Skip to main content

One Cure for Severe Muscle Cramps and Spasms

Hello,
If you're reading this, it probably means that you are suffering from painful or even debilitating muscle cramps and/or spasms. As one who has suffered from this condition for 50 years, I understand the pain and helplessness this can cause.


I'm writing this blog post in hopes that what I found to nearly eradicate this condition can in some way help you. Throughout the post, I will provide links to reliable sources of information on this topic so that, if you choose to, you can do further research. I also what to briefly share my story.

By reading my story, you'll be able to determine right away if what I experienced is in any way similar to what you're experiencing. If so, read on. Something in this post my help you. If not, then what relieved this condition for me probably won't help you, and I wish you success with your continued search to find something that corrects this condition.

DISCLAIMER

I am not a doctor. I am not a medical professional. I have never been to medical school. I am not prescribing a remedy.

My goal in this post is to share what worked for me. That is why I'm called this post "One" cure. That is why my blog is call "A" cure. It is the one cure that worked for me. It is not a miracle cure-all.

Before embarking on any medical treatment plan, consult your physician. There may be reasons why you should not try any of the things that worked for me. Only your doctor will know for sure.

Also: Nothing is for sale on this blog. I'm not selling any products. So, if you're looking for Clark Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment, or anything like that, you'll not find it here.

My Story Briefly

I've always had muscle cramps. The first time I remember having them, I was six-years-old. I was diagnosed with asthma at six-months-old, and any time I catch a cold, get the flu, suffer from bronchitis, upper respiratory infection, etc., it triggers my asthma. This trigger makes whatever illness I'm suffering from worse.

As the result of a bad illness, I get cramps and spasms. Once when I was six, I got really sick from a cold, and it's the first time I remember having cramps in my sides that were so painful, I didn't want to move. I share that because I believe that something about my physiology makes me prone to this condition.

Over the years, the connection between illness and cramps continued. Gradually, it wasn't just when I was sick that I would get cramps. They would come at any time. In my professional career, I've had to travel on business, and every time I boarded a plane, I was terrified that I would get some kind of excruciating leg cramp during a flight.

And then about 10 years ago, there was a shift in my condition. I noticed a dramatic increase in muscle cramps. Along with the increase in frequency came an increase in severity. Over the years, I've had those times that most of us have had where a toe cramp on leg cramp wakes us up at night. But this was radically different. I started having cramps in my thighs that felt like I was being bitten by a large shark. The pain was so excruciating that I knew one of four things was about to happen while the cramp was going on:
  1. I was going to pass out
  2. I was going to throw up
  3. I was going to urinate on myself
  4. I was going to defecate on myself
Fortunately, none of those things ever happened. Typically, I managed to get myself to the bathroom to address 2, 3, and 4.

Not long after this change happened, I experienced yet another shift in muscle cramps: They were occurring all over my body and anything could trigger them. I got cramps in my head, neck, shoulders, arms, fingers, sides. You name it, I got a cramp there. Also, regular movements triggered them, reaching for something, turning my head, bending down. Normal body movements caused me horrific pain and tremendous terror.

So, I went to the doctor and had tests and blood work. They could find nothing that would cause such awful cramps.  At this point, I felt helpless. Then, a health care professional (a PA) that I was seeing as part of my yearly check up suggested chicken broth--more on this in a second.

What Cured Me

I believe that the perfect storm of complicators converged to create my cramps. I made some changes, mostly in diet but some in lifestyle, that have resulted in a profound reduction in muscle cramps and spasms. If you'd like to try what worked for me, here's what I did:
  • I reduced caffeine. (In all forms, coffee, soda, and chocolate)
  • I increased my water intake to 80 - 100 ounces of water per day. (Water, not liquids, but pure water)
  • I added soft/slow stretching exercises to my daily "waking up" routine. 
  • I maintain a healthy iron level. (I eat lots of iron-rich foods)
  • I improved my oxygen level. (In addition to taking medication for asthma, I do deep breathing and daily meditation.) 
  • I increased my potassium. (I eat more bananas.)
  • I increased my physical activity. (I walk more.) 
  • I get Swedish massages.
One item that is not on my list is alcohol intake. I have 2 maybe 3 drinks per year, so this isn't a factor for me. If you drink alcohol regularly, you may want to research the impact of alcohol on muscle health and determine if you need to make changes in your routine.

If you smoke, you may want to investigate the impacts of nicotine on muscles.

Certain medications also impact muscles and can cause cramping. Concerns about your medications should be discussed with your doctor and pharmacist.
If there is a "miracle" that has made the most significant contribution to the reduction in my cramps and spasms, it's been the addition of chicken broth to my diet. I started off by drinking 8 oz. per day. I would drink a nice, hot cup on chicken broth every night before bed.
It took about two weeks, but after two weeks, the reduction in cramps was remarkable. I could not believe the difference. After three months of this, I reduced my intake of chicken broth. I only drink it once per week now. That seems to be all that it takes to keep the cramps at bay.

Sodium's role in the body cannot be underestimated. There may be some of us who have drastically reduced sodium in the diet or for whatever physiological reason have trouble maintaining adequate levels of sodium in the body. If this is true, it may be why drinking a cup of chicken both daily helps to regulate the electrolytes in the body that keep the muscles healthy and functioning properly.

My Life Now

I started drinking chicken broth regularly two years ago. In that time, I have gone from having several severe cramps per day to having one mild cramp per month. Because of my physiology, I may never be completely free of muscle cramps, but I'll take one mild cramp per month over what I experienced before. Also, in two years, I've only had one debilitating cramp (the shark bite) kind that renders me nearly immobile and tearful. That happened when I hadn't had my weekly cup of chicken broth in three weeks. Since I started drinking the broth regularly again, I haven't had severe issues.

So . . . that's it.

Like I said, this is my story. I'm not a medical professional, so I'm not prescribing anything. I'm also not selling you a product. What I am doing is sharing the lifestyle changes I made that helped me in hopes that they will help you also.

Good luck, and let me know in the comments if anything I've posted here resonates with you.

I wish you success in alleviating your muscle cramps and spasms!







Comments