Muscular Cramps

[gofer]

Have any of you been woken up with severe cramps (mainly in legs and/or toes) after a longer period at higher altitude ??

Noted any patterns to the occurences, found any cures, anyone have any theories, however crazy ???

Look forward to hearing .... Gofer

[AerBabe]

Do you mean normal cramp, or the kind which starts within a couple of seconds and has you doubled up in agony?

I'm not a professional pilot, but I do get the second type a lot in my calf muscles. Flexing the leg through the pain seems to help, and means the muscle isn't stiff and painful the next day.

Standard prevention of cramp is to eat a banana before bed, as it provides potassium, which is important both in the nervous system, and therefore essential for muscle function. Potassium levels can be reduced as a result of dehydration, which seems a common problem for pilots, working in an air conditioned office!

[gofer]

I'm not sure that I do mean normal cramp - its not like those you get running or in sports - its similar though and yes its mainly in the calf muscles. Its as though the muscle is triggered to shrink and it just stays locked that way - locked sometimes for 30 or even 60 minutes. Screaming agony - massage can help very slowly - but full use of the muscle can take 24 even 48 hours to get back.

Worst attack was both legs at once in a strange hotel in LA around 3 in the morning where I litterally woke you to feel the muscles lock and me to start screaming till the staff came and took what seemed like ages to understand (my Spanish is obvoiusly not really good enough for LA - coz English English was useless). I could not walk for 5 hours and getting to the bathroom and packing was an interesting challenge - flying a plane would have been utterly impossible.

I've heard of the potassium and/or magnesium theories, both of which are covered by the banana - always did wonder why NorthWest ALWAYS gives everybody a banana for breakfast on the longer hauls, at least in the pre 911 days. Havn't flown them since.

I have found the it is logically linked to the number of hours up there over a given timeframe. For me it is somewhere over 15 hours in 72 hours elapsed, or 20 hours in about 100 hours elapsed. More than around 10 legs of over an hour in a week seems also to push my luck.

I do get an extra sensitivity sort of warning and if I'm lucky can get enough exercise and massage in to avoid the bad cramp - but I cant find a logic to that yet.

Though I'm trying to log it, I'm also trying to avoid it. Avoidance is of course potassium tablets (haven't found many that are well packed and easy to take) with magnesium tablets (Boots) and the tighter flight socks (operative and post operative models actually work just as well but what is on the market is cheaper and black which makes them easy (also very washable and dry in minutes - which is useful for the crazy multi-leg long distance junkets such as Sao Paulo to Tokyo).

I posted this because I would think that some of the long haul boys, especially the freighter guys who do 12h DH's (sorry deadheads or 'positioning flights') and then go work might be lining themselves up for this kind of problem. I also suspect that advancing age (I'm now late 50's but have been having this since late 40's) doesn't help.:mad:

If anybody is doing research or wants to mail me with their experiences - please do. I think it does urgently need some logical researching. :cool:

[QDMQDMQDM]

I don't think there's any really effective prevention of cramp at night, which is extremely common. GPs dole out quinine tablets which are said to help -- if it's really a problem you could give it a go.

QDM

[Lou Scannon]

I've had the dreaded calf cramp a few times. For what it's worth I found the way to ease it was to leap out of bed at the first sign and stand on tip-toe with the non-affected leg off the ground.
That always seems to stop the pain by making the muscle work a bit harder. If caught early the only lingering problem is that the calf may be slightly stiff the next day.
Worth a try?

[gofer]

QDM

Have not heard the Quinine one, a better excuse for preventative G&T's I have never heard before - but seriously, thanks.

Lou

Also a new one, next time I'm unfortunate enough to get afflicted, if I can be quick enough I'll try it. Boy they really do hurt though especially if you were in a deep sleep and can't catch them early.

Any more suggestions guys - I'll even clutch at straws if you say it helps :rolleyes: :cool:

[AerBabe]

No need to leap out of bed. I find that just thrashing your leg around, bending and straightening it, helps. Mind you, you wouldn't want to do this if there was someone else in bed with you... :o

[Bird Strike]

I don't know if it's still available or not, but I vaguely remember a product called Crampex. Maybe worth looking up?

[Lou Scannon]

AerBabe,
...and there was me thinking that you were just enjoying things!

[gofer]

You & me both:) :p

[Cosmo]

Hi!

In my active days of sports I read a book on sports injuries, and the likes, with the relevant first aid instructions for acute injuries (muscle tears etc.). If my memory serves me correctly, I recall the first aid for "normal" muscle cramps was to stretch the muslce involved gently and apply pressure to it at the same time (any doc will hopefully correct me if I've gotten it wrong ( QDM?).

I applied this to a couple of calf cramps I got and it seemed to work, the earlier applied the better. In other words stretch the muslces of your calf by grabbing your foot so that your fingers run in the opposite direction to your toes. Then pull your foot towards your shin feeling the stretch. At the same time grab your calf muscle with your other hand and squeeze.


Cheers,
Cosmo

[QDMQDMQDM]

More on quinine from 'Dr. Becky':

http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/901217281.html

Like I say, British GPs still dole it out, but its effectiveness is questionable.

If my memory serves me correctly, I recall the first aid for "normal" muscle cramps was to stretch the muslce involved gently and apply pressure to it at the same time

Yes, that's the thing to do, but it is a b*tch of a thing to have, as sufferers will know.

QDM

[BlueEagle]

So, then, if all else fails the cure would seem to be:

Stand on one leg, on tip-toe, in the middle of the night and drink a gin and tonic whilst eating a bannana? - getaway!!!!:D

[gofer]

Too right sport.

What you actually do is wake up screaming, have the hotel staff come in door breaking mode and try and explain that all they need to do is massage your leg.

Jokes aside though, I am endebted to all of you for three things:
1) The confirmation that I am not alone
2) The comfort that others have also tried to diagnose this problem
3) The suggestions or confirmation of the possible preventative medicine - that may not remove all the problem but could well alleviate any occurences

As all the tech. mechs always try to tell us - preventive maintenance is better than the real thing !!

Sill interested if anybody has any other ideas and crazy solutions.

Thank gang - keep flying safely - I might be your PAX !

[AerBabe]

BlueEagle :D :D :D

Had another one on Saturday night, but wasn't staying at home. Attempted to get out of bed, found chest of drawers in the way, hit left knee and elbow trying not to fall over, and ended up in heap on the floor. :rolleyes:

[BlueEagle]

So you had another one last Saturday night then Aerbabe - finished up jumping out of bed, crashing into furniture and lying on the floor?

And what about the cramp?
;)

[Hobo]

A colleague used to suffer from this regularly. Several blood tests etc etc. nothing wrong. Happened to ask a pharmacist and was told dehydration could cause cramps especially in hot weather, or on long flights. If you feel thirsty, it is too late, you should drink water,regularly throughout the day. If your urine is any darker than light champagne colour then you are not getting enough water. Worked like a charm for him.

[leith]

Muscle cramps/back-aches/pulled muscles.
Try "Hidroxil" sold in Spain on prescription. It is 250 Mg B1 250 Mg B6 and 500Mcg B12. Those are large quantities but readily available from "herbal" and "health" stores.
Xrays, tube scans, pills, pain killers and steroidal injections helped me not over many many years.
One good doc (of several) tried Hidroxil. initially 2 pills per day (wonderful relief from back spasms!) which I now have reduced to half a pill, or its herbal equiv. daily.

The British Medical Association "New gude to Medicines and drugs" shows that overdosing on B1 and B12 is not easy. B6 is only a little different but does not seem so relevant now that I use individual pills from health stores or chemists.

The book also shows what these vitamins do.

I got a pain free life after years and years of off and on intense pain and/or limited movements.

Good luck