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.

Oh... and I made a nice bastardized version of chicken marsala last night for the first time. Yum. Still have half a pot sitting in the fridge and I bet it's gonna be twice as good the second day. :-p

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.

It is certainly not a pleasant way to wake up. I can't really be hopping out of bed to walk things off myself because of my "issues" and while I'm in the middle of an attack like that that would probably do more damage. Foolishly last night though for some reason I had forgotten my cane in the other room and had to pee after the spasm subsided. I just drug myself along the walls to take care of that. I wonder what my neighbors thought of the screaming. Eff 'em. Those people wake me up all the freaking time.
 
My issues are a little different and due to my condition but if you get those cramps often craig supposedly upping your potassium intake helps prevent that type of stuff.
 
Bananas, yo. You ever seen a munkee get a charlie horse in the middle of the night? Of course not.
 
;-)

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!

Magnesium is a great muscle relaxant and can help with this sort of thing. There's a magnesium drink called Natural Calm which is a very usable form. It gets good reviews from people suffering from spasms, muscle cramps, restless legs and migraines. I get a stiff neck sometimes and when I feel it coming on I take some Natural Calm and it really seems to help. 

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.

Hi, sharke. Many of the natural remedies are far too mild for me but many did help when I was younger and all this was still just developing. Now it's all about non stop vigilance with my ice/heat/stretch routines and making sure I get enough protein to repair muscle damage. When the nasty stuff starts happening unfortunately out come the chems which I hate and do not like keeping around. That's why I work so hard at the other stuff. Not a fan of being a zombie.
 
Funny thing is one of the most effective things for loosening up knotted up muscles and calming pain without twisting my mind for me is a couple of nice Bavarian Purity Law beers (none of that crappy sugar/chemical laden domestic stuff). Can't get a script for that though so obviously it doesn't get covered by insurance... even though I've had doctors say it is indeed helpful.
 
This is what the teetotalers have done to north america. Europeans understand the curative properties of moderate alcohol intake... as long as it's REAL booze. Not this crack in a can that gets passed off as beer by the major breweries.
 

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 ).

Stuff like that is definitely helpful. I unfortunately can't really afford to keep things like that around and my skin seems to react poorly to a lot of stuff (apparently my condition affects the dermis as well which is kind of weird).
 
One thing to be aware of with topicals though is the ingredients. Many of the more effective ones that are out these days actually use stuff that would normally be taken in pill form and can have adverse effects on the liver and kidneys just like their compressed powder versions. Instead of getting absorbed through the digestive tract and hitting the filter organs they get through the skin then the bloodstream and make their way through to the kidneys and liver. Because people are more wary of pills they tend not to look into that and it seems the regulations/warnings aren't quite as thorough/urgent.
 
But they are generally more effective because it's applied closer to where it's needed and less nastiness needs to be absorbed into the system. Just something to keep an eye on, yanno?
 
...
 
I just took a look at the ingredient list on the stuff in your link. Kind of has some weird almost made up sounding names for stuff which could be trying to mask what those ingredients actually are. I'm sure it's fine for occasional usage but I'd be careful not to use it regularly without really finding out exactly what those ingredients are. Some of these topicals even use opioids and can actually create a dependance... mind you those tend to be restricted and require a lot of warnings but we all know how the FDA can be a bit of a joke.
 
Perhaps that sounds paranoid and preachy... hopefully not, but I've just been through so much with all of this and have seen a lot of whack stuff throughout it all. Lot of vultures out there willing to take advantage of desperate people seeking relief. Makes me sad... then angry... then sad again. :-/