So, you’re troubled with these leg cramps during pregnancy. As much people may try to dismiss your problem as something that happens to everyone pregnant woman, you cannot neglect the pain!
We will tell you why these painful muscle contractions happen and also some highly effective home remedies to mitigate the problem of leg cramps during the third trimester of pregnancy.
What causes leg cramps during pregnancy?
Leg cramps during pregnancy have been unexplained because a single cause can’t be pinpointed. There are many possible reasons for it such as hormonal imbalance, weight gain, and change in blood circulation rate. Pregnant women have a hard time falling asleep at night due to the painful spasms in legs in calf and feet.
In severe cases, one has to seek medical help. Otherwise, pregnancy leg cramps are curable using some home remedies. Pregnancy leg cramps are not different from normal leg cramps in the feeling. However, the intensity and cause of pain are different.
Home remedies for pregnancy leg cramps
Here we have the best 15 natural remedies for pregnancy leg cramps:
1) Massage your legs with hot oil before going to bed
Massaging helps to move the substances that cause the leg cramps such as lactic acids. They get accumulated in your muscles due to excess strain and do not get degraded until long. The only way to accelerate the process is by manually pushing them off the localized region. The hot oil massage will soothe you more than a hot compress.
2) Wear soft footwear and preferably the one that has been specially designed for pregnant women
Wearing uncomfortable footwear has more to do than just cause you trip and fall. And even tripping can be hazardous in early pregnancy. Misfit footwear will not only worsen your leg cramps but also affect your uterus position. It might even create troubles for you after your pregnancy such as twisted pelvic bones. A right pair of footwear will avoid pregnancy leg cramps getting from severe.
3) Don’t stand at a stretch for more than a few minutes
One of the main causes of pregnancy leg cramps is the movement of fluids to the legs. Standing on your feet for a long time slows blood circulation throughout the body, preventing the retrograde flow of the fluids. It is the cause of the swelling you see in your feet.
4) Staying hydrated
When you have a baby in your belly, drinking adequate water is crucial. Drinking water will keep your tissues hydrated and prevent leg cramps during pregnancy. Also, your blood circulation will be better, and so the fluids will keep moving and maintain a healthy balance.
5) Practice Yoga
Yoga helps to stretch every muscle gently and does that without any aggressive workout. It will help to keep your legs agile and also benefit you in endless other ways. There are special pregnancy yoga classes for pregnant women, and they have specific yoga postures for pregnancy leg cramps.
6) Soak your legs in lukewarm water with Epsom salt
Magnesium salt has the properties to cure leg pains. Pregnancy cramps are no exception, and Epsom salt treats them. Take a big tub filled with lukewarm water and add three spoonfuls of Epsom salt and soak your legs. There is another thing that happens due to saline soak for pregnancy cramps. Feet swell at the end of the day because they retain a lot of fluids. When you soak your legs in a highly concentrated solution, then this fluid moves out by the process of osmosis and your feet will feel lighter.
7) Walk with barefoot on dewy grass in the morning
Walking on the grass with bare feet has many benefits like curing respiratory troubles. There are many theories as to how this happens. Walking barefoot on dewy grass in the morning will help prevent pregnancy leg cramps. The mild pricking acts like a sort of massage therapy, and it is the most natural form it. One should make a habit to walk barefoot on grass during pregnancy for at least 20 minutes every morning to prevent pregnancy leg cramps.
8) Always sleep with a lot of pillows under your feet
Elevating your feet with pillows underneath can help to drive the fluids back and also will make you feel comfortable. Make a small pile of ultra soft pillows for placing under your feet to treat pregnancy leg cramps. It will also help reduce the uterus from sagging down. Sleeping with a pillow prevents pregnancy leg cramps.
9) Wear stockings and supporters
Wearing stockings or calf supporting PJs can help avoid accumulation of fluids in legs. However, make sure that your stockings are not tight to prevent blood flow. Also, avoid wearing synthetic stockings as your skin becomes extremely sensitive during pregnancy.
10) Apply clove oil for healing pregnancy leg cramps
Clove Oil has many healing properties due to the strong alkaloids and other enzymes present in it. These chemicals are beneficial for treating pregnancy leg cramps. Applying clove oil while massaging your feet can alleviate the symptoms of pregnancy leg cramps.
11) Use apple cider vinegar for curing pregnancy leg cramps
Apple Cider Vinegar is being researched a lot for its medicinal properties. ACV is readily available in your kitchen and is known to reduce the painful swelling of pregnancy leg cramps. You can enhance the effects by taking small doses of Apple Cider Vinegar and even applying some of it on your legs.
12) Stretch and jerk your feet for alleviating pregnancy leg cramps
Most of the pregnant females become a couch potato. They spend the entire day sitting or lying down and filling in food. Stretching your legs and giving mild jerks to your feet in a fast repeated fashion can help you avoid having persistent pregnancy leg cramps.
13) Don’t lift weights
Lifting weight during pregnancy requires a lot of precaution. Only a correct position can prevent the damage incurred by lifting something light as a box. It is best to ask for help to get such shifting and lifting done. In cases of urgency always remember that you have to bend at your knees and you back shouldn’t arc. Increase in body weight during pregnancy causes pregnancy leg cramps. Further lifting weights can add on the agony.
14) Use an ice pack for soothing pregnancy leg cramps
Apply ice packs when pain becomes unbearable. It works for the pregnancy leg cramps that have chemical causes. Ice can prevent the action of the hormones and factors released due to allergic reactions. It will also desensitize the area for a while, and so you won’t feel the pain. Ice packs for pregnancy leg cramps are natural painkillers.
15) Avoid taking painkillers for relieving
Painkillers taken for pregnancy leg cramps are addictive substances. If you take them frequently, you’ll start requiring higher doses.
Towards the end of pregnancy, hormones loosen cervix and pubis symphysis for delivery. Pubis symphysis is the cartilage joining pelvic bones. These hormones also act on your other parts and even on bones in the feet and legs. Thus your shoe size may increase after pregnancy or at least during pregnancy.
Pregnancy leg cramps are excruciatingly agonizing but they are a good reason to get a good massage from your partner’s hands and have a queen’s time!
Brief comment: I’m a midwife. Magnesium is a major and first-line treatment for leg cramps. Cramps are a symptom, magnesium is a cure. (Calm magnesium is what I recommend– follow dosage on bottle, don’t overdose in one sitting due to loose stools as a side effect). Please research this for yourself to verify, as should be done with all suggested remedies, and consider updating our article. The given suggestions in the article are helpful symptom relievers, but these leg cramps are not “normal”. They are symptoms of a problem- magnesium deficiency.