A muscle cramp is a strong, painful contraction or tightening of a muscle that comes on suddenly and lasts from a few seconds to several minutes. It often occurs in the legs. A muscle cramp is also called a charley horse. Everyone has had a leg or a foot cramp before. It happens to all of us. It’s just a part of life.
But today we are sharing some of the most insane leg cramps we’ve ever seen. So insane that you can literally see the muscle make waves across the calf. Watch the following:
Insane Calf Cramp!
This is what happens when you go through an intense Muay Thai session in an 84-degree gym for 2 hours! This individual was so dehydrated that his calves (and other muscles) were cramping up for two days afterward!
Calf Cramp From Hell!
Mutant Calf Cramp!
How can you stop muscle cramps?
You may need to try several different ways to stop a muscle cramp before you find what works best for you. Here are some things you can try:
- Walk around, or jiggle your leg.
- Stretch your calf muscles. You can do this stretch while you sit or stand:
- While sitting, straighten your leg and flex your foot up toward your knee. It may help to place a rolled towel under the ball of your foot and, while holding the towel at both ends, gently pull the towel toward you while keeping your knee straight.
- While standing about 2 ft (0.6 m) from a wall, lean forward against the wall. Keep the knee of the affected leg straight and the heel on the ground. Do this while you bend the knee of the other leg. See a picture of how to do this calf stretch
- Stretch and massage the muscle.
- Take a warm shower or bath to relax the muscle. A heating pad placed on the muscle can also help.
- Try using an ice or cold pack. Always keep a cloth between your skin and the ice pack.
- Take an over-the-counter pain medicine, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve). Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label.
- If your doctor prescribes medicines for muscle cramps, take them exactly as prescribed. Call your doctor if you have any problems with your medicine.
- Drink plenty of fluids. Sports drinks, such as Gatorade, will often help leg cramps
Ref: WebMD.com & YouTube.com
Only after trying all those stretches and massages on my cramped calf did I end up getting diagnosed with Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Careful people. It could be a life changing cramp. Please exercise extreme caution 🙁