Inner thigh cramps that make me pass out

Recently been having a few normal cramps on the inner thigh, this is since doing exercise for a knee problem in the left leg. At first they were minor, but painfull, my old diving relief of stretching and pull the toes towards my head worked after about 2/3 minutes, but last night was something else. About three I awoke with this pain which got worse with nothing I could do at all to alieviate it. After 30 or so minutes it slowly went off, and I went back to sleep. Got up this morning went to put my trousers on Bang, no warning full blown screaming abdabs, b****r that it hurt. My wife was trying to massage the inner thigh but that done nothing to help, out stretched on the bed, still nothing, until I tried pulling up my right leg into a feotal position on my chest, that gave immediate relief I laid there for about 5 minutes and it went leaving a dull pain on the inner thigh, but I suspect that was down to the intensity of the spasm. 15 minutes later I took my dogs out for the 2 miles I give them every day and had no problems, just a little stiff in the left leg.

I am not sure what has brought these attacks on, but a little history might help others.

I am 63 fairly fit a bit over weight and love red wine. The last couple of weeks I have not been drinking a lot of tea or coffee, not as much as usual, I rarely drink water as recommended, I never have all my life.

Three weeks ago the wifes mother died after a very long illness, so for the deceased it was a relief but there is some stress at the moment as the funeral is tomorrow. That is why I have not had time to have my usual tea/coffee to much running around at the moment.

Two days ago I found my next door neighbour hanging in his garage, he was depressed over the death of his wife two years ago, but you would never have seen it in him he was always cheery, never complaining, and he is a sad loss. I mention these two aspects as I have read on this forum that some hidden stress might be a contributor to the inner thigh spasms.

My wife has just gone out to the pharmacy to try and get something for relief, hopefully she will, I know I dont want another one of these bouts.

 

I hope the leg trick works for someone reading this with the same symptoms, and any other information may lead to some form of relief if you have simular surroundings.

I am glad that I found these blogs.  This just happened to me a few nights ago.  The pain was so intense that I got out of bed and then quickly found myself to be nauseated and faint.  I got back into bed and think I actually did faint because I woke up a little later and the pain was gone.  I am also on Ramipril and I suspect this could be the problem.  I thought it was very strange and at first I suspected a blood clot as I had surgery six weeks ago.  Apparently, this is not the problem as I read these blogs and can say that it is comforting to know that other people have had this happen.

I, also, was no Ramipril, however, I had those cramps long before I started using it.
Again, I saw my doctor yesterday and as always, no answers.
I did find out that I have AFIB but not continuously. That was two day after I had passed out from a double inner thigh cramping event. I will explore that correlation and get back to this blog if there is a relationship.
Totally don't understand why doctors don't have a clue to this.

I am glad to learn that I am not the only one who has had this cramping happen; yet sad to know that others suffer through it too. I just a had this happen to my inner right thigh two nights ago, and the offending muscle is still sore. This is my fourth episode in about 19 months, so it doesn't happen to me very often yet. I am a fifty year old active woman, and I am being treated for Hypertension with the drug "Lisinopril", 10 mg/day. I wonder if this kind of drug is the common thread with everyone?

I'm 53 years old & get them every few months as well but am not on any prescription medications. Mine seem to come when I am on my feet for a long period of time and don't drink enough water. I've been taking magnesium pills since my last episode (the worst ever) about 2 months ago & haven't had another. I've been getting twinges the last week or so and am so afraid another one is on it's way. It's the worst pain I have ever felt in my life :(

Ive been up all night with inner thigh cramps. My legs are so sore I can barely walk. I read through several of these posts and will try some of the remedies posted. Man, these things SUCK!

This is a great thread. These forum entries have helped me calm myself after cramping up last night. The pain was in both inner thighs. I awoke having to urinate. I am in very good shape and usually move around in life at a brisk pace even at night. I sat up and quickly set both feet on the ground next to the bed then, BOOM. Both of my inner thighs....muscles or ligaments completely locked up. It felt like i had been suddenly strapped into some torture devise designed to pull my legs off in opposite directions. It lasted about 20 minutes. I felt as though I might pass out. I have never experienced this before. The extreme pain caused me to become delirious. My will to not urinate all over is all that kept me moving towards the bathroom but it must have looked FREAKY. I almost don't remember how I made it to the bathroom and back.  I will keep is short but to the point. I am a 45 year old Male. I work out 3 to 5 times a week. I don't drink or smoke. Coffee, energy drinks (sugar free) and diet soda are my primary vices. See the beginnings of a pattern already? Here are the conditions and my intake and health history for the day leading up to this episode:

I drank coffee all day. I went on a long walk that evening. I drank a large energy drink. While laying in bed watching t.v. I ate a 3 oz. bag of sour gummy bears and a bag of candy covered chocolates, you know the ones. I didn't do a real workout and stretch all day. Work is stressful due to looming layoffs and not hard work that is good for the body and soul. See the pattern?

 

I think I had a severe dehydration episode complicated by non-metabolized sugar in addition to a lack of stretching (my muscles are use to a good work out) and good old fashioned "nerves" from work or lack there of. 

 

What a horrible night. I sucked down two huge glasses of water when it subsided and pretty much passed out from the shock until the morning. Drink your water. Someone wrote that gummy bears got them too. Hehehe, I love them but they kicked my butt last night. I guess moderation just slapped me in the face again. We have to relearn this through our lives I guess. Watch you caffeine, sugar and water intake closely. Good luck friends.

OK. screaming DITTO for me too. Facts: female, 62, 5'5", 195 lb (fat), very active in 4 acre garden on steep slope, lift up to 40 pounds regularly, on my feet for about 8 hrs at a stretch with an hour rest in the middle, spend about 3 hours a day on computer; X-rays of lumbar area show flat discs but I do not have pain from this, hypoglycemic (but not diabetic) so no gummy bears or candy; sweets are an infrequent treat. I eat the right foods, even replaced ice cream with greek yogurt+a little maple syrup+ cocoa powder. I rarely drink water as recommended, I never have all my life, I must actively manage the amount of water I drink, especially when the weather is cool. 2 cups green or black tea for breakfast daily. Might have another cup of green tea at the 3 PM slump or hot water with cocoa. Started taking magnesium and calcium (1:2 ratio) every day 20 years ago when discovered this cured my fybromyalgia (imagine these thigh cramps in your back for 7 years). I am on no drugs other than daily 2000 mg Vit-D per doc request following tests, and B-50 once/week. Inner thigh screaming "cramps" began after doc said to quit taking magnesium and calcium, about a year ago, shortly after I got remarried (stressor!!! Still is!).  They come on from a laying position, usually the couch when watching TV at end of day, once during sex. Drinking 2 tablespoons of pickle juice worked everytime once I discovered it (just water doesn't usually work).  Definitely caused by dehydration, but takes triggers to set off.  Add alcohol to dehydration and I'm guaranteed cramps. Maybe the sugar in the wine exacerbates, perhaps not.  Gin & Tonic causes them too. I quit drinking altogether; not a problem since a bottle of gin lasts a year and wine usually spoils before I finsh it. We always eat late, we seldom eat starches but I have tried to add sweet potatoes, white rice, white potatoes to diet in last 2 months. No cramps in a long time, perhaps 8 months (last summer).

Story: Because my digestion has suffered badly from discontinuing the magnesium/calcium, I have twice tried to restart them in the last few months.  I cramped after 1 day of Ca/Mg the first attempt and made the connection and quit taking it.  Now, several months later, I tried again a few days ago and cramped on the third day.  I came in from heavy gardening (hey, it's Spring) at 9 PM and craved tomato paste on Triscuits (never have before).  Instead, I sauted fresh mustard, kale, and arugula greens with 1/8 pound of crumbled Italian sausage with Vidalia onions. Then I hit the paste & crackers, eating one of the tiny cans of paste and a half a box of the crackers (we all know why I am fat). I was wondering how much water I had that day as I lay back on the couch to watch TV when a monster cramp hit me.  I shot up off the couch and sort of flopped to the frig for pickle juice AND I WAS OUT!  Knocked back a long swallow of cold water instead.  The pain lessened.  Only you guys who have had this pain will understand the stupidity with which you will respond to it.  I immediately took magnesium/calcium supplement.  The pain deminished as the minutes passed. I'm sore today, but the cramp was gone in about 3 very long minutes.

Analysis: SO what fixed me?  I think it was the water.  However, after having read this entire thread, I think there is a bit more to it.  My worn out discs, which are nearly flat on X-rays, need water to stay plump, even flat ones like mine.  Before I went out to garden, I spent about six hours working on the computer with few breaks. And, maybe, just maybe, those crackers did me in.  I calculated the equivelant sugar in the apprx 80 grams of cracker carb equals about 16 tspns of sugar.  Add that to the carbs in the tomato paste and those onions and I might as well have been eating gummy worms.

Although the water fixed me this time, why does pickle juice always work and how can it do it so fast?  Let's work on fast. How long does it take your urine to stink after eating asparagus?  How long does it take before your urine is pink following beets (you have to have a defective gene for this one to happen)?  How fast does it take to get an insulin rush when you eat sugar?  The body is the best chemistry system going and it works FAST.  So let's drink pickle juice.  The acid hits your stomach and all the buffering chemistry kicks in, which uses stuff in the blood to try to fix the overacid problem in your stomach.  Could this be changing the pH of our body fluids?  And, if it is, it may be radically adjusting how our system functions.  The sugar may be placing our body in an acidic state; it is supposed to be slightly alkaline. Acidic body fluids are notorious (outside the AMA) for causing contracted muscles and messing up just about everything about your health.  Add a bad disc, which is further punished by dehydration and poor posture, a disc with nerves that effect the inner thighs.  Because of the dehydration and the acid state, your chemistry gets way off and muscles contract beyond belief and pain signals aren't buffered as normal and you get a screaming cramp.  Pickle juice, with both acid and salt (sodium is part of the muscle contraction/relaxation chemistry) and water fixes it, FAST.  Same reason vinegar would work.  I'm just guessing here.  Perhaps you PHDs can ferret something out from this.  I've also thought about the fact that us old crocks dont have good levels of stomach acid in the first place and somehow this is effecting us when we eat carb.

I also have the same inner thigh cramps and they come on when ever. I take b12 in a the form of a small sport package drink (Power Gel by Performance Energy) I get it at the grocery store or GNC and a lorazapam. They immediatly go away. But I also have starting drinkink tonic water ,taking Vit. D and potassium.

It all helps some untill I do something like hiking or bike riding. Tomorrow I'm going to the doctors for blood work to see if there is anything to stop this.

Tonic water has quinine in it. I drink it to relieve cramps.

I am in awe of all of you.  How do you tolerate this without going crazy????  I had my first thigh cramp last night.  I have had calf and foot cramps for about 4-5 years now but this was the first thigh cramp.  It was severe and I thought I was going to pass out.  I have a high tolerance for pain but this pain absolutely flattened me.  I wanted to scream, I couldn't stop moaning and I felt so helpless because I couldn't get up and stay up.  The pain ran from my foot to the inner groin on my left leg.  It was excruciating.  I am used to walking off the cramp in my calf and foot but I couldn't even stand up with the pain running into my groin.  It all lasted about 25-35 minutes I think.  I was terrified the rest of the night that it would return.  My inner thigh is very sore and weak today.  I took my walk anyway today because I felt it was better to move it than not.  I bought tonic water (I had tried that last summer for calf cramps and it seemed to help) and I called my doc who recommended the massage, stretching and hydrating.  I will try some of the things suggested--especially the hard slapping of the thigh---if this happens again.  I pray that it doesn't.  I don't think I could tolerate it as many of you have with frequency or duration.  I am so glad i found this blog.  It makes me feel as if I don't have a fatal disease or that I am just being wimpy. 

By chance, I took on of my wife's calcium, magnesium, zinc supplement. And it stopped my cramping.
Cheap enough to try. Been three weeks since the last cramps. Take one a hour before sleep.
'

I am female, 55 yo. I have suffered from varying degrees of leg cramps for years. Sometimes I having been busy, on my feet, all day, and results in crippling cramps. It sometimes happens after I fall asleep, and sometimes just happens spontaneously. I have thought it was a combination of dehydration and having been on my feet all day (which I am not accustomed to as I have an office job). Twice in the last 6 months after an hour workout in the evening, I have awakened with horrible, crippling inner thigh cramps. I immediately broke into a sweat, was nauseous, and felt as though I was going to pass out. The pain was horrible, but so were the other leg cramps and I had never had these feelings of nausea and that I may pass out.. When I mentioned this to a friend, she reminded me that this is the area of major arteries in your body. I wonder, and believe, that the muscles are able to constrict these arteries. I have mentioned it to my doctor, and had some blood work done, and like many of you, the doctor had no ideas of the cause since the blood work was ok. I have had back problems for some time. About 10 years ago I fell and cracked 3 vertebrae in my lower back. It still bothers me sometimes. I believe dehydration and exertion is a major cause for the cramps, but the feeling of passing out, I wonder, as I said, if it might not be from constriction of the arteries from sever muscle cramp in the groin. I just wondered what others might think.

I'm an avid swing dancer, male 250lbs 6'. So overweight but healthy. No major medical problems.

The first time I had this type of cramp it was after a clogging class. I thought I'd try another type of dance. Out of six classes it only happened after one. It was an incredible pain in my left leg. I sat at the side of the bed and couldn't move my leg forward or back by half an inch or it was worse. Then the left leg started twitching and then my right leg joined in on the fun. Eventually it subsided and I was able to sleep.

The second time was after a long day of blues dancing. )In blues dancing you tend to keep your knees very bent) I had classes in the afternoon and a dance at night. This time it was much worse.  I must have passed out and had convulsions because I woke up on the floor and the jar I stored spare change had been smashed. I also had a long gash on my side from the broken glass, I think. Scary.

So I started reading this thread. After each dance I'd drink Gatorade. That didn't help my third time. I woke up starting to feel the cramps again but this time I immediately jumped out of bed and tried walking. It wasn't the most graceful walk but each time I tried to bend my leg it would start up again. I hobbled to my closet and got out an Ace knee brace that I wear sometimes. It does a good job of keeping my leg straight. I have a tendency to bend my knees while sleeping so I thought this would help. The pain and twitching didn't happen that night.

Since then, after a big dance day, I wear the knee braces to bed. And it hasn't happened since. But for me it happened so rarely that I may just be in a lull. Time will tell. 

I have come to the conclusion that as we age, our GI track doesn't process foods as they once did. Add to this, the quality of the foods that we are asking our track to digest. Since adding a calcium, magnesium, zinc supplement to my daily diet(the only supplement that I take), all of my cramping has pretty much ended. I don't dread the night coming anymore. I also add potassium chloride using the Morton lite salt. Having passed out three times and rolled around on the floor in extreme pain, the relief from all this is great.