Charley Horse
A Self-Massage Solution for Leg Cramps

A charley horse can be quite painful. When I get leg cramps in the middle of the night I use these self-massage solutions to get rid of them quickly. Let's look at the benefits of massage therapy on leg cramps.

Leg Cramps

Leg cramps, also referred to as charely horses, are common. They occur when a muscle suddenly contracts. The contracting muscle usually crosses two joints, for example the quadricep and hamstrings cross the knee and hip and the calf which crosses the knee and ankle.

Normally a muscle contraction moves a joint either to bend it or straighten it. The sudden contraction that causes a cramp occurs without the movement of a joint. These cramps usually last for a minute or less but can be quite painful.

Self-Massage

Here's a simple self-massage solution when you get one of these terrible cramps in your leg. To ease a cramp simply put static pressure on the painful muslce. You can use your open hand to put pressure on the muscle. It should only take a few seconds to make the cramp stop. This works really well.

You can also use a bottle to massage the muscle. Roll a glass bottle across the muscle to loosen it.

If you get leg cramps often you may be getting them because you are dehydrated. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will lessen you cramps. Cramps can also occur because you don't have enough potassium. Eating bananas and drinking orange juice will help keep your potassium levels higher. Making sure you stretch regularly will also lessen your likelihood of getting cramps.

Self-massage is a great way to promote muscular health. Making it a part of your daily routine will help lessen the number of cramps you get. If you want to find out more about self-massage sign up for my newsletter and you'll get a free copy of Self-Massage for Healing.