I am looking for any home remedies that anyone might have on what to do for muscle spasms. I have had some problems with my sciatic nerve on the left side. The muscles in my left leg were in spasm for 6 days and nights. My back is better, but the muscles in my leg have been traumatized. Any tips concerning this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Tuey,
First, a nice warm bath before bedtime might relax the muscles. But it sounds like you sciatic nerve is still a bit wonky. I've had problems with sciatica over the years and the best cure is to strengthen the muscles to hold lift your bones off the sciatic nerve.
To do this is simple. Stand against a wall and push the small of your back into it several times, and repeat this several times a day. If you need to push in on your stomach to get the small of your back there, that's okay. Or you can do the same thing lying on the floor. The important part is to get the small of your back flat with the wall or floor. In a day or two your sciatica will be better. It's very easy, non invasive, safe and really does work. It kept me from being on bedrest for my last two pregnancies.
Susan from ThriftyFun (01/19/2005)
By ThriftyFun
Go go google.com and search:
piriformis stretch -
for ideas on stretching the piriformis muscle. It's deep in the buttock, and when it gets tight, can really cause problems with the sciatic nerve. Sitting on a tennis ball can help release it too.
Heat, tennis ball, then stretch.
Be sure you have enough calcium in your diet and it wouldn't hurt to have a doc check your electrolytes.
Are you double jointed? This can contribute to "pain in the butt" syndrome.
You should also have an xray to rule out arthritis or problems in the hip or back.
Good luck! (01/19/2005)
By beanygurl
Magnesium and potassium, I had severe thigh spasms. Read article about magnesium, started taking it and haven't had one since. These were horrible spasms. You need to drink plenty of water. Muscles need to stay hydrated. (01/20/2005)
By jehosky
I use an ice pack on muscles that are in spasm. The ice makes the muscle get numb, and it releases the spasm. I keep ice packs in my freezer always for back and neck spasms. (01/20/2005)
Use Ice Packs for 20 min. once every hour. Then use heat for 20 min. Rotate. Also Ibuprofen for the inflammation can help. (01/20/2005)
By Sherri
I've had sciatica for years. I will get lower calf cramps that are killers! My mom has the same thing and has taken a product called Qville, a generic name. Qville is basically quinine. So I've been drinking up to 2 liters of tonic water and since I don't like the flavor too well, I mix it with a little cranberry juice. You may not have to drink so much, but I've found that it does in fact keep the spasms away. (01/21/2005)
By kate
Just try this; put a bar of soap,any kind , at the foot of your bed next to your legs and feet. Just try it. What in this world would it hurt? An old remedy for leg cramps. Maybe this will help. Let me know, good luck. (02/06/2005)
By CAROL
(sent by email)
This sounds very strange, but in the Fresno Bee Newspaper some time ago a Doctor wrote; If you have leg cramps, put a bar of soap in your bed. Not anything like dove or oil of Olay but plain soap. It works for me. bj (03/29/2005)
By ThriftyFun
Take one 5 mg tablet per day of manganese
(do not confuse with magnesium) manganese. No more than 5 mg this is not a water soluble product. Your spasms will disappear as long as u take this once a day;do not exceed once a day. This will not cure your back pain or back problem. It is used to get rid of spasms ONLY! (11/30/2005)
By CONCERNED
All of the ideas here are great with the exception of the "soap" remedy, I'm not quite sure that one will work for the onset of the occasional leg cramp, which is what I suffer from. I was hoping to find a quick spasm relieving remedy to apply for my occasional night time leg cramps. So far the only thing that I have come up with that works pretty quickly is heat.
By heating a washcloth in the microwave for about 10 - 15 seconds and then applying it directly to the effected area. I have found in my case almost instant relief. The hotter you can stand the cloth on the area, the quicker the relief, but be careful not to scold yourself. The moist heat feel good and brings about almost instant relief. If someone else has another quick relief method I would love to hear about it. (02/26/2006)
By pgood33605
I recently tried the soap remedy and it has worked. I can't imagine why. Does anyone know what would be in soap that would do this? I also take l/2 tsp of cream of tarter (It is pure potassium) in just a little water, and it will stop the cramps almost immediately. Also put a few drops of lobelia in water and drink it. (04/15/2006)
By Evelyn F.
I get "charlie horses" in my legs sometimes at night. I used to take a quinine tablet with a glass of water and it would work immediately. I got to wondering how that quinine tablet could dissolve and get into my system so quickly. So tried just the water, no tablet. It worked the same! So now I just get up and get a glass of water and the cramp goes away. (04/16/2006)
By wendee
My mom recently told me about the bar of soap. I was eating bananas for potassium to try and stop leg cramps. Tried the soap about two months ago and haven't had a cramp since, until this last weekend. We went out of town and I forgot to put soap at the end of the bed. Didn't sleep more than 2 hours at a time each of four nights. Returned home last night to my soap, and slept nine straight hours. Might be an old wives tale, but it works for me. Sleeping like a baby in Washington State. (06/20/2006)
By jdcurrie1952
We have great success using the homeopathic remedy Magnesium phosphate (mag.phos.) It stops the cramping in seconds! Really miraculous. Please try it.
Nancy S
Connecticut (06/29/2006)
By Nancy S
Just went through weeks and weeks of sciatica spasms. I took 600 mg of Magnesium Taurate and when I went to bed, I realized that for the first time in weeks my spasms were gone. I had read about it but didn't believe it till I tried it. (01/07/2007)
By nospaz
I get muscle spasms in the back of my calves and what helps me is to straighten my leg and pull my foot toward me. Sometimes moving it toward me can be painful but it stops my cramping quickly. Now when I feel a cramp coming on I just pull my foot forward and it stops cramping. (01/11/2008)
By nicole
Hi Tuey,
I, too, was a skeptic re the soap in the bed trick, however, it truly works. I was in misery (not just with leg cramps, but every muscle I had and not just at night but also all day long) for about 4 weeks and was literally begging my m.d. for relief. All my blood work kept coming back with everything within normal range, so no meds.
My m.d. told me about the soap to help with night muscle cramps but said we would have to work on finding something else for daytime muscle cramps. I decided that if it worked at night maybe I should try it during the day so I used one of the little motel sample soaps in my pocket during the day. In one day and 2 nights I was a believer. Still not taking any meds for it. I have had a couple of tough cramps since but I've found it is always when I don't have soap near or on my body. (07/23/2008)
By buttonsorbows
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I had severe( 45 min. and up both shins) muscle cramps after taking a statin drug. The best relief I found(in addition to stopping the drug) was to put 1 T of raw apple cider vinegar with the mother(I use Braggs) , in a 6-8 ou. glass of water and drink it down......works every time and takes about 2 minutes. Now for just a very mild cramp I use a heating pad.
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