Pregnancy charlie horses at night

Muscle Cramps During Pregnancy | American Pregnancy Association

Muscle cramps, sometimes called a charlie horse, during pregnancy are one of the common discomforts experienced by approximately half of all expecting mothers. The majority of muscle cramps during pregnancy occur in the lower extremities, particularly in the calves. A muscle cramp is an involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles that happens abruptly and is most commonly experienced at night.

Symptoms of Muscle Cramps During Pregnancy

Muscle cramps and body aches during pregnancy may occur in any muscle or muscle group but is most commonly experienced in the legs. Muscle spasms that occur in the back or abdomen are also possible.
A muscle cramp or spasm is characterized by the following:

Involuntary contraction or tightening of a muscle
Usually sudden
Accompanied by a sharp pain

You should consult your doctor if your symptoms occur frequently, are associated with swelling or redness, and are not relieved with traditional methods.

What Causes Muscle Cramps During Pregnancy?

Overuse (carrying the extra weight from pregnancy or exercise)
Dehydration
Change in blood flow or circulation
Lack of stretching before exercise or extensive use
Nerve compression
Lack of minerals (potassium, calcium, or magnesium)

If you experience muscle cramps frequently, they are probably related to more than one of the causes noted above.

How to Prevent Muscle Spasms While Pregnant

Below are steps you can take to prevent or reduce the likelihood of experiencing muscle cramps while expecting:

Drink lots of water and fluids to stay hydrated
Stretch your muscles well before exercise or extensive use
Eat well-balanced meals to get the nutrients and minerals you need
Take a prenatal vitamin that contains calcium, potassium, and magnesium. To avoid overdosing, do not take additional supplements without talking to your doctor.

Eating foods that are high in potassium, such as kiwi, bananas, or cantaloupe, is a great way to get some of the nutrients you need to prevent muscle cramps.

How Do You Treat Muscle Cramps During Pregnancy?

If you are experiencing a muscle cramp, here are the steps you can take to alleviate the pain or discomfort:

Massage the muscle and nearby muscle groups to provide relief.
Stretch the muscle.
Apply heat with a heating pad.
Take a warm Epsom salt bath.
Apply cold with an ice pack to reduce the pain.

You may find that massaging the muscle with either heat or ice helps alleviate the pain more effectively.
If your muscle cramps remain frequent and do not respond to the above treatment, contact your healthcare provider. This could be a sign of a different medical condition requiring another type of treatment.
Want to Know More?

Treating Muscle Cramps Naturally During Pregnancy
Pregnancy and Leg Cramps
Role of Vitamin B in Pregnancy

Compiled from the following sources:
Danforth’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Ninth Ed. Scott, James R., et al, Ch. 1.
MedlinePlus, “Muscle Cramps,” National Institutes of Health, https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003193.htm
Mayo Clinic, Muscle Cramps, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/muscle-cramp/basics/causes/con-20014594

How to Ease Leg Cramps During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is filled with weird aches and pains, and unfortunately, leg cramps during pregnancy are no exception. Leg cramps (otherwise known as charley horses) can spring out of nowhere and stop you in your tracks, or even wake you up at night. And we know how precious sleep is! Here’s why you might be experiencing them, what you can do to ease the pain in the moment, and how to lower the odds you’ll have to deal with them again in the future.

In this article:
Are leg cramps normal during pregnancy?
What causes leg cramps during pregnancy?
Home remedies for leg cramps during pregnancy

Are Leg Cramps Normal During Pregnancy?

For the record, yes, you’re not the only one dealing with this. Nearly half of all women experience leg cramps during pregnancy at some point, and they tend to spring up at night, according to the American Pregnancy Association. “It’s common—a lot of my patients report experiencing them,” says Christine Greves, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn at the Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies in Orlando, Florida.

While plenty of moms-to-be have leg cramps, the level of discomfort can vary, ranging from annoying to outright debilitating. “Cramps can cause women to result in loss of sleep, reduced well-being and work capacity,” says Jessica Shepherd, MD, an ob-gyn at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.

What Causes Leg Cramps During Pregnancy?

While you can technically have leg cramps at any point during your pregnancy, they’re more common in the second and third trimesters. The cause, however, is a little less clear. “We’re not really sure why leg cramps happen in pregnancy,” says Julie Lamppa, APRN, CNM, a certified nurse midwife at Mayo Clinic. But she says there are some theories.

One is that it may be due to a build-up of certain acids (like lactic and pyruvic acid) that cause your muscles to involuntarily contract, leading to those painful cramps, Greves says. Pregnancy weight gain puts more work on your legs than when you’re not pregnant, and that can also increase your risk of cramping, she explains.

You’re also at more risk of becoming dehydrated when you’re expecting, which may also be a factor in those leg cramps during pregnancy, Shepherd says. When your body doesn’t have enough water or sodium, she explains, your muscles can contract and prompt that cramping feeling.

Home Remedies for Leg Cramps During Pregnancy

So what can you do when that familiar pain strikes? There are a few easy ways to help ease leg cramps during pregnancy:

• Flex your foot as soon as you feel the cramp coming on. “You want to point your toes up as far as you can bring them, like trying to bring your toes to your shin,” Lamppa says. She recommends holding this position until the cramp calms down.

• Elevate your leg. Try this after you flex your foot to help move things along, Greves says. Even better, try stretching and then elevating your leg.

• Walk it out. This can be a little tricky if you’re having an intense cramp, but movement can help work it out, Lamppa says.

• Massage the cramp. Rubbing the muscle can help relieve the tension (and cramping), Lamppa says.

If you’re having any of the following symptoms along with leg cramps during pregnancy, call your doctor:

Persistent throbbing in one leg
Leg swelling
Redness in your leg
A leg that’s warm to the touch

These could be a sign of a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that develops within a deep vein in your legs, Shepherd says. That DVT can travel and cause a pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot that travels to and blocks a portion of your lungs—and it’s a life-threatening emergency. “A leg cramp should not stay painful,” Greves says. “Eventually, it will get better.”

How to Prevent Leg Cramps During Pregnancy

While leg cramps are common during pregnancy, there are a few things you can do to lower your chances of having them:

• Stretch your calf muscles. Stretching them out regularly (think: a few times a day) can help relieve tension in the area that can lead to cramping, Shepherd says.

• Stay physically active. Moving around can help work out the acids that can build up in your leg muscles, Greves says.

• Take a warm shower or bath before bed. This can help relax your muscles, Greves says.

• Drink plenty of water. This is important for pregnancy in general, but can also help lower your risk of cramping, Lamppa says.

• Take a magnesium supplement. There’s some evidence to suggest this can help with leg cramps, Lamppa says. Most prenatal vitamins already contain some magnesium, but you can talk to your doctor about whether you might benefit from additional supplementation.

If leg cramps are a regular thing for you, talk to your doctor. They should be able to help guide you on next steps.

Updated July 2019

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.

Plus, more from The Bump:

Safe Over-the-Counter Medications You Can Take While Pregnant

Exercising for Two: The Dos and Don’ts of Pregnancy Workouts

How to Deal with Headaches During Pregnancy

"Charlie's Horse Syndrome": an unusual symptom that warns of the presence of a blood clot in the body

Health

Photo: IStockphoto

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, almost everyone now knows about such a terrible diagnosis as thrombosis. Infection provokes various complications, but thrombosis is one of the most frightening. Doctors are sometimes forced to amputate a leg or arm to save a life.

However, not only covid can provoke the formation of a deadly blood clot in the body. A blood clot can appear due to a sedentary lifestyle, bad habits, various chronic diseases.

"Charlie's Horse" is an informal name for the syndrome, which refers to a muscle spasm or cramp that occurs in any muscle of the body, but mainly in the leg. This unusual combination is used by residents of North America.

"Charlie's Horse" in the US and Canada was nicknamed spasms of the legs in honor of baseball player Charlie Redbourn, nicknamed Old Hoss. He played in Major League Baseball in the 1880s and suffered from frequent seizures.

You should definitely be on your guard if you suffer from sudden and painful muscle spasms in your leg. Convulsions can appear both at night and during the day. Most often in only one leg. This may be a warning that you are suffering from a blood clot and not restless leg syndrome.

“This symptom is insidious in that it can easily be mistaken for muscle damage. Those who play sports are especially at risk, because there is a high chance of injuring the leg with uneven power loads, ”the National Blood Clot Alliance experts quote the Express edition.

The following symptoms are often added to muscle spasms :

the leg got bigger, it seemed to be a little swollen;
the affected area became redder and warmer;
the skin on any part of the leg may change color: become white or blue;
you don't like touching your leg.

A blood clot can remain motionless for a long time, but everything changes in a second. The blood clot breaks off and quickly travels to the lungs. Here already the account will go on minutes. The person will begin to suffer from shortness of breath, severe chest pain, heart palpitations. And if there is no doctor nearby, then everything will end extremely tragically.

Therefore, if you notice that you have muscle cramps or pain in your leg, be sure to make an appointment with your doctor. The specialist will prescribe all the necessary tests and help identify the true cause of the ailments.

Sofya Khromova

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Code black - this is a situation where the hospital has such an influx of patients that there are not enough resources to serve them. In a typical hospital, this happens five times a year. And this happens up to three hundred times a year.

Los Angeles. Angels Memorial Hospital. 6:30 am. Dr. Rorish will be here shortly, but in the meantime, I'm with you, Jesse Sallander. I'm the head nurse here, and I'll be your mother for the next three years. Everything that happens in this house - I know. Are you smarter than your mother because you received diplomas? I'm here to teach you how to do the right thing, and so that you can keep that quality when you get out of here in three years. Interns get to know each other. Christa Lorenson, Mario Savetti. Where did you study? At California Medical, it's cheaper than ever. And I'm from New York, I'll pay off loans up to your age.

This is the temple of resuscitation where thousands of doctors aspire. You will enter here now. This is the best hospital in Los Angeles, where the secret services book a place for the president when he comes to Los Angeles. Here is the hope for the last miracle. Ask me questions, because asking your dad will be scary, but remember rule number 1: no one should die in this house. I wonder if he is a mother, then who is the father?

A signal sounds. They brought garbage on the side of the road! This is not politically correct. They shot him and left him. Get out of the car, carefully! A gunshot to the neck, maybe more than one. Call the operating room. Put your finger right here. Do you feel like a worm is beating? This is the carotid artery. Only your finger protects him from death now. Begin cardiopulmonary stimulation. He urgently needs a transfusion! No, he can't transfuse blood. But he will die. Who will say why it is impossible to transfuse blood now? That's right, it'll take an hour. He doesn't have this hour. Carry all the ice-cold saline. Will you replace his blood with ice-cold saline? Who's to say what for? The introduction of ice-cold saline will lead to clinical death. Correctly. So the surgeon will get an hour. We will kill him to save him. Dr. Lynn Rorish combines interns training with victim care.

Ice cold saline transfusion - Committee will not approve. You're the head of the department, Mark, what are you thinking about? Nothing after Xanax. The patient survived, Neil. This time. In three years, Lynn had more failures than any other doctor in our hospital. She became more dangerous, more reckless, four times she was under investigation. And she was justified. I know. After that terrible tragedy, rage hardened her. She brings up excellent doctors. The committee loves her. And me too.

Lynn arrives: did you call me? You caused clinical death in a patient. How is he? His artery was sewn up, all the blood was restored. Don't you dare blame me. I saved the patient. Anyone in my place would be proud of it. Neil Hudson and Lynn argue. Lynn calls a colleague a coward who is most afraid of breaking some rules.

While you're here bickering, over 40 people have been admitted to the hospital. Dr. Lynn tells the interns that the clinic's patients are divided into three categories: the first is critical (for example, gunshot wounds), the second is serious, but nothing threatens their lives. The third is the lungs (flu). For the time being, you help with patients of the third category.

Jessie, find a case for Dr. Pineda. Malaya Pineda is offended. Jessie asks her: Do you consider yourself a real doctor? Oh sure. Come on, I'll find you a patient who needs a real hero.

Lynn introduces the interns to Hudson: Dr. Lorenson, Dr. Savetti.

They bring a person injured in a car accident. His teenage daughter Ariel is hysterical. Lynn comforts the girl. They try to revive the victim, but he dies. Mario gives the girl his phone and offers to call her aunt.

Malaya accompanies Dr. Guthrie, who is examining an elderly man who has suffered a stroke. He needs a drug to dissolve blood clots.

Intern Angus Layton is asked to send a patient with a broken arm for an x-ray. Tom does not immediately manage to find an x-ray room.

Lynn and Neil argue over who should tell Ariel about her father's death. They decide that they will do it together. We couldn't save him. He died? His brain died. The instruments keep his body alive. Your father wanted to be an organ donor. I forbid, I will not let him cut, do not touch his organs! I am his daughter!

Mario and Krista go to the patient. She is pregnant, in the ninth month. Claims she has the flu, a headache. Lives above the boiler room. Mario looks at the patient's veins: hooked again? She scolds. Mario says that the patient is most likely suffering from heroin withdrawal. Doesn't look like flu symptoms. Krista agrees, but it doesn't look like a heroin withdrawal either. Lynn says turn the woman over to social services.

Jesse decides to replace Angus with Pineda, who has a broken arm. But Malaya also does not stay near the patient, who begins to fall asleep. The interns go to see a patient who is being examined by Dr. Guthrie.

Code red, 3:12 a.m. The boy is brought to the hospital. Next to the parents. Lynn asks where are you from? From Norway. Everything is clear, the boy has a collapsed lung, the Norwegians are genetically predisposed to this.

A guy appears with his arm in a cast, he walks like a sleepwalker, falls. Whose patient is this? Need a wheelchair! There are no wheelchairs!

Code black announced, 4 hours 45 minutes. Chaos begins. Neurosurgeon urgently needed! Angus tries to help a boy with collapsed lungs, he almost dies, but Malaya gives Angus advice in time, the boy's life is out of danger. Lynn reprimands Krista for disobeying her order and not turning her pregnant in to social services. She went home on her own. Lynn tells Krista that she is fired. Krista is already going home, when suddenly it dawns on her: diesel fuel! The pregnant woman said she lived above the boiler room. Krista calls the patient at home, but she cannot answer because she is unconscious.

Lynn and Neil each have their own operation. Lynn is asked to answer the phone. This is Krista. She calls from an ambulance. In the apartment of a pregnant patient, the door had to be knocked out, the car was stuck in a traffic jam, what should I do? Lynn says: do a caesarean section right in the car. I can not! You can, you saw. Lynn and Neil perform surgeries and consult on the phone with Krista, who is having a caesarean section. Everything is going well for her. A baby's cry is heard from the handset. It's a girl,” Krista says happily.

An open craniocerebral injury has been received!

In the morning Lynn talks to Krista. Well done! Why are you here? My child has died. When children get sick, you learn a lot. And who did you lose? Everyone.

Aunt arrives for Ariel. She thanks Lynn. Lynn calls the girl, leads her to the ward where the young patient lies. My name is Vanessa. Don't be afraid, come on. Ariel approaches Vanessa. She puts her ear to the patient's chest. Do you hear? Yes, I hear you dad.

Mario Savetti grumbles: why do we have to clean the emergency room after the shift? Jessie answers him: because you are a beginner. And the firefighters wash their own cars, too. By the way, among Buddhists, work is considered one of the types of meditation. Jesse briefs the interns before the shift begins. Lynn appears. Hi, Mom! Lin tells the interns, you four shadow Dr. Hudson and me until Code Black is declared.

They bring people injured in road accidents. The man says: I beg you, I must live. I have a wife and a daughter, they can't live without me. What is your name? Jake. The patient loses consciousness. Dr. Lorenson, hold the patient's head as if it came off! The spine appears to be intact. Clamp! otosos! Lynn says we need to take him upstairs, prepare the operating room. But he will die in the elevator. Dr. Pineda, emergency chest opening. But we only have a 5% chance of success. Nothing, we're dealing with anomalies. Now let's move the lungs apart, there will be a pericardium. Here. Look, a shrapnel wound near the aorta. Inject adrenaline into the area of the heart. Dr. Pineda, take your heart in your hands, give me a massage. It beats!

Jake's wife arrives. She wants to talk to Dr. Rorish. She says that her first husband left her when he found out about his daughter's diagnosis. But then Jake showed up. He had an accident when he was driving to arrange a girl for a dance. I was generally against it. But he said: this is my daughter, I am responsible for her. I don't know how we'll manage without him. Lynn says that they managed to stabilize Jake's condition.

Dr. Taylor asks Krista why is your patient still here? Remember what Dr. Rorish says? The patient stays with us for ten minutes. This one is already eleven.

Male, 26 years old. Found passed out at the gym. This is a hockey player. The man has already come to his senses: I'm just overtired. No, you had a seizure.

Dr. Guthrie is busy with a patient. She has dementia and swallowed a handful of coins. She was given a laxative. Now the interns take turns carrying out the ship. The old woman should not be released while foreign bodies remain in her body.

Krista and Dr. Hudson examine a patient who had an accident on the way to the hospital due to severe pain. It turns out that she does not have one ovary, and the second is twisted, access to oxygen is blocked. If urgent surgery is not performed, the ovary will die. The woman's husband died, but he managed to freeze the sperm. She will no longer have a chance to get pregnant.

The hockey team doctor arrives. He demands to release the hockey player and exclude an indication of an attack from the medical record. The hockey player demands the same. He pushes Mario. Lynn still asks Savetti to tell the athlete that his seizures are life-threatening. He will have to do away with hockey. Mario follows this order. He tells the athlete that he can become whoever he wants. I myself am an example of this. Lynn chases the hockey team's doctor away. He gave the athlete drugs that stopped the attacks, the repetition of which was life-threatening for the athlete.

Krista finds out that the hospital has a place in the surgical department, but no surgeon. She begs Hudson to perform an ovarian operation: after all, he worked as a surgeon. He does not agree for a long time, but Krista manages to persuade Lynn, she asks Hudson: come on, just don't tell Taylor.

Angus and Malaya examine a patient who complains of back pain. Angus says it might be an aortic dissection. Malaya insists that it's a muscle spasm. Angus turns out to be right, as a result, he has to perform an operation on the patient's heart right in the emergency room.

A teenager is brought in. He fell from a cliff, from a height of four meters. At night? The father accompanying the boy says that there were climbing competitions. The boy is almost blind, distinguishes only light and shadow. Did you send a blind child to the rocks? Lynn is surprised. However, this is none of our business. Be glad that you have a child. The operation begins.

Krista assists Hudson during surgery. Suddenly he starts bleeding. Hudson says he may have hit an artery. The blood can only be stopped thanks to the resourcefulness of Christa, who remembered the original move shown to her by Lynn Rorish.

The elderly patient finally got rid of the coins in her stomach. She informs Dr.