As soon as foot cramp strikes, you should take a few simple steps to ease off the tension from the foot muscles. The important steps of foot cramp relief are as follows:
Step #1: When you get a foot cramp, you must sit or lie down first. If you get it at night when you are already in lying position, then do not try to get up. This is done to ensure that the feet do not have to bear your body weight which is an additional pressure on the weak foot muscles. Standing or walking can aggravate the pain even further.
Step #2: The next thing that you should do is to hold the toes of the cramped foot with your hand and gently bend your feet backward. Keep your feet in this position for around 10 minutes or until the muscle cramp subsides.
Step #3: Massage the cramped part of the foot with your fingers using gentle circular motions for 10-15 minutes. While doing this, you may feel slight pain but it will relax the muscles really well.
Step #4: Place your feet at a slightly elevated position and try to stretch it. For this, you can pull the toes of the affected feet towards the shin or just flex them in the upward direction towards the ceiling. This will release the tension from the muscles.
Step #5: Application of cold brings a soothing relief from the foot cramp pain. An ice pack wrapped up in a towel can be placed on the cramped site for 15 minutes. Some people prefer to walk barefoot on a cold concrete or tile surface.
Step #6: Soaking the foot in a tub of warm water can bring the much needed relief from the pain and tenderness. This will improve the blood circulation in the area and heal up the muscle spasm faster.
Step #7: Once you get relief from the cramp, do not jump into your regular activities. Rather, rest your feet for the next 2-3 days so that the foot muscles get the scope to recover from the injury. Otherwise, the foot cramp may recur all over again.
How to Treat a Recurring Foot Cramp
If you have foot cramps quite regularly or the foot remains in cramped condition for 2 days, then you must visit a doctor for proper treatment. They first diagnose the problem with the help of physical examination of the foot and studying your lifestyle and medical history and then start the treatment. Pain relieving medicines are prescribed to reduce the foot pain. Nutritional supplements are recommended to counter the nutritional deficiency. It is accompanied by dietary changes where your doctor will suggest you to eat foods that are rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium. Banana, cauliflower, potato, broccoli, cucumber, pulses, dairy products are few such food substances that are beneficial for you in this condition. If dehydration is found to be the root cause, then you have to drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated. Sodas and caffeinated beverages should be avoided as they tend to contribute towards dehydration. In those cases where ill fitted shoes are the culprit, patients are advised to wear right kind if shoes that fit well into the shape of your feet. Those who consume alcohol or smoke have to quit their habits for a permanent foot cramp relief.
Foot cramp is undoubtedly quite bothersome but is not a major health issue. Therefore, next time, when you get the tight cramped feeling in the foot, you should follow the step by step instructions given in this article and you will feel better in no time.
Tiffany is a Medical Student and also works as a fitness coach in part-time. She is also a writer and writes on health and fitness articles. Tiffany loves to engage with users and help them provide various useful information on General Health. She provides researched-based information and also featured on various blogs and magazines.