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Thigh muscle cramp

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I have often had calf muscle cramp, but this is easily dealt with by walking about. However, last night I had a thigh muscle cramp which was far more acute than anything I had had before. The pain was excruciating and lasted ten minutes. My face went grey and I almost fainted. I couldn't walk and massaging seemed to have little effect.

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  • lola49262
    lola49262

    Posted

    To Alpha08

    You are telling my story - live in NJ USA - I get those horrendous thigh cramps usually when I go to get up from couch. Sometimes I get a little warning tingle or tenderness in inner thigh and say - Oh no - it;s on for tonite! LOL" Then I wait.....Yes it is the worst pain (including child birth) that I have ever experienced BECAUSE it's intractable. Meaning the pain cannot be ignored and it does not stop until it is good and ready. It's a type of pain that brings tears to your eyes and prayers to God to make it stop. I just usually try to get to the kitch counter and hang on and pray for them to stop. Strangely - when it does stop - it totally stops.I used to feel so alone until I started hitting the Net. Now I know many people get these type. I also get tortured by calf cramps at night but at least if you get up and start walking they will ease up a bit. NOT SO FOR THE THIGH!. You totally and everyone else has my empathy. The doctors do not have any meds or answers since quinine is banned now.

    • Mammajo1958
      Mammajo1958 lola49262

      Posted

       I've suffered dislocated hip pain! Mine doesn't ease right away though, I continue to feel like bruising deep in my thigh for several days and absolute exhaustion. I am currently sitting down with that familiar ache of what is about to take place, but 8 hrs later, I still have the ache but no cramp. I am dreading it. I take magnesium every night and that has been a great help for the shin and foot night cramps. 

      Its good to know I'm not alone or a big sook! After reading everyone's comments mine could have something to do with my bulging discs in lower spine, and my inactivity. 

      I normally find warm water helps ease mild cramping but nothing yet has helped ease this, unfortunately I can't have baths as I've had both hips replaced, so showers are it for me.

    • dan14706
      dan14706 lola49262

      Posted

      The exact same story for me as well. 

      can happen at any time but specifically after golfing then relaxing. Go to get up and BANG. LIKE GETTING STABBED IN THE RIGHT THIGH. 

      Ten minutes of moaning and praying to God for help. 

      My doctor gave me muscle relaxer for nighttime calf cramps making me jump out of bed at night and that is working however nothing helps the thigh severe pain except time. 

    • michael2401
      michael2401 dan14706

      Posted

      My cure for my thigh cramps which works for me. I have not had a cramp since drinking a small glass of Schweppes tonic every evening. Yes I know, such a simple solution but it really works for me. Give it a try, what can you lose??
    • dan14706
      dan14706 michael2401

      Posted

      With this kind of pain I will try almost anything to prevent it.

      Thanks for the tip and Cheers!

  • lola49262
    lola49262

    Posted

    By the way my primary Dr thought it might be coming from my lower spine issues but could not say for certain.
  • john68369
    john68369

    Posted

    Re: upper thigh cramps, on reading comments by others, I notice most all say upper

    RIGHT thigh. Had my first, night before last. Terrible excruciating pain and the cramp was unresolvable by normal techniques. It even effected my breathing and I was

    preparing to call 911 by unlocking my front door. Some folks suggest electrolytes for

    which my Dr prescribed Gatorade for a previous dehydration situation.I have just started to take Magnesium (400 mg morning and night)

    I'm somewhat relieved to know that I'm not alone in this experience; a first time for me at 77 years of age and not too sedentary; I do work, walk and bicycle

    John "K"

  • education_is_life_itself
    education_is_life_itself

    Posted

    Left Thigh excruciating pain when I lay down to sleep, something like a cramp but will not subside as a cramp does.

    So to the point, my efforts to deal with my problem, a Doctor that I visited said the nerve protruding at L4 on the lumbar is the same nerve that travels to the left thigh and that is possibly the cause of my pain.

    A quick diagnosis perhaps and I must add I'm grateful to say the lease since doctors generally just prefer to write prescriptions and increase their office income.

    He gave me some little steroid and I inhaled Motrin and the other pain maskers like ibuprofen and Vicodin.

    I got some relief but my problem has not gone completely all that was 3 months ago, it's not so excruciating now more numb and cold knee but with left thigh pain too especially when I lay down but manageable w/out medication.

  • dwayne1
    dwayne1

    Posted

    I suffered with severe leg and foot night cramps for years; rarely had one when I wasn't in bed for the night; they would be terribly painful and nothing seemed to help except waiting them out.....they went on their own. I was finally advised by a doctor to drink quinine water (tonic) and I found diet tonic water at any grocery market. I got some relief the first night and, by the time two weeks had passed, my cramps were history.

    My doctor told me that for some reason, he had no idea why, it works for some and not for others. I guess I was one of the lucky ones. I drink 8 ounces a day in the afternoon or early evening. I have gone up to three days without drinking it and without cramps.....by the fourth day, it's like old times; the bad old days are back!

    • marcia09230
      marcia09230 dwayne1

      Posted

      This seems to be the only thing that brings instant relief. The pain is excrutiating. The firt time it happened I thought I needed to call emergency. I explained to my friends that it is not a cramp - a cramp you can walk off, but this is another story. I call it a spasm. I only have it in the thighs. I have 2 say that it i at least comforting to hear that you all know what I am talking about. I do not wish this on even the cruelest person.
    • lola49262
      lola49262 marcia09230

      Posted

      Marcia - I feel your pain literally. The other morning while still in bed I wanted to stretch my leg cause my back hurt and I set off the thigh spasm!  This has never happened in bed before - usually when getting up off my sofa after lying on it for a while.  You are right in that it is not like a charlie horse, my thigh spasms feels more nerve related than muscle but who knows.  the awful pain runs in a straight line down inside of thigh to knee.  and nothing you do stops it.   Over time I have tried everything from soap under sheet - vitamins - supplements -tonic water.  Nothing really helps me.  My dr thought it might be low back related and im beginning to think same since ive had back issues and sciatica for years and years.  also - now that im older 69 and not as active - i believe for me this has only hastened this happening.  too much lying and sitting since retiring!!   good luck
  • KOALA55
    KOALA55

    Posted

    When the happened [often now]

    I try to get as soon as I can to my fridge wher I have 600ml bottle of cold water and I roll it on the cramp ...cold but it goes

    But like you said ...so painfull that I cry and my husband looks and can't help

    • beverly51064
      beverly51064 KOALA55

      Posted

      Hi, I have had theses theigh, calves, leg , and shin pain for over a year.My Doctor has put me on Gabapentin 100mg. I t works for a while but thats it.The other night and 2 or 3 times a day, I experience the same pain over and over again with no relief. I have drank water, tonic water and etc. Nothing helps. I have fell against my end table because the theigh pain was so bad. On top of the shin and leg pain together. I agree about the screaming with the pain and the nausea that comes with it. I have lost myb balance so many times with this. I can"t believe they can"t do anything about it to help us, and we have to live our lives like this. If you call it our lives. I feel my life is over already.I can't plan anything because you never know when the pain will strike. I too was out for my anniversary and got hit with the theigh pain 5 minutes after I sat down to eat. I walk the hall for 15 miutes in this very high class my husband had found. There I was crying in the hall and people were asking me what they could do. I have had already 9 upperdurals over the year, and only last for a couple of days. I am so happy to know that we are not suffering alone in this, and somoeone should be able to give us answers.No one should have to live these lives like this.
    • sheila36860
      sheila36860 beverly51064

      Posted

      Hi Beverley,

      sorry that you are having these horrible cramps as well.

      i finally got my Doctor to take notice and try and do something and he did a number of blood tests which resulted in finding that my vitamin B 12 levels were very low. I had a series of five injections over a fortnight and so far so good, but this was only a couple of weeks ago so I can't yet claim that it will have stopped them but any respite from it is good. Will post again if they stay away!

      Sheila

    • ramona86918
      ramona86918 beverly51064

      Posted

      If the gabapentin helps a little, ask the doc for as dose increase. Depending on your physical status, you could probably go much higher. Heat may help as in hot water bottles, heating pads, even thick towels heated in microwave for one minute (flip every 30 seconds).
    • shannon49043
      shannon49043 beverly51064

      Posted

      Hello Beverly,

      I can concur with Sheila on the results from B12. Recently I began a new nutrition change, for the better, that included the addition of not only B12, which I was hoping would increase my energy level but also began taking Magnesium. Prior to the intro of these two supplements I began experiencing horrific femoral cramping of both legs from the groin down and at times all of the way of the femoral path. I have never felt pain that intense and for which the normal cramping reliefs, aka walking, massaging, heat, hydro or ibuprofen worked in fact movement of any kind seemed to exacerbate the situation. At some point I had cause to look back and noticed that since I had begun taking those two supplements I had not experienced any reoccurance. Unfortunately I strayed from my reformed nutritional path all the way down to sporadic intake of any of my dietary supplements and after a day of hiking I experienced my first femoral cramp tonight that, bless my sister's heart, all she could do is stay by my side. As of tomorrow I will faithfully resume taking my B12 AND Magnesium. The Magnesium , so I have been told, helps bolster the B12. I am going to chart changes in occurance for the next 4 months or so in an effort to concrete whether

    • shannon49043
      shannon49043

      Posted

      the addition of the two supplements was indded the resolution to the cramping for me.

      Hope this is helpful information for you.

      Shannon

    • sheila36860
      sheila36860 shannon49043

      Posted

      Hi Shannon,

      glad to hear that vitamin B12 and magnesium is working for you, I think I will try adding magnesium to my diet and see if that helps. I have only had one bad attack since having my injections of B12 but even one is one too many!! 

      Sheila

    • shannon49043
      shannon49043 sheila36860

      Posted

      Hi Sheila,

      I could not agree more. One attack is too many. I take 500 mg of Magnesium a day. Originally I began taking it to boost the CoQ10 as it is supposed to boost its effectiveness. Prior to adding it in I had begun having almost nightly attacks of the femoral nerve cramping in both legs simultaneously. These attacks came on the heels of a long round of trochan bursitis which had been aggravated by long periods of standing on a slab floor in flip flops. I have my own grooming and boarding business so it is not uncommon to be on my feet for 12+ hrs a day. First order of business was really good shoes to endure the standing. Next was the padded mat that is extra sturdy. The health supplements followed and before long I had gone about 6 months cramp free.

      I hope you will achieve better results as well.

      Thank you,

      Shannon

    • veronica50739
      veronica50739 KOALA55

      Posted

      I've experienced the exact same type of pain.  It's debilitating, worse than childbirth, and I had 10# babies!  After a lot of research I believe mine was caused primarily from the water pills that I started taking. One doctor who had the same leg pains and was on the same website that I was said he was taking the exact same RX and felt it was the cause.  We both stopped taking the pill and it subsided.  But once in awhile I'll still get them.  The miracle?   Pickle juice.  It works within minutes and now I keep a little jar of dill pickle juice next to my nightstand and as soon as I can, usually when the cramping starts, or even after, I take about 4-5 swigs and the pain is gone within a minute or so.  I know it sounds a little like witchcraft or something, but it's the only thing I've found that works.  It's been several months since I've had one of those killer-cramps, but the little jar of dill pickle juice will forever be on my nightstand.

    • wanda77205
      wanda77205 veronica50739

      Posted

      Thanks so much for the tip. I will get a jar today.  Its horrid pain.... God Bless
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