Cramping in legs

[anonymous]

My 7 yr-old daughter has CF. This morning she woke up with bad leg cramps (maybe in her joints) and could barely walk. I am wondering if this is this common with CF? or completely unrelated. Anybody out there have any insight?

 

[sarabeth87]

My brother and I both get pretty bad leg cramps. We've gotten these our entire lives. I think our doctor once told us it was from loosing too much salt. My brother has more problems with his joints than I do. Starting about 5 years ago, his knees and elbows would swell up and he couldn't move them at all. They never did figure out what was wrong, but it could have been antibiotics. Many of the antibiotics we get put on list joint tendenitis as one of the side effects.

 

[thelizardqueen]

I've gotten leg cramps all of my life. I'm not sure if its CF related or not. I always thought that it was just growing pains, but I still get them and I'm 24.

 

[ejwiegert]

I don't have CF, but I do get leg cramps. When I was younger, my mom would have me eat a banana or something high in potassium before bed (before I brushed my teeth). That was usually my culprit...potassium deficiency. I still try that when I have leg cramps to this day. Might try that the night after there's a 'bout of leg cramps!

Em

 

[Jane]

My son also has leg cramps too. They seem to happen when he's been doing a lot of running around. Drinking gatorade usually helps.

 

[melleemac]

Both my boys get bad leg cramps, Dr says they are growing pains. However Im not too sure. When they do get them,which is quite frequently, the only thing that helps them is a soak in a hot bath and then when they get out we wrap heating pads around thier kness (the pain is always behind the knee on both boys). When the pain is really bad I also give them tylenol.
Mel

 

[IG]

If it's in the muscle, and it's a charlie horse type cramping, have your blood drawn and have a full 'scan' done on them.
The first time this happened my doctor looked at my blood results (which I had just had done that day) and said 'your magnesium is very low' since then every time it's been the same thing.

Also I've had joint problems in my knees, finally it became so bad I actually went to a specific doctor for this.
He told me the shoes that I was wearing sucked. (flat soled shoes = bad for the knees)
Have to have something with arch support, even now adays if I go too long wearing flip flops or shoes with no arch (or very little arch) my knees will start hurting.

And finally, prednisone.
I noticed that when I was on a higher dose of this my muscles weren't as 'solid' (I had a lot of muscle weakness which is a side effect), also I had knee pain/cramps.

 

[littledebbie]

i have always battled foot cramps and occasionally wake with my leg
springing into a cramp...OUCH...in the middle of the night.  I
don't know why and never I asked I just walk it off/massage it out,
and drink water and eat something salty.  I have always just
assumed it corresponded.  The potassium thing I have tried but
never actually noticed that that made a difference for me.

 

[anonymous]

I do take extra magnesium since years, its the same why we need extra vitamins, we don´t get enough out of our normal food.

Uli,44,Germany

 

[IG]

Debbie, sounds like exactly what I have from the magnesium thing. Those cramps could wake me up when I was dead to the world.. Odd thing they always seem to happen in the mornings.. though i've had others later. I would suggest getting your magnesium levels checked.. wouldn't hurt anyway.

 

[coltsfan715]

I don't so much get legs cramps as foot cramps. I guess a tendon down the center of the bottom of my foot cramps up and causes my toes to curl downwards. It is extremely painful and so strange to have happen. The only way I can keep my toes from curling under when it happens is to hold them with my fingers and hands and pull them upward. I am usually dehydrated when this happens. I take in some fluids and massage the bottom of my foot and normally it goes away after a few minutes.


Candace - it is so funny that you mentioned walking in sandals hurting your knees. I usually always wear sandals - when I was younger I had pretty bad problems with my knees and when the therapist told me to wear tennies I did and I ended up not being able to walk by the end of the day my knees were so swollen. Still happens to this day every time I wear tennies - if I wear them all day and am walking alot - I end up needing help by the end of the day because I can barely walk I am having such knee pain.


Lindsey

 

[lovemygirl]

My daughter often gets pain in her knees and almost always in the middle of the night. We asked the hospital and they called it CF related arthritis. It is joint pain that many CFers get and they don't know the cause. Most of what I have read says to apply heat and we usually give her Motrin to ease the pain so she can sleep (6 yrs old).

 

[farmfamily]

My son has always had bad leg cramps. We've been told it is not Cf related but I've seen too much posted about it from the "experts who live with the diesease' tobelieve the doctors.

Terri

 

[lovemygirl]

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.cysticfibrosis.ca/page.asp?id=262
">http://www.cysticfibrosis.ca/page.asp?id=262
</a>
Interesting

 

[luke]

I used to always get cramps in the arch of my feet when I was younger...now I get them in my hands normally my thumb. I can remember my mother saying it was due to salt but I really never got a straight naswer from my CF doc. He did urge me to stretch my muscles/tendons every morning and throughout the day. I would stand on the steps...hold the railing and do calf raises. I guess it helped?



Luke

 

[folione]

Lindsey - a friend who is a sports massage therapist recommends using a tennis ball for those arch cramps; use your bare foot to roll the ball back/forth whenever you have some spare sitting time.