foot and hamstring muscle cramps

[Anonymous]

I walk and go to reformer pilates for exercise, have been on this routine for over a year.

Today in pilates class, I developed terrible cramps in my feet when using the foot straps, and then in my hamstrings when doing bridging and other moves. The pain was strong enough that I had to stop the exercises. This has never happened to me before, and I did all appropriate stretching before and after class.

Since then, one of my hamstrings has ached all day and feels like it is about to spasm.

I don’t break a big sweat doing pilates, so I don’t think my electrolytes are off.

I guess I could be dehydrated, so I’ve been drinking a lot today, but I don’t think I drank less or more than usual the past few days.

I’m looking for suggestions of what else may have caused this and what I can do to bring relief.

[Anonymous]

Eat more potassium

[Anonymous]

Stretch more.

[Anonymous]

I was fully stretched before class, and we stretch periodically throughout class and after class. The muscle cramps also happened in my feet.

I will add in more potassium - bananas. Maybe a supplement if this doesn’t resolve in a week or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was fully stretched before class, and we stretch periodically throughout class and after class. The muscle cramps also happened in my feet.

I will add in more potassium - bananas. Maybe a supplement if this doesn’t resolve in a week or so.

Look up exercises and stretches for the paws. Paper crunches, ball roll, etc.

[Anonymous]

It’s a Charlie horse. They run in my family and I get them in my feet occasionally- once in my calf, which was excruciating. I’m also a Pilates person, fwiw. In terms of conventional wisdom, I agree that stretching is good, but bananas (potassium) have never made an appreciable difference. Keeping my feet warm at all times is key for me. Slippers in the house, socks at night. I never have bare feet. Since I started doing that I almost never get the cramps. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I have to eat half a banana a day or I get hamstring cramps when I wake up in the morning.

[Anonymous]

During bridging, add extra weight to put less load on the hamstrings.
Supplement with magnesium. Oral up to 450 mg per day, and topical can be additional to that.
Consider using a foot brace at night for plantar stretching. Try on one foot initially to see if it helps.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Also get your iron levels checked since that can be related to restless leg syndrome at night.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all of these ideas. Since this has never happened before, and I always stretch before and after class (and those of you who do pilates known there is also stretching during class), and since it happened on the same day to both feet, both hamstrings, and turns out one calf muscle, too, I think it’s something internal that out of the blue triggered this. I’m going to add more potassium and magnesium to my diet, and try the other things suggested. I slept with a heating pad that I rotated among various parts of my legs and feet, and between that and needing the bathroom every hour for the increased water intake, I barely slept, haha.

Thanks again from OP

[Anonymous]

My dad had a chronic potassium deficiency, and the doctors put him on a reduced fluid intake program. So too much water can be a problem if that's what you have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dad had a chronic potassium deficiency, and the doctors put him on a reduced fluid intake program. So too much water can be a problem if that's what you have.

Wow, I'd fire those doctors fast.

Doctors are often serial killers in disguise. Though the old saying goes, "Don't attribute to malice which could be explained by ignorance." and it's true that most Doctors/MD's, etc. were C students and average 100 I.Q. people the vast majority of the time.