What do you do when you get a foot cramp?

That happens to me all the time. I’ve found that just standing on it until the pain and stiffness goes away works pretty good for me. And yes, IT SUCKS!!!

Eat more bananas and prevent it in the first place ^_^

Oh god.. I get these all the time. I usually pull my big toe back (towards my knee) and it goes away.

And I think uber is right and it has something to do with not getting enough potassium.

The worst are the ones you get in the middle of the night. And your whole leg tights up like that. Its like excruciating pain for a minute and then it just goes away.

I’d eat more bananas, but I don’t like bananas. They are too bland. I wonder how bananas taste dipped in hot sauce? :-)

I stand with my feet flat on the ground about two feet from the wall, put my hands on the wall and lean forward. If it doesn’t stretch it out I step back further and lean in again. Works every time.

@evelyns_pet_zebra chocolate!

peanut butter, banana and chocolate chips on a bagel is pretty yummy.

Yes the fastest way is to bend the foot against the cramp like Judi said. The problem is when you wake up mid cramp and you have get up without falling flat on your face. I usually have cramp in my right foot so I put my left foot under yhe ball of my right and pull up.

Over the last few years I get cramp on the long inner thigh muscle that runs from knee to groin. Ouch!! Old age isn’t for sissies.

Standing on it as much as you can usually does the trick. It hurts like hell though and can be tricky when you wake up mid-cramp in full force. My grandmother used to drink Quinine (sp?) water. I never tried that but she swore by it.

I used to take Quinine tablets for leg/foot cramps. I don’t think they sell them anymore. If you’re in bed when it happens, straighten out your entire leg, stiffly, and flex your foot so the toes arch back towards your knee. Hold it for a bit, and slowly release. If the cramp isn’t gone, you’ll know immediately, and can tense up again for a bit longer.

I forgot that there are Quinine tablets available. However, it just occurred to me that if you are having a leg cramp and can barely move enough to straighten your leg out, how are you supposed to get to the kitchen (assuming the cramping doesn’t happen in the kitchen) to get the Quinine tablets or water?! I guess you could just carry it around with you 24/7. Not very convenient. I have found that eating bananas can help prevent the cramps.

When I took them, it was a preventative. I just took it before I went to bed for the night.

Oh, maybe that’s what my grandma did. I don’t get cramps often enough to feel like I need to take precautionary measures – thankfully!

If I’m in bed I just roll out and grab the nearest wall.

I stand on the ball of my foot for a few seconds. I get these all the time, unfortunately bananas don’t help me because they give me stomach cramps.

Why is it that I can’t remember labor pains, but just reading “foot cramps” makes me cringe from the memory of how much these hurt?

@AlfredaPrufrock- Is that silly or what? Maybe because we get more foot/leg cramps than labor pains. Or the fact that we get joy of the outcome of childbirth, no joy from foot cramps at all!

If you can stand on a hard surface instead of carpet the cramp won’t come right back.

foot cramps worse than labor pains? I have plenty of funny euphemisms about giving birth, but rather than go there and get criticized for being insensitive or harsh, let me just say thanks for the advice. Chocolate covered bananas dipped in quinine and hot sauce it is. :-)

I get these because I have Plantar Fasciitis which seems to be pretty common. The condition causes a LOT of the cramps you mentioned. I just ride them out of stretch my foot. I have a high tolerance for pain though.

I have no clue how so many of you say you stand on your foot or strech it when your having these cramps. I am in agonizing pain during them. The thought of somehow getting out of bed and then standing on it just sounds soooooooo much more painful.

@uberbatman Oh it is! But, a couple of seconds of even more intense pain gets rid of all the pain much more quickly than if you just ‘ride it out’.

I used to not be able to do it myself, my husband would pull my leg straight & flex the foot. After several times of that though, I could do it on my own.

honestly, walking on it is the best thing to do. it hurts so much, but it goes away pretty quick. especially the cramps in the toes.

Look…go to this link QUININE is dangerous and can kill you, do not take it!!!http://www.drugs.com/mtm/quinine.html