What Causes Foot Cramps?
Foot cramps are painful and frustrating, and they can strike any time. Foot cramping is caused by a few simple factors that can easily be adjusted to get foot cramp relief.
Dehydration is a common cause of cramps in the legs, arms and feet. If you’ve been out in the sun, exercising more than usual or haven’t been drinking enough water, dehydration could be the source of your foot cramps.
Other foot cramp causes include muscle tension, bad shoes, electrolyte imbalance, poor circulation, low potassium, magnesium or calcium, or chemical sensitivities, such as from taking medication.
What To Do When You Get a Foot Cramp
1. Stretch the affected foot. Pull your toes upward and spread them, lengthening the muscles on the bottom of the foot. Walking – gently – on the cramping foot can also help to stretch the arch.
2. Soak your foot cramp in warm water. Add Epsom salts for extra relief. The magnesium in the Epsom salts is absorbed transdermally and causes the muscles to relax. The water should be warm enough to soothe the foot cramp but not so hot that it scalds your skin.
3. Roll your foot on a tennis ball or golf ball to alleviate tight muscles and fascia on the bottom of your foot that can cause cramping. This is best done on a regular basis to prevent future foot cramps.
4. Stretch your hips. Tight muscles in the upper thigh and hip area, particularly the adductors (muscles along the inside of the leg) can draw your foot upward, causing cramps. Increasing hip flexibility can get rid of foot cramps on a more permanent basis.
5. Never wear shoes without a strap on the back. Flip flops and other backless shoes force you to clench your feet to hold the shoe on, causing tight, rigid foot and calf muscles. These tight muscles go into spasm more easily, causing foot cramps. Shoes that have a strap along the back, however, allow your foot to move naturally and freely.
6. Drink more water – If you are prone to foot cramps, make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. If you drink coffee or tea, include extra water to make up for the diuretic effect of the caffeine. To find out how many ounces of water you should be drinking each day, take your body weight in pounds and divide it in half. So, a 150 lb woman would drink 75 ounces of water a day.
7. Supplement with electrolytes – Electrolytes like calcium, potassium and magnesium help keep muscle tissue relaxed. A deficiency or imbalance in any one of these nutrients can stimulate foot cramps. Emergen-C powder is available at any health food store and is easily added to water to help you maintain healthy electrolyte balance. For athletes, a super-charged electrolyte supplement that I recommend is E-lyte.
Hi Sukie! 🙂
This article was very helpful. I’ve always been curious about what causes those nasty charlie horses I get in my feet every now and then. Now I know! 🙂 Thanks for the info. The guidelines on how much water to drink is helpful too. 🙂
Hey Jess, glad you found this helpful! Yep, drink up that water 🙂
~ Sukie
As you quite rightly point out, there are a lot of possible reasons for having foot cramps.
When i was younger I bought some Scholl sandals, which were designed to exercise the foot.
They did this by making the foot grip the front of the shoe with the toes. If you didn’t do this, the shoes slipped off. But wearing them for a long time caused cramps due to the continuous toe tension it created.
I think that rolling your foot on a tennis or golf ball does wonders for stimulating and relaxing the foot muscles.
Great post – many thanks!
Thanks for this: I usually go barefoot everywhere, but this past weekend the tempuratures were at an all-time low, and I didn’t want to walk on the cold cement, so I wore flip flops. Big mistake! The top of my foot is cramping like crazy, and it didn’t start until I wore those shoes. Your article helped a lot!!
Hey Shayna, so glad I could help! 🙂
I’ve tried lots of different things but what seems to work for me is PICKLE JUICE!!! crazy as it sounds it works. I get bad cramps in my feet, do to the side effects of medication. I’m gonna try some of the other things you suggest. Thanks!!!
How much pickle juice do you have to take.
Uh
I know this is very helpful!! Thank you for the info, I don’t eat bananas so what else would you recommend?
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This really helped me a lot.!
My foot started cramping HARD out of nowhere. Good old google. This was the first thing to pop up. Instant relief. Thank you.
very fucking useful that shit hurts
Thank you for the good news!
Firs thing that popped up, thank you!!!! I was in horrible pain and it hurt so much i couldnt move
I know same thing happened to me!
can you send me the 5 secrets for a painless body or pain-free body rather.
thx
realtor zool
……………..whenwe got foot cramps,we used to put a little amount of salt ….a pinch in a juice. In Uganda,Africa playing tennis in the hot sun this was very common.
it’s sad only 12 and I get them. next time I get one i’ll try one of those tips!