Having Cramps In Inner thighs

WOW!!! Thank you all so much. Had two of these recently, during the last one, passed out while trying to get downstairs and really did a number on my self. Did something to my chest when I fell so I did go to the doctor's about the cramping and residual injuries from the fall down the stairs. I had laid on the floor and turned into a puddle from sweat and then got sick to my stomach, figured it was from the shock of the pain from the inner thigh cramp. Dr. did EKG (ok) and am going for ultrasounds as she is convinced it is cardio issues. Said I shouldn't pass out and melt from pain so I am a bit on the edge until I get this cardio work up done. I was trying to get to the door to unlock and then call a friend so if I did pass out they could send help, but I didn't make it. The first time it happened was scary enough but the second time did put me over the edge along with a nice bump on my cheek and my inner thigh is still pretty tender, happened over a week ago. So I am going to try all the remedies posted cause I don't want to go through this again.
FYI..I am 60, female in good health and very active, I am a coffee addict, am sure I dehydrate, usually take an unhealthy snack to bed with me, have restless leg syndrome-medicating with repinrole hlc, thyroid issues treating with levothroxine, take b12 & calcium and eat bananas.
I will start stopping coffee and junk stuff in the evening, drink lots of water, do daily vitamin, try Endurox Excel and vitamin D, and drink lots of water. Probably won't have time to cramp up at night cause I will be visiting the bathroom more.
I will report back how this all works as I, like all of you, don't want to go through this again.
Wish you all the best of luck!

hello, fellow night cramp sufferers 8) 8)

I'm back to report that after a month of Calcium & Vitamin D pills, I have NEVER experienced another cramp.

I'm blown away !!! it's such a relief to be shot of those horrid cramps.


I need to check this out but I understand that the fact that I eat about 5 or 6 bananas every week robs my body of calcium. I eat bananas for the potassium but now I'm told potassium interferes with calcium in the body. Anybody know anything

That's really great to hear that you're doing better! Yes, potassium actually aids in calcium absorption in the body, but it does so by bonding with it. So there's that. But so long as you're taking what you're taking and you're doing fine, DON'T CHANGE A THING! good job!!

Last night was the first time in a long time I've had these thigh cramps and the first time my husband was home when it happened. It hit my in just my left leg. I thought I was going to pass out, luckily I was lying down in bed, my face felt cold and I was sweating. I absolutely could not get up. I laid there and screamed and he didn't know what to do. We don't have any pickle juice, but I did have mustard and that's another remedy that's been recommended. I had him run down to the kitchen and get the bottle and I gulped some down and the cramp slowly subsided. Whether it had just run it's course or it was the mustard, I don't know, but it didn't return.

I've been running and walking a lot until August when I was just unable to get our, whether it was bad weather or my work schedule. I did get out and run some yesterday, so maybe that was it. I did have a sports drink to keep me hydrated.

I feel so fortunate to have found this site. My husband (age 57, type 2 diabetic, sleep apnea, overweight, works on his feet all day) has suffered from these cramps for the past couple of years. Thankfully, he's only had a few episodes so far. Early this morning was his worst episode ever and included nausea and he said he almost passed out. He has called his doctor and scheduled an appointment (I don't have much hope of a definitive diagnosis for this, but will feel much better when heart/stroke possibilities are found to not be the cause). I have felt the muscle spasms as the cramping is happening and could not believe how rock-hard the muscles are when they are cramping up. I want so much to find relief for him. Thanks everyone for your input. I'm going to get calcium and vitamin D for him asap. I'm going to suggest ice to him as we already have some of the "blue ice" thingeys in our freezer.

My appendix ruptured 5 years ago and I know what severe pain is. My husband was in severe pain. He couldn't even scream out, it was like he couldn't breathe.

My heart goes out to everyone who suffers from this terrible pain. Keep up the great information. Knowledge is power!

I can't believe I found you guys. I thought my mom and I were the only ones having this. My mom is gone now, but I never believed her cramps were as bad as she said until I started with them a few years ago. Her doctors could never figure out what was causing them or how to stop them so I haven't even bothered with a doctor for this. I agree there is something genetic about this. And I do what most of you do--sweating, sick to my stomack, needing to go pee, and feeling like I'm going to pass out when I have an attack. I have found that keeping my legs straight when I sleep helps. Not getting dehydrated helps too. But I've found something you all haven't mentioned and that's why I'm posting. I have a storage ottoman near the bed. I put my foot against it, bend forward over my affected leg. That puts my knee against my chest and then I push my knee out away from my body to the side. That seems to help. Straightening your leg will only make it worse. Ice and drinking water works for me too. Heat actually seems to make mine worse. That's why I'm thinking there must be some swelling, but I can't imagine ice working as fast as it does. I have noticed that ever time I get one of these my leg is hot to the touch. Much hotter than the rest of my body. Another thing I was wondering, do any of you have a bad knee? So far, and I pray it stays this way, I'm only getting this in the leg where I have a bad knee. Mine starts behind my right knee and travels up the inside of my thigh. If I can get it to release behind my knee then it will release the rest of the way up my leg. I've always thought this isn't a muscle but a ligament cramp because it draws so tight. And, I also have the cramp that runs up the shin that some of you have mentioned. Last night I had the camp up my left shin and while I was trying to get rid of that I sat down to go to the bathroom and went into the inner thigh cramp on the right leg. I ended up with a right calf cramp later, followed by a back of the left thigh cramp, back spasms, and stomach cramps before the night was over. And yes, you are totally exhausted after an attack. I do know that I had cut back on my water, hadn't been eating my banana, and had done a lot of fast walking before the attack. I had also ate some salty potatoe chips about three hours before bed. I have cut back on my salt and that was more sodium than I have had in awhile.

Maybe if we all keep listing things that work for us and things that might be triggers we'll figure this thing out.

Since I just posted on the other blog, I will keep this short. I do have a bad knee on the leg I get these cramps. I also have a problems with arthritis in my hip. These must be a contributing factor in my case. My inner thigh cramp usually begins above the knee. Good luck to all in finding relief.

My cousin recently broke her hip. I was at the house today when her nurse was there and while I was there she had one of these cramps. She identified the problem as a spasm in the sartorius muscle. Hope this helps you in finding answers to this problem.

Hello all.. I have experienced this often, but usually in my calves and foot arches - only once in my thighs. However, it kills regardless of where it's located, agreed? Anyways, I'm only 19, but this has been happening on a fairly regular basis for about four years now.. I'm one of those apparently lucky people that it only lasts for about 2-4 minutes, so I usually just sit through them.

I do notice, as many others have, that drinking water and staying well hydrated helps out a ton... but I also find that regular exercise to keep the muscle stretched and limber has had an effect too. Personally, if I skip the water or the exercise, I'm usually 'victimized' within a few days... faster if I skip both at the same time.

Good luck to you all.. we're sure to find something that works with such a collabrative effort!
Peace out. :-D

Last night I had several inner thigh attacks. I decided to check on the internet regarding solutions and was very pleased that I found this web site that list individuals who have the same issues. Especially, the pain. Heat helps me. I keep a heating pad next to my bed. My doctor suggests massaging the thighs which does not help.

I have made a list of the suggestions, ie. pickle juice, Hyland Leg Cramps with Quinnine, salt, cold compass, etc. which I will try. Glad I found this site.

I too, have these terrible inner thigh cramps frequently at night. I really thought it was very unusual and was very happy to find this site and read of other people with the same problem. I usually get them in both thighs at the same time and am unable to get out of bed to walk. I am experimenting with meditation and deep relaxation and it helps if I don't let the cramps get too bad. I tried tonic water at night for a while but it didn't help very much. My doctor put me on muscle relaxers but I didn't want to take them all the time and by the time the cramps started it was too late to take the pill--if I could even get out of bed to get them. Putting my feet in ice water, believe it or not, is helpful. During the winter I try to get out on the porch and stand in the snow for as long as I can stand it. When it happens I am afraid to go back to bed for fear they will start again. I am going to try the spoonful of mustard or pickle juice the next time. Thank you all for being here and making me realize I am not "the only one".

I hope this post gets through bcs I think I have some significant info on the leg cramps -- which I've had off and on for over five years -- exactly as painful as others have described. It began when I was severly ANEMIC. Hemoglobin was 4.0 which is near death. Immediately after I received a blood transfusion the cramps were gone and only returned a couple of years later. I experimented with iron tablets, eating fish and dairy, (was a vegetarian trying to go vegan). Ended up seeming to cure them with sublingual B12 tabs. Six years after the transfusion I went to a dr. to see how my red cells were doing. Red cells were ok but my B12 levels were too high. I cut back the B12 and guess what, the leg cramps returned with a vegence. So I'm thinking the cause is low oxygen, or low B12, or some other mineral or a combination of or possibly neurologic damage from the severe and long term anemia before I knew I had it. There is only one thing I'm sure of -- the drs I saw were NO help. I cut some of my opinion out here ...

This is my first post and I would like to thank all of you for sharing your experiences with this excruciatingly painful inner thigh spasm problem. Like many of you I have experienced this for a number of years. Doctors seem to have no clue and I was beginning to think I was alone with this. I was put on clonazepam to help control the intense pain (still happens though). I was told to wear arch supports, had blood tests that were always normal as were the xrays.After finding all of you several weks ago I started studying about the symptoms of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.Having read your posts, I bought the supplements, potassium, b-12 and a calcium/magnesium combo. I have upped my water intake radically. I would try almost anything within reason to stop this night time terror. Your ideas hold merit so I am trying them and for the last week have had only one episode on a day I did not take them (not using the clonazepam now). I have also upped my protein intake slightly. I had a gastric bypass in 1999 and need higher protein intakes than some other people.  I feel generally much better-have a higher energy level and so I'm going to try to continue this and pray it works for extended periods...forever would be good. The pain is so excruciating when it hits as you know. To me it was worse than labor pains even.Surely by now you would think the medical field could figure this out because there are clearly a great number of us suffering this way. We need answers to why this keeps happening...what is the cause and can we find a cure or at least safe ways to treat it without heavy pain meds etc. If our doctors had to feel this I have a feeling he would be doing some heavy researching. ..no offense to the medical profession meant. I'll continue to check here to see what new things people have come up with to cope with this. Thanks for all the input.

I posted here about four months ago about using sublingual B12 to prevent unbearable lower leg spasms and RLS. It works for me but want to clarify that I have to take "sublingual" B12 (dissolved under the tongue) for proper absorption, not just the plain tabs. I'm not saying that the B12 cures the spasms. The B12 helps the body make enough needed red blood cells to carry oxygen through the body. You can walk or run all day but if you don't have red cells to circulate the 02 it won't help. I'm basically saying, make sure you aren't anemic. Get a blood test. Another experience I've now had is that a year ago I developed planter faschitis, a very painful heel problem which involves the tendons and took me a year to cure. Later my back started hurting and wouldn't quit. Two unrelated "aches" but the cure for both was the same. Stretching. I will emphasize "careful and slow" stretching. It worked for me but only if I keep it up daily. Do your research. I'm thinking that the stretching may help prevent leg spasms too. I should mention that I'm a young sixty-nine years of age and never had a health problem in my life until now. I grow most of my own food in a big backyard cottage garden, I take care of two hyper terrier pups, and clean my own house. I'm not sedentary. So in our collaborative effort to find a cause and cure for leg spasms my suggestions are try a healthy diet supplemented with a multiple vitamin and sublingual B12 and a stretching program such as yoga or just make up your own routine. I follow one I found in a magazine for lower back pain. None of the "disorders" mentioned are completely gone but the routine I'm on keeps them at bay -- hope it helps someone else.

I've suffered with leg cramps for years.  The inner thigh cramp is so bad I get sick to my stomach.  FINALLY found relief by drinking tonic water (which contains quinine).  I buy the diet tonic water and try to put a slice of lime or lemon in it to improve the taste.  Like other writers, I used quinine tablets years ago but can no longer purchase them, so the tonic water is the next best thing.  Keep some in the fridge at all times and drink it especially if you've exercised more than usual.