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What Causes Frequent Muscle Spasms In Feet And Legs At Night?
Question: I frequently have muscle spasms in my feet and legs during the night. Sometimes it seems to be set off by just wiggling my toes or changing my position from back to side, etc. Sometimes my big toe (this can happen or either foot) draws up and becomes fixed to the point that I have to put it back into XXXXXXX position by hand. A couple of days ago, I got a severely painful spasm in my right leg, calf area, posterior and medial, in
The distal portion. It was like a "Charley horse" that wouldn't go away. There is still pain on both dorsal and superior flexion of the foot as well as tenderness to touch. About 46 years ago, I sustained compression fractures of L2 and 3 in a car accident, and have not had any problems, even throughout a pregnancy a couple of years later. I sometimes also get painful spasms in my torso, just from some minor movement.
It seems to help if I take potassium (OTC 99mg.) For some reason, I tend to have low potassium levels off and
On, even though I do not take any diuretic and eat a lot of citrus, bananas, tomatoes, etc. Is there any autoimmune condition that would cause these symptoms? I take Synthroid and just recently started taking
Toprol XL 25 mg. daily due to a recent mitral valve leak. I'm 76 Years old, retired R.N.
The distal portion. It was like a "Charley horse" that wouldn't go away. There is still pain on both dorsal and superior flexion of the foot as well as tenderness to touch. About 46 years ago, I sustained compression fractures of L2 and 3 in a car accident, and have not had any problems, even throughout a pregnancy a couple of years later. I sometimes also get painful spasms in my torso, just from some minor movement.
It seems to help if I take potassium (OTC 99mg.) For some reason, I tend to have low potassium levels off and
On, even though I do not take any diuretic and eat a lot of citrus, bananas, tomatoes, etc. Is there any autoimmune condition that would cause these symptoms? I take Synthroid and just recently started taking
Toprol XL 25 mg. daily due to a recent mitral valve leak. I'm 76 Years old, retired R.N.
Brief Answer:
Seems like Restless leg syndrome to me too.
Detailed Answer:
Dear Madam,
Thank you for posting your query on HCM.
Well looking into your query I will like to tell you that to me also it seems like Restless leg syndrome , such patients can have involvement of other parts also , its not that the complaints are just restricted to legs . But if you have low potassium levels despite having diet rich in potassium then thats worrisome . Sjogrens syndrome and SLE are two autoimmune diseases that frequently lead to low potassium levels due to kidney involvement like Renal tubular acidosis . And electrolyte imbalance can lead to cramps . Also taking Vitamin E and magnesium supplements help in relieving cramps . Any other query please ask.
Take care.
Dr. Shruti
Seems like Restless leg syndrome to me too.
Detailed Answer:
Dear Madam,
Thank you for posting your query on HCM.
Well looking into your query I will like to tell you that to me also it seems like Restless leg syndrome , such patients can have involvement of other parts also , its not that the complaints are just restricted to legs . But if you have low potassium levels despite having diet rich in potassium then thats worrisome . Sjogrens syndrome and SLE are two autoimmune diseases that frequently lead to low potassium levels due to kidney involvement like Renal tubular acidosis . And electrolyte imbalance can lead to cramps . Also taking Vitamin E and magnesium supplements help in relieving cramps . Any other query please ask.
Take care.
Dr. Shruti
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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