Leg Cramps, How to stop them?

[NeoStarO1]

Hi Everyone!

As some of you may know I had surgery almost 2 weeks ago on my right knee, Now im in the recovery process and have been doing the excersises as requested by the doctor and he said I should have been walking in a couple of days. NOT! Sheesh, Prior to surgery I was in a leg brace for approx 2 weeks. So the muscles are quite weak.

Anyways, this started slightly yesterday with slight leg cramping behind the knee and in the calf mucsles. Now today, they are extremely painful. I can' t be up on my feet with the crutches for more than 10 minutes or they will start cramping up extremely tight to where its making me turn into a big ole crybaby. I don't Like that.

What I would like to know from any of you who have had sports injuries to the knees or otherwise if this cramping is normal? I plan to call the doctor tommorrow to ask if this is normal. But would like advise on HOW TO STOP THE BLOODY CRAMPS! Gawd they hurt.

Right now only way I can half way elevate the pain is to keep a heating pad under the knee and calf to keep it warmed. but problem with this is my knee and foot is still swollen from surgery. This apparently is suppose to be normal for quite a while.

My thinking is ice would actaully make it worse, the cramps i mean, cause I use ice for the swelling.

so any de-cramping advise would be much appreciated!

TIA


NeoStar

[msterzer]

I understand Midol stops cramping. I don't know how to help you. Hope you are better real soon. Always seems that you need a doctor on a weekend, doesn't it?

[MDS]

I pulled the lig's in my right knee about a month ago and had to goto physical therapy, they used ultrasound, heat treatment, and I had to do painful streeches but after about 3 weeks it was almost like new. I've always been told to aply heat in 5 min intravals and streech alittle at a time, but I'd check with your doc to make sure streeching it right now won't damage it. Also maybe some icyhot might help

[geekgrl]

Painpills!!

I'd say to apply some heat to it. Use a heating pad, and put a towel between your leg and the heating pad.

Go to your doc soon.

[vass0922]

well I'm not much of an athlete (I can't even play sports games very well!!) however, I got a really nasty cramp the other day, my wife suggested heating pad

Sorry can't be of much help
Hope ya get to feeling better

[NeoStarO1]

Ohhh Ya, IcyHot, forgot all about that, I got some of that smelly stuff. Will put some on.

Yes im doing my excersises 3 times a day for right now till it loosens up some, its extremely stiff right now. the one excersise i don't like is where i put my good leg the ankle and lay it over the other ankle and force it to bend some more each time.

Gawd!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doc did not order phyiscal therpy for me this time around. Which I am supprised. cause when i had this done on my right knee back in 86 i was put in leg brace for 3 months and phyiscal therpy for several months.

and none this time. I thought for sure he was going to order physical therpy.

I will try your advise about apply heat then streatgh a little at a time. I am almost able to completely straighten it out now.

hahaha on the Midol, that is for PMS silly. !!!

oh the results of the surgery, i don't think i told, well they thought and as shown on the MRI the cartiliege was torn on the inside of the left knee, turns out to be the exact opposite. the cartiledge on the outside of the right knee was completely torn and completely flipped over to the inside of the knee, thus the excrusicating pain for so darn long. He cleaned out all the cartiledge on the outside of the knee and up a little above the knee as it had some slight damage there also. Was a shocker that for sure. Not totally sure how it got damaged. probably from moving as that is when it started to hurt.

Not sure how this will effect me in the long run having no cartilege there to absorb shock, I plan to asked when i go back in 3 weeks. Hopefully walking.

bannanas...

for potasium

its extremely stiff right now

I had my elbow dislocated,, I was in a cast 6 weeks or so, then when it came off my arm was at a permanent 90 degree angle the doc said, oh yeah it'll never work right no need for therapy,, that would be a waste of time..
Long story short, I have complete range of motion, but it was stiff it hurt and it took a long time., Keep at it Neo.. You can do it.

[NeoStarO1]

Originally posted by surreal
bannanas...

for potasium

Ugh, I already eat plenty of bannanas. they are one of the few fruits I am not allergic to. What does that have to do with cramps? or was that a joke and i missed it?

NeoStar

No Neo it's no joke. Potasium deficency is a major cause of muscle cramps.

[NeoStarO1]

Oh really? I didn't know that surreal.
well I will drink more milk and get some more bannanas tommorrow and eat eat eat like a monkey

LOL, maybe it will help me quit smoking!

To the person who mentioned pain pills. I am not taking them during the day anymore and dealing with wahtever pain. I have 11 cr. hours of classes online that i have been struggling to keep up with and slowly getting caught up. I can't funtion on the pills the doc gave me. they are very potent and I only take them right before I go to bed now to ensure that I will sleep as restfully as I can for the time being.

Plus I don't want to run out of them too soon, I don't think I can get another script of those. Doctors don't liek to dispense those and rightly so. So I don't want hte dependenacy on pain pills to cure the pain.

As the ole saying goes. no pain no gain.

I can deal with the regular pain just not hte cramps added to it.


NeoStar