Foot Cramps During the Night and Day:What's Going On? - By: Dr Alireza Khosroabady DPM

If you’ve ever been awakened in the middle of the night by a cramp in your foot you know that the pain can be nothing less than, well, it woke you up didn’t it?

And if you have foot cramps during the day, you know that it can sometimes take several minutes for the cramp to dissipate.

What is going on, you’re probably asking? Why the cramp?

Although the real reason cramps occur is not completely known, but researchers have noticed feet tend to cramp after a person has done athletic activity -- particulary if it’s new activity -- and/or when the individual is dehydrated. Older rather than younger people tend to cramp more and many drugs (diuretics, for example) also can cause cramping (check with your doctor if the cramping is frequent or particularly painful to see if some of your medications may be causing the foot cramps). Pregnant women in the later stages of pregnancy sometimes experience foot cramps, as do those with an untreated under-active thyroid gland.

To treat your foot cramp, do just as your mother told you: stretch your foot in the opposite direction of your cramp until the pain subsides. Massaging your foot for five minutes or more also is a good idea.

You can leave it at that, or, if the pain was intense, take some aspiring or ibuprofen to relieve any remaining muscle pain. Elevate your foot, soak it in warm water, if you desire, wrap it in an elastic bandage if necessary and, if chronic, visit a health professional, preferably a podiatrist.

Night time foot cramps, like their daytime counterpart, may be caused by dehydration or lack of electrolytes. If you’re a high consumer of caffeine and you experience foot cramps regularly, you may want to cut down on the amount of coffee and other caffeine-filled beverages you consume. Caffeine acts as a diuretic and you could be becoming dehydrated without knowing it. Some health care practitioners believe a person should consume 16-31 ounces of water for every cup of coffee consumed to counter effect the caffeine’s diuretic properties.

Are you working out a lot and for long periods each session? Excessive sweating also can dehydrate you. Exercisers also lose salt when sweating and excessive salt loss can also cause muscle cramps.

You should drink plenty of water and, as added measure, try this stretching exercise: Stand barefoot before a wall. Wedge your toes up against the wall and feel the stretch.

Copyright (c) 2009 Dr Alireza Khosroabady DPM

About the Author

Dr. Alireza Khosroabady is a Fellowship trained foot and ankle surgeon. He finished his surgical residency in New York. He also completed a one year fellowship at the Rubin institute for Advanced Orthopedics / International Center for Limb Lengthening at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore Maryland with world renowned Orthopedic Surgeons. He is practicing in Los Angeles CA . More information visit http://www.fixmyfoot.com you can request his free book.

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