I am getting bouts of cramp overnight in my legs - good one and bad one. Anybody have any advice? I already take anticoagulants, so hope it isn’t a sign of anything unfortunate in that direction.
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May help may not.
Pre stroke I was having cramps in one of other legs. I mentioned this to Dr on a visit not related to the appointment. He said drink a bottle of water an hour before bed. Thought ok fob me off.
But I did it and it’s worked and get hardly any now. Yes still occasionally Now but nothing like before.
Do I still drink before bed. Yes. Now I’m not saying it will work. But maybe worth a try. And it’s not medication.
And I’m sure there will be some scientific theory behind it. But I’m not bothered. It works
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During the first year or two after stroke these pains were a regular feature, quite intense, and were frequently a part of getting up in the morning. Now, four years post stroke, these episodes are less frequent.
Largely the pains were on my affected side, both arms and legs. I put this down to nerves reconnecting, but really I don’t know what it was. In a way it was ‘good pain’ because it meant that though uncomfortable there was some life and feeling in the areas where it occurred.
My mobility and dexterity have improved a little over that time but I still struggle to walk and my hand still doesn’t function as I would like it to.
I think in general terms it is quite usual to share similar symptoms but each individual’s level of recovery can vary considerably from that of another.
I do believe that sharing our experience can help us map the terrain that is our post stroke world.
@Dexster
Thanks for speaking out.
keep on keepin on
When the stroke began my wife immediately summoned an ambulance and I was taken straight to hospital.
The stroke ward was full so I was put in a bed in the general ward for a week or two waiting for a vacancy.
Everything was in a Covid panic.
I remember intense distress, confusion, fear and some hallucination while I waited.
I begged, demanded, to be sent back home.
There certainly wasn’t the immediate care stroke is supposed to receive.
By the time I arrived on the stroke ward I was pretty much completely paralysed and traumatised still not knowing what was happening.
I was not in a good state.
In many ways things are better now but I am a long way off recovered.
Now it is more a case of making the best of a bad job.
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General point and I HAVE NOT asked GP about this but before stroke for years i got cramps after exercise I used to take electrolytes to replace what I had sweated out. They worked extremely well.
I do now get occasional cramps and have wondered whether these would help but have not taken any since as I am uncertain what the salt content may be. I’ll get round to asking one day!
It’s just a thought but do PLEASE check it out - personally i would not take any until i am sure. I’d be grateful for any feedback.
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This is what I’m saying about people who say they are here for people. But go totally off track about the conversation.
What has this bit below. Got to do about Dexter’s message. Nothing. Keep the thread about what’s asked. It’s not about you. Or do these people think they own the site. And they know who they are.And I could name them.
When the stroke began my wife immediately summoned an ambulance and I was taken straight to hospital.
The stroke ward was full so I was put in a bed in the general ward for a week or two waiting for a vacancy.
Everything was in a Covid panic.
I remember intense distress, confusion, fear and some hallucination while I waited.
I begged, demanded, to be sent back home.
There certainly wasn’t the immediate care stroke is supposed to receive.
By the time I arrived on the stroke ward I was pretty much completely paralysed and traumatised still not knowing what was happening.
I was not in a good state.
In many ways things are better now but I am a long way off recovered.
Now it is more a case of making the best of a bad job.
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I will be keeping @Gnasher on my ignore list.
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Freedom of speech. And you have made it quite clear on many times to me You don’t like someone who doesn’t agree with your vision. OMG
Anyway hope things turn out ok Dexter. Baldrick advice sounds good. But consult GP first like he says
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You could look into magnesium (Magnesium chloride also known as magnesium oil spray is excellent for cramps) and possibly potassium and I also second hydration and electrolytes / coconut water. This is an energy crisis problem ; it takes more effort to relax a muscle than to contract a muscle. (Sodium Potassium Pump). Good luck.
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My dad was advised to try tonic water for cramps. The quinine in it I think. It did help him a bit.
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Very good suggestion, which I used to follow2 years ago. Unfortunately the amount of quinine allowed in the UK is limited and quite low ; the concentration is legally limited (to 100 mg/L in Europe and 83 mg/L in the US) and is a small fraction of a medicinal dose ; nevertheless I found it still helped
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I really do not think that a public argument on this forum will be of any help to anyone!
Bob Isle.
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(Please ignore if this is of no help)
The Golgi Tendon Organ in the Calf
The main muscle involved in night cramps is the gastrocnemius (the big bulk of your calf) and its tendon—the Achilles tendon.
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The Achilles tendon has one of the highest densities of Golgi Tendon Organs in the entire human body.
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When your friend gets a cramp, the muscle spindles (which sense stretch and cause contraction) have gone into overdrive and are screaming at the calf to tighten. The GTOs are supposed to step in and hit the “emergency brake,” but in a cramped leg, the muscle is so locked up that the GTOs get overwhelmed and stop firing.
Your “fascial reworking” solution:
By changing the vector of force on the calf (just like you did with your arms on the lawn), you can manually “awaken” the GTOs and force them to override the cramp.
The “Leg Backstroke” Protocol for Your Friend
Instead of lying flat on their back, your friend needs to do the horizontal gravity trick for the legs. Here is the specific exercise to reprogram the calf fascia and trigger the GTO reflex:
The Wall/Floor Heel Drop (The Horizontal GTO Reset)
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Position: Have your friend lie flat on their back on the floor (or their bed) with their legs straight out.
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The Setup: They place the ball of their foot flat against a wall (or the headboard of the bed), with their heel resting on the floor/bed. Their leg should be perfectly straight.
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The Gravity Vector: Instead of standing and leaning forward (which uses muscle power), they simply relax their leg and let gravity pull their heel downward toward the floor, while the wall stops the toes from moving forward.
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The Mechanism: This creates a passive, horizontal traction on the Achilles tendon. Because they are not actively pushing, the muscle stays relaxed. The GTOs in the Achilles detect this intense, passive stretch and fire that “emergency brake” signal straight to the spinal cord, which immediately tells the cramped calf muscle to shut off.
The “Fascial Reprogramming” for Prevention
To stop the cramps from coming back at night, your friend needs to re-train the fascial chains of the whole leg (the Superficial Back Line, which runs from the toes up to the skull). Here is a nightly 5-minute routine:
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The “Lawn Backstroke” for Legs: Lying on their back, they gently point and flex their toes extremely slowly (like a 10-second point, 10-second flex). This fires the Pacinian corpuscles (the vibration/fast-movement sensors) in the foot fascia, which calms the nervous system down globally.
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The Hip Opener (Ruffini Endings): Lying on their back with knees bent, they let both knees fall slowly to one side, then the other. This stretches the fascial line across the hip and lower back. The slow, sideways shearing force fires the Ruffini endings, which tell the brain, “We are safe, no need to guard.”
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The Nighttime “Soleus Stretch”: The soleus (a deep calf muscle) is a huge cramp culprit. Have them lie on their back and loop a towel around the ball of their foot. Instead of pulling the towel with their arms (which uses muscle effort), they simply let the weight of their leg sink backward into the towel, using gravity to create the stretch. Hold for 2 full minutes. This prolonged passive stretch is what fatigues the muscle spindles and resets the GTO threshold for the night.
Why this works neurologically for night cramps
Night cramps often happen because the nervous system is “hyper-excitable.” The brain panics and sends too many contraction signals.
By doing these passive, gravity-led, horizontal stretches before bed, your friend is:
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Flooding the spinal cord with GTO “relax” signals from the Achilles and hamstring tendons.
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Drowning out the “contract” signals from the muscle spindles.
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Teaching the fascia in the calves to glide smoothly again (cramps often happen because sticky fascia pulls on the muscle spindles, tricking them into firing).
The golden rule for your friend: Never aggressively push into a cramp. That fires the spindles and makes it worse. Always use passive gravity (lying down, letting the heel sink) to fire the GTOs. That is the “reprogramming” magic.
You are a great friend for thinking of this. Pass this along—it might just change his nights!
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Apologies / Amended description 
Exercise 1: The “Active Cramp” GTO Emergency Brake (The Wall Stretch)
When the cramp is currently seizing the calf, this is the fastest way to fire the Golgi tendon organs in the Achilles.
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The Setup: Your friend stands facing a wall (or sits on the floor with their legs straight out in front of them).
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The Action: They place the ball of their foot against the wall (or against the palms of their hands), keeping their heel on the floor/bed and their leg perfectly straight.
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The Crucial Bit (Where I messed up): Instead of “letting gravity drop the heel” (which does nothing because it’s already down), they actively, but gently, press the ball of their foot INTO the wall.
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Why this works: This is an isometric contraction. They are trying to push the wall away, but the wall doesn’t move. This creates massive tension in the Achilles tendon without shortening the calf muscle. That intense tendon tension is exactly what the GTOs detect, and they instantly fire that “emergency brake” to shut the cramp off. Hold this gentle press for 10 seconds, then relax for 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
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Might be just the heat. I did read that muscle cramps can occur if you have heat exhaustion, and need to keep yourself well hydrated. I have been cramping a bit more in the last few days and just put it down to that.
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Wolfie makes a very good and relevant point. - hydration is so important and definitely worth a try before anything else (like electrolytes which replace salts sweated out) Sorrry i missed the obvious first step.
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I am taking diuretics for my heart, which plays Old Harry with hydration. Thanks for mentioning that, which is probably the cause.
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As has been said many times, we are all different and all strokes are different. Mine was during the last long hot summer of 2021 during Covid lockdown (my wife was not allowed to visit me for 7 weeks and that distressed her!).I knew I’d had a stroke the moment it hit me and I collapsed to the ground My stroke gave me no pain whatever, and I clearly recall thinking “what a great way to die” as I lay in my hospital bed. Then, as I slowly recovered, I became aware of something strange going on in my midriff; ED raised its ugly head (pardon that unfortunate unintended pun !) and that troubled me more than anything. It was followed by hallucinations and confusion but I could not talk to anyone as I could not speak at all; just grunting noises.But cramps I did not experience; sorry @Dexster, I cannot help you there, except to repeat as others have, do not self-medicate before bouncing it off your hospital medical team or GP, as @Baldrick says hydration should come first - ask our footballers in USA/Mexico!
I gather complete recovery from stroke is a fairly rare thing but good luck to everyone and best wishes for the future.
Bob Isle.
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A pinch of salt under the tongue and down a glass of water with it. You’ve now replaced your electrolytes for the day! Without having to plod out on any fancy electrolyte tablets, they’re just a money making marketing gimmick created by the sports industry no doubt.
Lorraine
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So if that is the case the pinch of salt under the tongue with a tall glass of water just before bed may relieve the cramps. In this heat we sweat a lot, we dehydrate without realising. We think we drink enough but it’s usually no more than in any other weather conditions. If you drink tea/coffee they are also diuretics, so even though they are liquid they get flushed out very quickly. And that few sips of water you take with medications doesn’t count 
What I’ve been doing in these heat waves is drinking a glass of water before every cup of tea I have. That works for me because I’m a bit of tea jenny, I’ve even got the t-shirt to prove it 
Lorraine
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