after running track afterschool i came home and went to sleep. i woke up in the middle of the night with painful cramps in both the calf muscles.  i wasn't able to move my legs at all because of the extreme pain.  the muscles were rock-hard and it went away after about 1 1/2- 2 mins.  i would get them very often so i stopped running.  now i dance and i get them once in awhile again\nwhat is it and how do you prevent it from happening?? (it hurts a lot!!)
129249
Yeah, you didn't cool down properly. Drink plenty of water, don't stop moving right after the exercise (as in, don't go to sleep), and make sure you're getting enough electrolytes, vitamins and protein.
35148
I haven't pulled the muscles in my hamstrings yet, but I once pulled every muscle in my right arm. I took ibuprofen for the swelling (I was told by my dr. to take 800mg and drink alot of water every 6-8 hrs., but please note I am NOT a doctor), and rotated hot and cold compresses. I tried to wait it out, but ended up going to the emergency room. They put my arm in a sling, and gave me muscle relaxers to help with the pain, as well as anti-inflammatory medication. I was told to move it a bit, so the muscles didn't stiffen up, but also to really limit how much I used it. That's not something you can do with your legs unless you have a wheelchair handy, so I'm sorry, but you may have to bite the bullet and see a doctor. UNLESS, you know one and he will call in something for you (a prescription).  If you have access to a hot tub or sauna, you may try that, or just taking a very warm bath. Hope you feel better!
422051
i agree with starrwood that it may be a blood clot, it sounds like it.  \n\nor, do you run?  maybe you pulled a tendon.  go to a sports medicine doctor for analysis.  but ask your family physician first because she may think you should get it analyzed first to see if it IS a blood clot, which may become quite dangerous.  it could come loose and go to your heart or brain and kill you if you have one.  \n\notherwise, what i am really thinking is that perhaps you mean a leg cramp (???)  a lot of people get leg cramps at night.  sometimes they are in the foot, curling the toes so painfully.  then it jumps to the other foot (or leg), so that both of them hurt.  it happens so fast!  it's very interesting, and i do not know why the cramping, very painful, would first come to one leg (foot), then be shared in equal measure so fast with the other one!  \n\nfor my leg cramps i take an old-fashioned prescriptive drug called quinine glutamate.  quinine is also found in most brands of tonic water.  tonic water is sold where soda pops are found at the grocery store.  sometimes tonic water with quinine helps this cramping problem.  with me, it does not.  but i do not ALWAYS get leg cramps, so i only use the pills when needed.  \n\nthis drug is thought of these days as "not formulary," which only means that the pharmaceutical companies are in charge of what things the doctors see viable for curing your ills.  in addition, the insurance companies are in cahoots with the pharmaceutical companies, so watch out.\n\nquinine is the best cure for malaria, but i do not know exactly why it also works for leg cramps.\n\ni hope you feel better soon.  make sure it is not a blood clot first.
652556
I have a child w/ Von Willebrand and no running should not cause your legs to have pain.  You should go to your regular doc and talk to them.
80377
Depends on...\n\n1)   What is aching? \nIs it the bone in the front of your leg hurting?\nAre your calves (the muscles at the back) hurting?\netc.\n\n2)   and What kind of "pain" is it?\nIs it sharp constant pain or a sharp pain when you do something?\nIs it a dull constant pain?\nDo you get it when you stand or walk or run or is it on all the time?\n\n\nWithout specifics, as requested above, understanding or speculating the possible cause of the pain would be a wild guess.\nIt could be pretty much anything - from a damaged ligament, bone and muscle tear from something you did to just a muscle catch or potassium deficiency solvable buy resting and eating foods with more potassium (e.g. bananas).\n\nI would recommend you try and post more specifics or do some research on www.webmd.com or see a General Physician who can provide you more input based on specifics that you give him
548307
I would say the key to your question is that the pain intensifies with movement. This is usually not indicative of cardiac problems. Have you tried any over the counter meds for pain relief? If it is not relieved with meds I would suggest a trip to the Dr. but it does seem like muscle or back problem.
125524
I had a hard time with my legs and feet swelling during my pregnancy,  but is seemed to help if I increased my water intake and went for a little walk.  You must take your prenatal vitamins too.   I hated the cramps, but pregnancy effects women differently.  Just have to stick it out and make sure you are following your doctors advice on proper nutrition and excercise.
65220
It might be possible in rare instances but much more likely to be a pulled muscle.  In either case there really is nothing much that can be done.  You can wrap an elastic bandage around the area & it may help a little, it won't completely stop the pain.  Time will take care of it.  I've had both more than once and have been told this by my doctor.
632492
I used to have the same problem while I ran cross country. I went from running 2 mile races to 5 mile work outs to prepare for state championship. It took me a while to finally master it but, as long as you run two miles a day without stopping it will get easier and easier. Every day run a little bit more. Then, try speed walking for the next two miles for a "cool down". If this fails, doutful, than try jogging 4 miles VERY SLOWLY--- go at your own pace. Don't get fustrated if it hurts and takes a while. That is natural. Best wishes!
56833
go to the doctor. my bro broke his ankle and just walked on it. the he went to basic training for the army and he got really really bad pains in it. it'll catch up to you
551972
i have the same problem and i'm young, it hurted and i decided to rest and didn't want to move then at school we had gym and got forced to move, bending jumping, sprinting, and my leg start feeling better, give you legs more movement but more fast it might help....
192692
To prevent a calf strain it is first important to figure out why it happened.  The likely occurence is that you are bouncing on each leg. To put it another way, you are shifting your weight too much onto one foot and then springing off of it when you change direction. To correct this, try keeping you center of gravity between both feet and directly under you. Bend your legs and stay low as you move but try not to put any added strain on the muscle for at least a week or two.  Now to heal and help prevent this injury from happening-- try to do some light jogging before you play. You can also stretch each calf by standing about 1 foot from a fence in a "stride" position. One foot should be about 18 inches ahead of the other just like you took a normal step forward. Now this part is important: make sure each foot is "flat" on the ground, then lean into the fence with your arms just barely out in front of you. You will feel the pull, stretch, of your back legs' calf. Then switch stride positions for the other leg. You do this a few times and the leg soreness should go away in a couple weeks. In the meantime you can always do RICE, thats Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.  This will help keep any swelling down, you can also add heat to the area intermitenly to increase blood flow to that muscle which will result in faster healing.  If you have a very severe case you should consult a physical therapist.  There are chemicals out there that athletes use to recover from severe muscle strains, but that is best left to the attending physcian.
502653
There could be a circulation problem or something more severe. Talk to your doc asap. about it.
596565
This is also called a charlie horse can't tell you why. The best thing is to work it out slowly by massage or warm compresses to relax the muscle. Sometimes Motrin or Aleve may help the pain. These are typically caused by an excess of certain chemicals or minerals in your body. The most common is an excess of calcium but a depletion of potassium may also cause these. If they are frequent you need to see your physician. If you only get them once in a blue moon (ie very infrequently) then it may be that you pulled or stretched the muscle too far when exercising or doing daily activity.  If you have one that will not go away you need to call your doctor.
508028
At worst its a pinched nerve, but I'm pretty sure its a sore muscle.   I've had those feelings pleny of times because I slept wrong.   It may not feel like it, but its ended up that way many times for me. Take some motrin or tyenol and make sure not to strain that muscle any more and it should go away (in a couple days).  If it doesn't you should see a doctor.
383781
did your doctors explain to you what the pain was being caused by? It is generally due to an increase in pressure within the compartment of muscles on the anterior aspect of the lower leg. There is not a lot of give in the sheaths holding the muscles together so an exercise level you are not used to, or even a new exercise may cause swelling in the anterior muscles, increasing the pressure.\n\nIn some extreme cases, surgery is required to remove the pressure as blood vessels and nerves to the area can become damaged, a side effect of which is necrotic tissue (tissue that has died due to a lack of oxygen). Your doctors should have already addressed this with you, but if not and your pain continues, bring it up with them. As if the inflammation continues, you could get septicemia which is deadly.\n\nYou could try an ice pack after doing your stretches to decrease the swelling, or elevating your legs above heart level. I would also talk to your specialist and tell them of your concerns. It may be they might have to manipulate the stretches for you, or the stretches may not be right for the current stage in recovery you are in.\n\nDuring the day, anti-inflammatory drugs may also help. Check before taking these though if you are a competitive athlete as some may be on the banned list!\n\nKeep in mind, this may all be a normal part of the healing process as you are working already inflamed muscles.!.\n\nGood Luck!
445464
when I was young and just started running I had a problem with these kind of pains,  but I found later that if you can push yourself beyond those pains  they go away..  but I was pretty young back then.  It might stress out an older person.  I am glad I did it when I was young.  maybe just push yourself a little bit harder every time you run just a little bit further