High Heel Leg Cramps

[sterling12]

Hi everybody:

I've got a specific problem and I don't know if I'm alone on this one, or if others can provide some new ideas.

When I go out with friends, I'm usually walking at least a couple of blocks and on 4 inch high heels at least 4 or 5 hours. At the end of the night, my legs are tired but not sore and I don't notice any foot swelling or anything unusual.

After sleeping a few hours, I usually wake up with an intense episode of leg cramps, centered in the calf areas of both legs. I have to get up and "walk it out" for a few minutes and then I can go back to sleep. I can't remember it recurring again during the night but this seems to happen each time I'm in heels for any protracted period. It never happens when I wear male shoes and I really don't suffer from the problem at any other time.

Banana's I eat a lot of, so I don't think it's a common mineral deficiency often seen with leg cramps.

Do we have any shoe sales people out there, or a Podiatrist? Sure hope somebody can give me an answer or a cure. I NEED MY BEAUTY SLEEP.....a lot!

Peace and Love, Joanie

[janedoe311]

Water, drink more water. Also when not wearing heals. Walk on your toes when so you can to stretch you muscles. I took tap dancing and much is spent on toes. Hurt for a long time untill I got used to it. I walked on toes to work and back to help get use to it, also range of motion up and down on your toes.

There is the electrolyte problem ie minerals. So you could be lacking in minerals. Bananas have potassium and that helps but not if you are missing other minerals.

Then again it could just be you are spending too much time in them, cut back and build up slowly.

One other thing is get a good arch support. I have the good ones that cost over $200 a pair and they have done wonders for my back and feet. Shoes have terrible arch support so you really need them.

[Julie York]

It is your body protesting at wearing something very uncomfortable at a silly angle and using muscle groups never meant to work together for more than 30 seconds.....for 4 hours.

Just as an experiment...press your forefinger and thumb together for 4 HOURS! See how your arms likes it.

[DonnaT]

try gatorade before and after your outing.

also try rubbing the calves with a sports cream, like bengay, myoflex or aspercream before going to bed.

exercise the calves everyday with toe-ups. Set a book on the floor and place your toes on it, then raise and lower your heels. I have a week ankle and this helps when preparing for an outing.

[Tamara Croft]

I'm sorry, but I just can't help getting a giggle out of this thread. Welcome to the world of heels You will get used to it, but Donna's advice is really good, give them a good rub with some muscle cream or spray

*still *

[Betty H]

Joanie,

I know this is going to sound a little odd,but It is not a joke.The next time you wake up with a cramp in your calf,pinch your upper lip (between thumb and forefinger )very hard.It will assist in getting rid of the cramp.I don't know the physiological reasons for it, but it works.

[ashlee chiffon]

is the only solution!


kindof of like loving drinking...but hating hangovers!

[sterling12]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their ideas. I will be implementing a lot of these and hopefully avoid a lot of pain.

I almost look forward to giving the "pinching the upper lip strategy" a shot. If it works, I'll have a new method for advising some of my patients.

Just had a blood test done and I don't seem to be short on any vitamins or minerals.....maybe it's just the shoes! My fault for trying to be a Diva!

Peace and Love, Joanie

[JamieTG]

Stretching the calf and achilles tendon is necessary for those who wear high heels a lot. The achilles tendon can actually shorten which in turn causes a tighter, less flexible calf muscle. Your calves are too tight which is why they are cramping up during the night. The best stretch is to stand on the edge of a stair with your heels hanging over the edge. Gently let your heels drop down until you feel the stretch and hold for at least 30 seconds. You can do this several times throughout the day, everyday. And stretching is the most effective after an exercise session when your muscles are warm.
Jamie

[Billijo49504]

Janedoe 311, I just noticed you have aa third boob! Is this real or just a photo fix? I know a guy with a 3 rd nipple, but a third tit? Hmmm!!!BJ

[trannie T]

also try rubbing the calves with a sports cream, like bengay, myoflex or aspercream before going to bed.

Ahh, nothing like the sexy aroma of BenGay and Chanel Number 5.

[Sky]

A girl said it above, so now we are two: wear lower heels.

If it hurts, it can't be good.

I wear 4 inch heels and 5 too, but usually not for four hours, and if I do, they hurt. It's the same for GG's. No, it's actually worse for us, since we tend to be a little heavier than them.

My rule of thumb to pick a heel height for a long day or night out: try many and see which ones are the highest and sexiest, while you can still walk graciously on them.

Now put those back in the closet and pick something two inches lower.

(no, really!)

[Summer]

Joanie,
Try drinking a little quine water or Tonic water. It is the best defence against the old cramping problem. Even if you don't get the cramps from you elevator shoes. My wife is a Doctor and she recommends Tonic water for muscle cramping all the time.
Enjoy your heels.
I could no more walk in 4 or 5 inch heels than the man in the moon!!
3 inches is max for me.
mostly I ware 1-1/2 to 2 inch heels.
Summer

[loki_uk]

I've found that support tights help you get away with wearing heels for longer, I know it's not very glam but whose going to know 0.02

[Sam-antha]

and if someone asks you what you hve been doing to get such cramps... ?
Worth it tho', at first, and then it goes and you are used to it. The heels, I mean, not the cramps.
Me, I get cramp sometimes in the mornings when I waken and stretch. Heels not having anything to do with those episodes.

[sterling12]

Ladies you are all lovely!

I am amazed at the responses on this post. I am now filled with ideas and I hope others have also found useful information in this thread.

I feel very lucky to have found this site about 6 months ago. I now have friends, when in the past I felt alone. I now have people who can give me insights and ideas, that I would have spent years trying to track down.

What we have here in this forum is very special. Each day I am grateful for all of my "gifted" friends. I think each of us should take this as a responsibility, to make this forum something we can all be proud of.

By the way, I have been trying the exercises and all the ideas. I think tonic water tastes nasty but maybe I should be mixing it with gin,(LOL). I can't tell you which thing is working but the problems seem to be lessening.

Really do want to say a big "Thank You" to everyone who participated.

Peace and Love, Joanie

[Melinda G]

You need to separate fact from fantasy. Real women rarely wear 4 inch heels. You wear those for pics, or around the house. If you are going out walking, or wearing them for many hours, get some three inch heels, or 2 3/4 inch heels. I have many pairs of 2 3/4 and 3 inch heels, in which I can walk miles, and wear them for hours.
I buy shoes, that I can actually walk in. Why waste your money on something that hurts!

[Candy Heels]

Hi everybody:

I've got a specific problem and I don't know if I'm alone on this one, or if others can provide some new ideas.

When I go out with friends, I'm usually walking at least a couple of blocks and on 4 inch high heels at least 4 or 5 hours. At the end of the night, my legs are tired but not sore and I don't notice any foot swelling or anything unusual.

After sleeping a few hours, I usually wake up with an intense episode of leg cramps, centered in the calf areas of both legs. I have to get up and "walk it out" for a few minutes and then I can go back to sleep. I can't remember it recurring again during the night but this seems to happen each time I'm in heels for any protracted period. It never happens when I wear male shoes and I really don't suffer from the problem at any other time.

Banana's I eat a lot of, so I don't think it's a common mineral deficiency often seen with leg cramps.

Do we have any shoe sales people out there, or a Podiatrist? Sure hope somebody can give me an answer or a cure. I NEED MY BEAUTY SLEEP.....a lot!

Peace and Love, Joanie

Joanie

I honestly believe that this will ease as you wear them more often. You seem to suggest that you were not suffering a lot of discomfort while in high heels which gives you a huge advantage over some.

Best of Luck
Candy

[CarmenG]

Joanie,

I know this is going to sound a little odd,but It is not a joke.The next time you wake up with a cramp in your calf,pinch your upper lip (between thumb and forefinger )very hard.It will assist in getting rid of the cramp.I don't know the physiological reasons for it, but it works.

[Elena Ambasce]

You need to separate fact from fantasy.

If we did that, would any of us be here? *giggle*

Real women rarely wear 4 inch heels.

But we tend to have larger (longer) feet, which go with a taller heel to create the same foot angle as a shorter foot with a shorter heel...

As an example, the average US women's foot size is somewhere around 8, about 9.7 inches. In a 3-inch heel, assuming about 70% of the foot length is behind the ball, that's an angle of about 24 degrees (probably not incredibly accurate because the way the foot bends, but good enough for this example)

Now take one of the many girls here, who say wears a women's size 14, at about 11.7". To achieve the same 24-degree foot angle as the average GG in the 3-inch heels, she'd need a 3.6-inch heel! Not quite 4 inches, but you can see how the higher heels aren't necessarily as obnoxious as you'd think.

Still, a lot of us are a bit tall to start with, so we might not want to be adding 4 inches to our height!

I'm lucky in that I'm only 5'6", so I can generally get away with as high a heel as I dare, but while I don't get calf cramps--probably because I bicycle a lot--I do tend tend to get pain in the ball of my foot due to the added load there at higher foot angles. I'm not even that heavy, but how's that for a reason to lose weight!

Lastly, consider a spherical pump of uniform density...

[JoAnnDallas]

I saw on local Dallas TV that one of the gyms here is offering a exercise class for women that wear high heels. They wear high heels while exercising and the exercises are geared to developing the calve mussles, ankles, feet, and etc.

[Tiana]

are you wearing sufficient width fittings? as I know if I don't, I have to keep taking my shoes or boots off to let my feet get some circulation back. But with the correct fit I personally don't have any real trouble but it will depend on what surfaces you are walking on and how hot the weather is. Also new shoes will need to be broken in but at the end of the day I don't mind a few cramps so long as they are not too painful, to me a small price to pay for wearing great heels and the sound they make as you walk. love Tiana