Santa brought me a horse named Charlie for Christmas.

Early this morning about 4am I was having a wonderful dream about playing a show in someone's front yard. I was playing bass and we were ripping through a Primus song (Blue Collar Worker IIRC). I was getting right into and jumping up and down and spinning all around... then I felt it. A slowly building tightness in my calf. Sure enough I woke up with my calf going into a full on excruciating muscle spasm. Now I'm pretty much stuck in my chair.
 
Ow.
 
Fortunately this doesn't happen as regularly as it used to and it is likely due to my obsessive cleaning binge over the past few days... but my apartment is all shiny and clean... so that's nice.
 
Hope you are all having a good day.

Yep...  Unfortunately, I also get cramps in my calves and feet.  No fun at all, especially the middle of the night kind where I need to jump out of bed and stand up as fast as possible.  If I don't, I end up with a bruise there that can last for a couple of days...  No fun.

Yeah...  I drink more water, tried extra potassium, sometimes you need more salt of all things and, occasionally, I've used that homeopathic stuff for leg cramps that contains Quinine.  I've researched it, but it just doesn't seem like doctors really know what causes them.  I've had them my whole life, but they're always much more likely to happen after I've done some physical activity involving the calf muscles.
 
When it hits me, regardless of what shape my back is in at the time, I HAVE to stand up as absolutely fast as I can, anyway I can.  It's the weight of me standing on my feet that stops the pain (though not always immediately).  Then I can do other things like stretching it a little or massaging it.  Without being able to do this (which has happened when a leg gets caught in the sheets for example) means the problem just gets worse rapidly - along with the pain - and it ends up bruising the muscle pretty bad.
 
Cramps suck!

Yeah, they're just absolutely crappy. Mine are nerve/sciatica/crummy connective tissue related. I take ibuprofin every night which keeps any inflammation down that might contribute to them so maybe if you think you've over exerted yourself that might be something to try. Seriously it helps me out a lot. Then if things are really bad there's always OTC muscle relaxers (or you could get a script) but that sh*t leads to loopiness and potential addiction so I try to avoid them.
 
The real thing that helps me though is making sure I ice and heat my back and do my physio. I do about 5 hours or more of that every day/night. It's annoying as frack and it's like having a part time job that doesn't pay anything but since I've started doing that stuff religiously I'm not totally twisted up all the time and can actually walk around my apartment a little during the day on my good days.
 
If you can afford it another thing that might help you is some massage therapy (I know you are just getting back to work but it doesn't take a lot). Sounds like there are some muscles getting all binded up and spazzing out on you while sleep. That's how it hits me and getting rid of the knots was very helpful. I desperately wish I could get myself back into regular RMT sessions. For some ridiculous reason it's not covered.
 
Anyway... I've got tons of tricks up my sleeve to deal with that type of stuff so if you need any more suggestions let me know. Pain is a b*tch and THAT type of pain is a long time foe of mine that I have a lot of experience dealing with.
 
Oh... I forgot bromelain. That's the stuff in pineapples but you can get it in capsule form (you probably know about that but it's worth mentioning). It's a natural anti inflammatory so double teaming that with bananas is good for mild stuff. If it's a tendon cartilage issue (which is what happens with me) shark's cartilage powder can help strengthen connective tissue/joints (also available at health food shops).
 
Cheers, bro.

I got some Rub on Relief for my Mom and now she swears by it.  You need very little compared to most creams and it doesn't have that smell.  I get it through Healthy Back Institute (losethebackpain.com), but you can also get it from Amazon (check it out HERE ).

Bromelain is good for the tendons, I take it because I have tennis elbow flare ups now and again. Another food with anti-inflammatory properties (that's recognized by the medical profession) is turmeric. Some people swear by it for pain relief. 

How's Charlie?  Rid of him yet?

Old55
How's Charlie?  Rid of him yet?

Yes, Charlie seems to have finally left the building late last night after a week of rattling and twisting my body. Thank you for asking.
 
It tends to start out in my calf or legs and then works up into my back leaving me a total mess. I had to go do some out of the apartment stuff yesterday (groceries) and was quite concerned it would leave me bed ridden but fortunately it seems to have loosened things up a bit. It can go either way in those scenarios. The extra movement and exertion either works out the kinks or devastates me for weeks. So to me that's a spot of good fortune to start the new year with and by golly my freezer/fridge/pantry is full of nummies. I was kind of starving myself because I couldn't get to the cheap grocery place and that just makes things worse. Need good food to keep the the muscles strong and nourished which keeps dear old Charlie out of my hair.
 
He's kind of a prick.