Have you ever got leg cramps, especially at night? If yes, you could know that it is so painful that makes you burst into tears, sometimes. Leg cramps or muscle cramps are common issues people often have. However, they might not know what causes leg cramps and how to get rid of this condition due to some reasons. As a result, VKool.com would like to show you some natural home remedies for leg cramps that you may not know in advance. Before that, we also provide you some background information about leg cramps such as its signs, symptoms, and possible causes. If you often suffer from leg cramps, this article is especially recommended for you.

22 Natural Home Remedies For Leg Cramps You Should Know

I. Symptoms Of Leg Cramps

As you know, leg cramps is considered as involuntary contractions of human’s leg muscles, which create the extreme pain for you. In fact, most cramps occur suddenly and are accompanied by warning signals such as twitching and tingling of muscles, followed by an abrupt pain. Normally, people get leg cramps at night and some of them cannot stay with it because of the extreme abrupt pain.

In some cases, severe muscle cramps can cause soreness and swell as well, which make people so disturbed and upset. They also require proper massage and rest in order to recover completely. It is easy to recognize a hardening of your muscles when they are contracting. It’s the time that you feel the highest level of pain. In addition, your muscles can knot and bulge obviously. Of course, due to the muscle twitching and tingling, you will not be able to move your legs. After a while or a gentle massage, it is possible.

It has no difficulty to diagnose a leg cramp because all the symptoms are so obvious. Don’t worry too much because you can use home remedies for leg cramps to treat it. However, in case that the cramp becomes chronic, you should go to a doctor and ask for treatments.

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II. Causes Of Leg Cramps

Understanding its causes is the best way to prescribe the treatment. In fact, there are several causes of leg cramps that are categorized into two groups: unknown causes and secondary causes.

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1. Unknown Causes

Unknown causes result in idiopathic leg cramps. Normally, people get this condition due to no underlying cause, which is hard for us to predict the reason for happening. However, theoretically, it is explained that a prolonged period of muscle would cause it to be shortened that is stimulated to contract. In a case of further contraction, you will get a spasm or cramp. Especially, this phenomenon happens mostly while you are sleeping. As you perceive, people often sleep with the feet pointing downwards and the knees slightly bent, which contributes mainly to shorten the calf muscle. That explains why we get a leg cramp at night. Though we do not know clearly the causes of leg cramps, the fact that stretching could cure the problem makes the above explanation seem more compelling.

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2. Secondary Causes

One more group of causes of leg cramps will be released. Scientists also pointed out that sometimes, leg cramps ^[1] happen due to an underlying disease or a specific situation and activity. For example, exercising can place muscles under severe stress for a long time, which causes leg cramps. Athletes and sportspeople often get leg cramps during the exertion or afterward. Besides, the exercising conditions that are warm cause them sweat profusely as well as lose a large amount of sodium, which increases the risk of a muscle cramp. In addition, other diseases also are causes of leg cramps such as Addison’s disease, cirrhosis, dehydration, diarrhea, alcoholism, diuretics, flatfeet, lead poisoning, kidney failure, muscle fatigue, and so on.

It is necessary for you to understand causes of leg cramps before getting other home remedies for leg cramps.

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III. Effective Home Remedies For Leg Cramps

1. Ginger

Gingers are indispensable home remedies for leg cramps. Actually, this ingredient contains a high concentration of magnesium that helps treat leg cramps effectively. If you apply ginger for a long time and on a regular basis, leg cramps will be reduced and treated completely. Additionally, ginger is well known for several essential oils loaded inside, which contribute to improving the blood flow.

Consuming ginger tea is a good suggestion to treat leg cramps. Besides, you can take a bath with its root extract whenever breathing in vapors. As said, ginger will improve the blow flow, in turn; it creates a warming effect that is essential to treat muscle cramps. In conclusion, ginger can soothe your leg muscles and deliver a higher amount of oxygen to your extremities. As a result, the flow of blood will be enhanced, which ensures a better health as well as performance. In general, ginger is one of the highly-recommended home remedies for leg cramps so that you should not ignore. Here we show you a simple recipe to make ginger tea not only for leg cramps but also for other health issues such as a cold, a stomach ache, flu, a cough, and so on. Homemade ginger tea is very beneficial.

Ingredients:

• Ginger: 1 tablespoon (fresh grated)
• Water: 2 cups
• Lemon: ½
• Honey: 1 teaspoon

• Other toppings: cinnamon stick, Echinacea tincture, chamomile flowers, mint leaves, cayenne pepper

Directions:

• Use a spoon to peel ginger. Then grate it with a zester or a grater.
• Note: If you prefer slicing ginger, you should slice it as thin as possible.
• Infuse the grated ginger and add other ingredients if you want.
• Then boil water in a saucepan. Add ginger to the pan and turn off the heat
• Leave it for 10 minutes with the lid on
• Strain to get the tea. Then add lemon juice and honey. Stir well and enjoy the tea

Get more: How to prevent muscle cramps

2. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is a magical kitchen staple because of its amazing and abundant health benefits. We can make use of this ingredient to treat many health issues. Leg cramps are not out of its reach, for sure. It is believed to be one of the best home remedies for leg cramps.

Apple cider vinegar is high in potassium, which allows it to relieve muscle cramps. Do you know why? In fact, low potassium is also among the possible reasons for frequent muscle cramps, thereby maintaining a proper amount of the element to prevent this condition. In addition, this remedy also contains several nutrients that contribute to controlling the fluid balance in your body so that it prevents dehydration.

Ingredients:

• Apple cider vinegar: 1 tablespoon
• Warm water: 1 glass

Directions:

• Dilute apple cider vinegar with warm water
• Consume this tonic every day to prevent muscle cramps
• Note: You can add honey to the drink and have it at night or half an hour before you go to bed.

3. Yellow Mustard

There is no shortage of home remedies for leg cramps. Yellow mustard is also among them. This ingredient contains a significant amount of acetic acid that helps promote your body to produce acetylcholine. This element is categorized as a neurotransmitter, which prompts leg muscles to work ^[2]. Thanks for that, the pain and soreness will be relieved remarkably.

You are suggested to consume a teaspoon of this remedy, followed by a glass of warm milk. It would be one of the great home remedies for leg cramps.

Get more: Home remedies for muscle cramps

4. Cold Compress

Acting as home remedies for leg cramps, a cold compress is a good solution. Actually, the cold temperature can help numb the pain and reduce inflammation. Besides, it allows the muscles to relax, which contributes mainly to relieving the cramp completely. Moreover, once the leg cramp is gone, you can use a cold compress to reduce soreness because it will constrict the blood vessels. The method is also simple.

Directions:

• Wrap ice cubes in a thin towel
• Then place on the affected muscle and maintain for 15 minutes
• Repeat every 2 hours during the first and second day
• Alternatively, you can take a cold shower to relax your muscles

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