Leg cramps

Description: Leg (and sometimes foot) muscles suddenly cramp and become tight.  The cramps can last from a few seconds to 10 minutes.  The muscle can feel sore for some time afterwards.

Tips

Eat more calcium (and magnesium)

Make sure that you include lots of foods that are high in calcium in your diet.  As well as milk, cheese and yoghurt, you could try sesame seeds, spinach, baked beans, tinned salmon, almonds and rhubarb.  Most popular breakfast cereals are fortified with calcium too.

You also need magnesium to help absorb the calcium.  Good food to eat includes dark chocolate, kidney beans, avocados and oats.

Click here for recipe ideas.

Stretches

If the cramp is in your foot, try standing on tiptoe on the affected leg and bending your knee forwards to stretch out the foot.  If the cramp is in your lower leg, put your weight on the unaffected leg; stretch the affected leg out in front of you heel down and toe up; bend the unaffected knee to increase the stretch.

Yoga

If the stretching is helping, but only giving temporary relief, try taking up yoga.