Leg Cramp Question
I found the following Q & A at www.canada.com.
Q: I am a 74-year-old male Caucasian in relatively good health with a BMI that is good for my height. Over the past year or so, I have suffered occasional leg cramps, sometimes several times per night, that require me to walk them out.
Lately, they have become a nightly occurrence. My doctor said there is really nothing he can do for me. Might he not be aware of possible treatments?
A: Leg cramps at night are a common problem and may or may not be a serious issue. Most people that come to their doctors with leg cramps think there’s something wrong with their circulation — a reasonable concern that needs to be sorted out with a clinical exam and maybe some testing.
The older we get the more we’re subject to circulation problems, but don’t assume that because you’re older, it is a circulation problem.
Probably the most important thing is to get all of the details: when the pain started, what makes it worse, what makes it better. In this man’s case, it’s an increasing problem over some time period, so that would suggest to me it’s not the sort of thing that you see when people have blood-supply problems.
If he complained that when he went for a walk, he would get leg cramps, you would start thinking about how well or poor his circulation is, particularly if when he rests the cramps go away and he can start walking again.
If he’s a smoker, he could be predisposed to such problems because circulation problems are much more common in older smokers.
Has he injured himself in some way, perhaps started jogging recently and ever since then has been having leg cramps at night?
You can overstretch your calf muscles and describe the pain as cramps, but actually what you’re having is calf pain at night.
Leg cramps can be related to varicose veins, a circulation problem. People with varicose veins have veins that don’t function as efficiently as they used to, so you get pooling of blood that may give you aches or pains that feel like leg cramps.
Exercise tends to be helpful.
By Dr. David Moores, For Canwest News Service
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