Good morning, SF docs and smart guys.

This past week (or a bit longer) has brought the intense sensation of a hamstring cramp, but without the actual cramp. Any idea what causes (or more importantly, ends) this? It's gone from "mildly annoying" to "now I can't sleep."

I'm going to call my doc tomorrow, but curiosity is getting ahead of me.

I will be interested in what anyone says. I too have this pain in the calf of my right leg. This was from really bad sciatica pain down my right leg. I have a numb sensation from the calf to the bottom of my foot and feel like I have quarters taped to the bottom of my foot. My calf will cramp up during the night when I stretch, but also always has a very sore pain all day every day. I had back surgery and it fixed the sciatic pain I was having but everything I described in my right leg has remained. My nerve doctor said it is from the damage caused to the nerves and may improve, go away, or never go away.

I get that, too. Thought it might be sciatica, but my doc said it's actually tendonitis. Painful as all-get-out, but I can easily relieve it with a quick stretch.

They say cramps are caused by dehydration. This time of year it's easy to be dehydrated.

If it is sciatica, doing the cobra stretch really helped mine. I do it every morning now.

Having sciatica on the right side and having had hamstring cramps: IME, the difference between the two in pain is significant. They feel nothing at all like one another.

My wife, a retired RN, drinks diet tonic water daily. Keeps the leg cramps away. She says the quinine in the tonic water is the ingredient that stops the cramps.

Didn't we decide that OP doesn't have cramps? Some condition that is as painful as cramps.

Also, unfortunately, the amount of quinine allowed in tonic water sold in the US is limited to levels far below anything therapeutic. (The FDA, in their infinite wisdom, decided that quinine is too dangerous for a tiny percentage of the population, even though it is the only effective pharma treatment for muscle cramps.)

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
Didn't we decide that OP doesn't have cramps? Some condition that is as painful as cramps.

Correct.

Try this: Grab your upper arm with your opposite hand, thumb sort of "between" the bicep and tricep. There's a nerve or something in there you can find, sort of a pressure point. Press on it. (The jocks used to do it to the nerds when we were little; don't ask me how I know.) Do that, then imagine that sensation down the back of the leg (entirely above the knee).

All. Day. Long.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
Didn't we decide that OP doesn't have cramps? Some condition that is as painful as cramps.

Correct.

Try this: Grab your upper arm with your opposite hand, thumb sort of "between" the bicep and tricep. There's a nerve or something in there you can find, sort of a pressure point. Press on it. (The jocks used to do it to the nerds when we were little; don't ask me how I know.) Do that, then imagine that sensation down the back of the leg (entirely above the knee).

All. Day. Long.

I wonder if you have some type of nerve issue going on. This is the exact pain I experience, but in my calf. It started after I got my sciatic nerve pain resolved. The neurosurgeon said there are tons of nerves going down the leg and different strands are for different things. The damage to my nerves is why I also experience a numbness feeling and under the foot thing.

Might be worth talking with a nerve doctor as a PCP probably isn’t going to know other than guess.

My guess is dehydration. Also have you tried stretching and holding the stretch for about 20 to 30 seconds for 2 or 3 times and seeing if that helps ??? God Bless

Dehydration is a fair thought, for sure, particularly given our weather over the last couple of weeks. I do need to drink more water.

Unhappily, stretching doesn't really help. It helps me notice the issue, but the issue doesn't let up.

And to be honest, this has been going on for a few months, rather than just a few weeks. It's just that in the last week or so, it's been a full-time annoyance rather than a sometimes-during-the-day annoyance.

Just now reading what the OP typed, there might be something entirely different going on here. It could be a blood flow issue.

Last fall I started having very painful cramps in my right calf. I couldn't walk more than 50 yards when it would start. I had to rest for a few minutes before I could walk again. It got me thinking about problems I had with my right foot and my Podiatrist said it was a form of neuroma. A few cortisone shots later it went away. I made an appointment with him again thinking it might be related. He looked my foot over and said it was fine and then he picked up an ultra sound instrument to check my pulse down there. He couldn't find a pulse in my foot anywhere. He looked at me and said you have a blood flow issue causing your leg pain.

Long story short, he scheduled me an appointment with a vascular surgeon who determined that my femoral artery was blocked and not allowing any blood flow to my calf and foot. Shortly after that he performed a femoral artery bypass surgery. It was a pretty big deal, the operation lasted over four hours and required a hospital stay. I posted about it here on the forum last December. PM me if you want to discuss it further.

Not saying this is what is going on here but just maybe.

Bassamatic, I remember seeing that thread. Thank you for pointing it out. How are you doing now?

I'll plan to email you this evening. Thank you.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
Bassamatic, I remember seeing that thread. Thank you for pointing it out. How are you doing now?

I'll plan to email you this evening. Thank you.

Hey, thanks for asking. Pretty much all healed up now, I had a few issues with the lowest incision healing up properly but it eventually got worked out.

Ok, glad to answer any questions.

I had recurrent calf cramps. Occasionally my ankle looked swollen. Then one AM felt like a cramp behind my knee.

Ignored it, foot looked worse. Ignored it and had problems breathing one am - yep dvt developed into a pulmonary embolism.

Any asymmetry noted? Pain go away with leg elevation?