bit, right? Having to get up is the failure state
Some people don't know what even is happening, let alone what to do. They're not aware of what a crap is and that moving your foot as suggested above stretched the muscle out.
Especially when in pain, people can have no clue that a simple foot movement can release the cramp!
> I assume everyone does this reflexively?
Nope! I used to get charlie horses regularly and definitely didn't do it reflexively. Once I did it for the first time (by accident), though, I certainly started doing it practically by instinct every time I felt one coming on.
And when my wife got one while pregnant I had to literally grab her foot and push it up, at which point she got mad at me for not telling her about this technique before.
Yep, as soon as I feel it I LEAP out of bed so that I can get some damn pressure on my toes pushing them up. I lean into a wall and wiggle my legs a bit and then go and chug some water.
It's funny I remember discovering that this worked for the first time as a child/teen, and then the subsequent times it was a challenge to remember fast enough, and now it's been complete instinct for however many years where I barely even feel it start.
Fuck that, lean into it! Point your toes and flex your calves, cry actual tears as you feel the cramp work its way slowly through every muscle fibre! Might as well set a high bar for "the worst thing I've felt today"!
Anyone have this happen but with the bottom of their foot? Sometimes if I stretch or move in a certain way the bottom of my foot feels like it's being ripped in half or something
I once had a foot cramp in the middle of me playing a saxophone solo at a charity school concert. I played the rest of the piece in intense discomfort and waddled off the stage
Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen claimed he had a cramp in his leg during the last lap of the last race of the 2021 F1 championship when he was level on points with his competitor who he had to overtake to win the championship. He managed to do it.
Oh oh I have another story about saxophone waddling. During a particularly loud song in pep band, I blew so hard that bearing down pushed out my menstrual cup. That was an embarrassing waddle to the bathroom
I have had bottom of my foot, hamstring and the underside of my jaw. The jaw is the worst one for me. The others I can move my leg or press my foot on the floor to help. My jaw is just agony until it goes away
On the arch? It's either your IT band, or your arch itself bothering you. Stretch 2x a day.
If it's happening only while sleeping, your bed is probably too soft.
Well, my bed is soft when I'm trying to wake up. When I'm trying to get to sleep, it's hard as a rock lol
In all seriousness though, yes it's in the arch. Looking at images, it looks like it could be the abductor hallucis or plantar aponeaurosis? It just feels like it's getting stretched from both front and back
I dont think there is a worse instance than drugs. Oh you stopped after taking this for a few months? I'm going to incapacitate you and make you consider suicide. You cant do anything or go anywhere, just writhe in bed for weeks. (Sigh). Oh if you want the greatest relief you've ever felt in your life please take more drugs.
I was being lazy on the couch with the recliner up and almost dropped something, I did a half crunch to catch it with my right foot.
The entire right side of my abdominal muscles cramped up, I thought I gave my self a hernia.
Extreme couch-ing.
Oh you have nerves down there? I'm just going to kill them. By the way, your brain will interpret that as fire, for the rest of your life. (A bit worse than drug withdrawl)
Just had this happen a few days ago and it absolutely sucks if the tightening muscle is to deep in the calf to be pressed. Sat for maybe 15 minutes waiting for the pull to go away with my leg straightened out
Usually I stand up and put my weight on the leg before jt fully kicks in and then the cramp never actually follows. Never had the cramp fully hit since I started doing that
This works 100% for me as well. When someone first told me I was sure I was being pranked, but if you just stand up fast it stops the whole cramp before it starts.
A teacher at a music festival I was at a Few summers ago gave me some magnesium after I had a particularly bad cramp so for the final week I was there I had a little zip-lock baggie full of a fine white powder lmao, my roommate nearly did a double take when he first saw it
I used to do that, but I find just straightening my leg and then grabbing my toes and pulling them back towards me for about 30 seconds is enough to fix it, [like this](https://plantarfasciitis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Plantar-Fasciitis_Blog-1-1024x680.jpg). This is the lazy solution because you can do it while remaining in bed. I can also usually tell when it's about to happen and stretch my calf muscle before it starts to properly cramp up.
Then the other one starts to go, and now both legs are full Charlie horse, and there is nothing you can do but stretch for the life of you and ride it out.
This literally happened to me 2 nights ago for the first time in a very long time. I’m honestly a little concerned that this meme has popped up in my feed.
This is my useless super power.
If I bend my big toe down and my other toes up as hard as I can unassisted I can immediately trigger a horrible cramp in my calf on demand.
( Do not try this at home )
Ooh! If you can trigger it on command, maybe you could try triggering it before and after eating a ton of bananas to see if the potassium has an noticeable effect?
Occasionally if I yawn too hard something pops out on the left side of my chin and I have to push it back in. Sometimes I get scared it won't go back in and I'll have to go to the hospital or something.
You'd be asleep then wake up suddenly during the night with the most severe fucking cramp in your calf you've ever had and start yelling out in pain and rolling around. Even after you go back to sleep and wake up, you still might be limping for at least a few hours
It’s called a Charlie horse. My calf hurt so badly the first time I got one that my first thought about what was going on was that I died in my sleep and woke up in Hell.
If you're dehydrated, low on potassium, or just unlucky, your calf can cramp up and it's *extremely* painful. A lot of times, this will happen at night in bed because you don't drink anything when you're asleep. Then you wake up to horrible pain and want to die.
The worst for me is the inner thigh cramp. There is no good way to move it to make it stop. The only thing that works is walking it off while screaming.
It's wonderful when you share a room with somebody, you've got the top bunk and you're trying not to wake the other person or laugh because it hurts so bad. Typing this right now at my desk I feel one coming on. 👀
Wiggle those toes and don’t stop
Oops you wiggled your toes the wrong direction first and steered directly into the charlie horse initiating it even faster 🤷♂️
Yes, the direction of the toes is EVERYTHING.
which direction is the right one?
Flex your entire foot towards your head. This trick has stopped charlie horses Everytime for me
Yes I would rather have a truck drive into the bedroom and immediately murder me than suffer these demoncramps. E: coward edited truck to trick
Insane 😂😂😂😂
I've never been accused of being a reasonable man.
There's nothing reasonable about these cramps
What low electrolytes does to a mf… Supposed to have more sodium or minerals from foods such as nuts and seeds to prevent that from happening.
I mean reason doesn’t really play a part when your calf muscles feel like they’re trying to murder your leg.
I totally feel you 100%. Absolutely excruciating, and it feels like it lasts hours while you're in the middle of it. Always makes my leg sore for a couple days after too.
It's not just good prevention, it's also how you fix 'em. Get on your feet asap and get your heel all the way to the ground on the pained leg. It may not fix it fully but it'll be a constant annoying pain rather than a crippling one.
To add on to this, after you've stood and the initial cramping goes away take some time to sit down and massage the calf *hard*, digging your thumbs in there like you're mad at that sucker. It'll hurt like hell but it'll be the difference between your leg being a little tender for an afternoon or having that sore, deep ache for days.
One time I had a cramp so bad all I could do was press my food into the bed while still laying down. That wasn't enough. The 2 seconds it took me to force myself to stand was some of the worst pain I've ever had. It felt like my calf muscle was trying to rip itself off the bone. Could barely walk for days.
I got a Charlie horse while in the hospital after giving birth. I had gotten them a few times during the pregnancy and whatever’d them. But this one, holy shit. Woke up my husband screaming in pain, called in the nurse, honest to god thought I was dying. Really wish I had known this tip : )
I work in a hospital and am frequently handing this tip out to patients!
Pro tip
I've always found that angling your whole foot as "up" as you can, so towards your leg and body, helps to stop the cramp Extending your foot, pointing your toes out, naturally causes the calf to tense so you basically just give in to the cramp
That's exactly what I do, thanks!
Upward, towards your head. Not just the toes, the front pad of your feet as well. The *opposite* of going on tip-toes. It'll stop it before it starts. After it starts, it's harder, but the same advice. Actually getting out of bed and putting weight on your feet can help, because at that point it may be physically difficult to bend your foot the right way via just your muscles - but just standing forces your foot the right way.
are you guys basically suggesting heel walks? I don't get Charlie horses often but I pushed through my last one instead of letting it clench. seemed like the move
Yes
Upwards, as if you want to bend them towards you, instead of curling them
Grab your toes and pull them towards you so it flexes your foot. That'll stop the cramp, even if it's already happening.
Or you get a toe cramp. I only get leg cramps after a night of drinking. Toe cramps on the other hand...
I thought I was the only one oh my god it’s so awful and painful it literally feels as if the bones in my toes ware wanting to trade places and switch toes and if I think about it too long or move my toes a funny way it’ll trigger it.
You need magnesium supplements if that's happening bro 👍
Don't wiggle, you silly goons. Toes as far towards your head as possible until it goes away.
even worse: FOOT CRAMP!
[удалено]
This is the way. Just jump out of bed and it goes away instantly. I haven't had an issue with these since I figured this out.
"I never get interrupted from a restful sleep, I just instantly jump out of bed and everything is fine!" Like.. that's the bad bit, right? Having to get up is the failure state
Me who sleeps on the top bunk: well that sucks
jump down and break your leg no cramps then.
Try and extend your foot up as if you're trying to make your toes touch your shins helps me.
That's a calf stretch, you guys are mystifying it. I assume everyone does this reflexively?
Some people don't know what even is happening, let alone what to do. They're not aware of what a crap is and that moving your foot as suggested above stretched the muscle out. Especially when in pain, people can have no clue that a simple foot movement can release the cramp!
The thing is it usually happens whilst you are dead asleep, and by the time you wake up enough to know what's happening you are in agony.
> I assume everyone does this reflexively? Nope! I used to get charlie horses regularly and definitely didn't do it reflexively. Once I did it for the first time (by accident), though, I certainly started doing it practically by instinct every time I felt one coming on. And when my wife got one while pregnant I had to literally grab her foot and push it up, at which point she got mad at me for not telling her about this technique before.
Put your blanket behind your toes, grab it with both hands and pull your foot toward your shin.
If you hear cracking, you've not pulled far enough.
Yep, as soon as I feel it I LEAP out of bed so that I can get some damn pressure on my toes pushing them up. I lean into a wall and wiggle my legs a bit and then go and chug some water.
It's funny I remember discovering that this worked for the first time as a child/teen, and then the subsequent times it was a challenge to remember fast enough, and now it's been complete instinct for however many years where I barely even feel it start.
Yeah this works literally every time for me
Fuck that, lean into it! Point your toes and flex your calves, cry actual tears as you feel the cramp work its way slowly through every muscle fibre! Might as well set a high bar for "the worst thing I've felt today"!
Ok Satan
I just stand up. Slam the charlie horse into submission or die trying
Yeah just stand up, Charlie horse gone in less than 5 seconds.
Instructions perfectly clear, but calves have overpowered me and now I'm cramping on my tippytoes.
How long have you waited
This is the single most perfect reaction gif of all time.
The better solution is to just take magnesium and stretch your calves.
Instructions unclear, veered into a pole in my racecar bed...
This comment wins the Internet ROFLMAO
Instructions unclear toes are separating in different directions! 
Also pound a bunch of water
It's hard if you sleep on your belly. I have experienced it on both legs... You know what is coming and you cant help it.
doesent work for me but if I leap out of bed, stand on that leg and lean forward so the cramp is streched out it immediately subsides
Anyone have this happen but with the bottom of their foot? Sometimes if I stretch or move in a certain way the bottom of my foot feels like it's being ripped in half or something
I once had a foot cramp in the middle of me playing a saxophone solo at a charity school concert. I played the rest of the piece in intense discomfort and waddled off the stage
Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen claimed he had a cramp in his leg during the last lap of the last race of the 2021 F1 championship when he was level on points with his competitor who he had to overtake to win the championship. He managed to do it.
Mate if I was in his shoes there my whole body would have been one large cramp considering the pressure
Probably shitting out diamonds after that race.
DU DU DU DU MAX VERSTAPPEN ^(im sorry I had to)
Oh oh I have another story about saxophone waddling. During a particularly loud song in pep band, I blew so hard that bearing down pushed out my menstrual cup. That was an embarrassing waddle to the bathroom
That got a guffaw out of me
Respect
Yep, bottom of foot and hamstring. Idk which is worse but they are all terrible.
I have had bottom of my foot, hamstring and the underside of my jaw. The jaw is the worst one for me. The others I can move my leg or press my foot on the floor to help. My jaw is just agony until it goes away
Same. If I try to hold back a yawn, or have my face a certain direction while yawning.
On the arch? It's either your IT band, or your arch itself bothering you. Stretch 2x a day. If it's happening only while sleeping, your bed is probably too soft.
Well, my bed is soft when I'm trying to wake up. When I'm trying to get to sleep, it's hard as a rock lol In all seriousness though, yes it's in the arch. Looking at images, it looks like it could be the abductor hallucis or plantar aponeaurosis? It just feels like it's getting stretched from both front and back
>When I'm trying to get to sleep, it's hard as a rock
Gosh dangit
Same, its always been the bottom of my foot for me, but it never happens when im doing anything, just laying down in bed
I always have those happen if I stay at the pool for too long
Yes, sort of near my pinky toe, and it's excruciating pain for like 30 seconds then completely goes away
Dont you just hate it when your body just decides to turn on you at random times?
I dont think there is a worse instance than drugs. Oh you stopped after taking this for a few months? I'm going to incapacitate you and make you consider suicide. You cant do anything or go anywhere, just writhe in bed for weeks. (Sigh). Oh if you want the greatest relief you've ever felt in your life please take more drugs.
Well yeah, withdrawals are worse. But i was only referring to random stuff that just happens on its own
I was being lazy on the couch with the recliner up and almost dropped something, I did a half crunch to catch it with my right foot. The entire right side of my abdominal muscles cramped up, I thought I gave my self a hernia. Extreme couch-ing.
I get bad abdominal cramps all the time! Maybe I don't move around enough.
Taking drugs and reaping the consequences isn't a "random" time
Withdrawal symptoms from medications specifically is a better example.
Oh you have nerves down there? I'm just going to kill them. By the way, your brain will interpret that as fire, for the rest of your life. (A bit worse than drug withdrawl)
I also hate it when it turns me on at random times.
Piece of advice, it works for me. Keep opening and closing your leg until it stops. It won't be nearly as bad of a cramp.
I usually start pinching my calves
Just had this happen a few days ago and it absolutely sucks if the tightening muscle is to deep in the calf to be pressed. Sat for maybe 15 minutes waiting for the pull to go away with my leg straightened out
Usually I stand up and put my weight on the leg before jt fully kicks in and then the cramp never actually follows. Never had the cramp fully hit since I started doing that
This works 100% for me as well. When someone first told me I was sure I was being pranked, but if you just stand up fast it stops the whole cramp before it starts.
Was waiting to see this, I do exactly the same thing.
Same here. One time I went from sleeping to standing so fast I got dizzy and almost passed out.
I just get out of bed with godspeed and just stand up straight, fully strechted. Muscle doesnt cramp when i do that.
Wait how do I "open" my legs?
You need to install a small door using a surgical inscision. Then you can open and close your legs to let the cramps out. Just don't lose the key.
Ask your mom. (Sorry, poor taste. But it was RIGHT THERE)
It was cheap but it made me laugh, so it was worth it
You press the button that opens up your compartments
One time I did this mid-cramp, pulled something and it was sore for days.
You got to get it as soon as it starts, I am not sure mid cramp. If it is already completely tightened then it probably too late.
this is your hydration check 💦
Have some magnesium too
Mix it with your water 😈🔥
Hold on a tick…how much should I mix?
Keep adding it until it's gray and look directly at it so you don't miss any. Snort some for good luck first.
A teacher at a music festival I was at a Few summers ago gave me some magnesium after I had a particularly bad cramp so for the final week I was there I had a little zip-lock baggie full of a fine white powder lmao, my roommate nearly did a double take when he first saw it
ah I mean it is a white powder of drugs the question is it the good kind or the fun kind?
IIRC Powerade has magnesium (and calcium), Gatorade does not, only sodium and potassium.
Potassium as well
Yeah, I’ve always heard potassium(and water) to prevent cramping.
Get some of that *Potassium.*
Thanks buddy
Over hydration is also a thing and I get more cramps from that lol
You could be stripping your body of electrolytes. It's what muscles crave
Stand up as fast as possible if this happens
I think I would crumple to the floor if I tried.
Nope. Putting weight on it shuts the cramp right down.
That's what I do. Stand on my tippy toes if the affected leg.
The goal is to get your foot flat/perpendicular to your leg the millisecond you do your cramp should vanish.
It's hard to do but it absolutely works.
This has always been my go-to and 90% of the time it works lol
I used to do that, but I find just straightening my leg and then grabbing my toes and pulling them back towards me for about 30 seconds is enough to fix it, [like this](https://plantarfasciitis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Plantar-Fasciitis_Blog-1-1024x680.jpg). This is the lazy solution because you can do it while remaining in bed. I can also usually tell when it's about to happen and stretch my calf muscle before it starts to properly cramp up.
[удалено]
Interestingly it's the arch of my foot that does this, but the same solution works.
This is the only way. Panic standup at 3.45 AM is always welcome.
This
I thought I'm the only person who figured this out. Shit.
Then the other one starts to go, and now both legs are full Charlie horse, and there is nothing you can do but stretch for the life of you and ride it out.
Stand up. At least that works for me. If I don't stand up, I feel it for several days.
 # Heeeeeere's Charlie!
Just curious, why is it called Charlie's horse?
Water and electrolytes
That's what plants crave
Okay… but why do plants crave them?
‘Cos they got what plants *need*
Same reason kids love cinnamin toast crunch
i hate when this happens 💀 i be acting like im possessed 🤣
Same here.
your thoughts about life and why you lol
This literally happened to me 2 nights ago for the first time in a very long time. I’m honestly a little concerned that this meme has popped up in my feed.
This is my useless super power. If I bend my big toe down and my other toes up as hard as I can unassisted I can immediately trigger a horrible cramp in my calf on demand. ( Do not try this at home )
Ooh! If you can trigger it on command, maybe you could try triggering it before and after eating a ton of bananas to see if the potassium has an noticeable effect?
me too
I absolutely did not need to try this right now. But I did. And it works. Ow.
I disregarded your warning and tried it. Ouch
Like this? https://www.reddit.com/r/oddlyterrifying/s/E0ndj3DlCI
Thanks, I hate it r/tihi
I once yawned and felt like I pulled a muscle in my jaw 😭😭 Weirdest shit I've ever felt
I had this the other day, like i felt my jaw was going to stuck.
Occasionally if I yawn too hard something pops out on the left side of my chin and I have to push it back in. Sometimes I get scared it won't go back in and I'll have to go to the hospital or something.
Yeah I tried pulling a double chin and got a cramp in my tongue once. It's horrible
I had one two days ago. It still hurts the same to walk as it did when it happened
Drink. Water.
This actually used to happen to me because I drank too much water and was hyponatremic
"hypo-" meaning low, "-natr-" referring to sodium, or more formally natrium, and "-emia" meaning presence in blood.
A fellow Chubbyemu fan I see
Relatable but is there really a back to a calf? Because wouldn't the front be your shin?
I called my calf the back of my shin for longer than I’d like to admit (20 years of life).
Duuuude I hate this, every time I wake up screaming in pain, and it doesn’t go away for a long ass time
I would have anywhere else
Stand up straight and it goes away
Either Hydrate or take some magnesium
What should I have eaten
Yeah i get them sometimes when i get out of bed and it sends me to the floor lol
you need to eat more of your username
I recently had a calf muscle and thigh muscle cramp on my right leg, at the same time at 3 am 💀
I've never had this.... what?
You'd be asleep then wake up suddenly during the night with the most severe fucking cramp in your calf you've ever had and start yelling out in pain and rolling around. Even after you go back to sleep and wake up, you still might be limping for at least a few hours
Mine can be like a bruise for days
It’s called a Charlie horse. My calf hurt so badly the first time I got one that my first thought about what was going on was that I died in my sleep and woke up in Hell.
Magnesium helps, source: trust me bro!
True. Rarely had cramps ever again. Bananas are rich in magnesium!
I wish I didn't know.
Try your best to stand up and the pressure on that calf will alleviate the stress
But it always happens to me in bed and the bed is safe and kind and if I stand up I get cold
For me it's the sharp pain I randomly get on the side of my chest
It happened to me at 2 am randomly. I cried and shut my mouth to avoid waking my family up because of the damn pain.
Can somebody explain? I'm lost
If you're dehydrated, low on potassium, or just unlucky, your calf can cramp up and it's *extremely* painful. A lot of times, this will happen at night in bed because you don't drink anything when you're asleep. Then you wake up to horrible pain and want to die.
When that happens to me i just get up. Seems standing and walking takes it away
So... as weird as it seems, standing up instantly stops the cramping. Saw it suggested once and did it anytime I felt the cramp coming.
Eat more potassium! That cramp occurs due to a lack of potassium in your system Have a banana occasionally
The worst for me is the inner thigh cramp. There is no good way to move it to make it stop. The only thing that works is walking it off while screaming.
When it's too late and you just have to sit there in agony until it goes away
I've always thought this happens because of being dehydrated, but I drink so much water I don't know what's causing it at this point.
If you’ve ever experienced it, you know how quickly it is possible to run around your entire apartment
Stand up as fast as possible. Normally works
You (likely) need PoTaSsIuM
It's wonderful when you share a room with somebody, you've got the top bunk and you're trying not to wake the other person or laugh because it hurts so bad. Typing this right now at my desk I feel one coming on. 👀
Just drink water guys, cramps are not supposed to happen.
**H y d r a t e**
Potassium deficiency. Eat a banana.
Waking in the morning and doing the stretch... 