Charley Horses: A Practical Guide to Prevention & Treatment in Menopause

Hey there, I'm Amy Connell. Welcome to Grace Health, the podcast for women who want simple and grace-filled ways to take care of themselves and enjoy a little chocolate. I'm a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach who wants you to know your eating, movement and body don't have to be perfect, you just need to be able to do what you're called to do. So I have two kids who are athletes and a couple years ago one of them had worked really hard to get on the varsity basketball team and because of that, he was doing like school practice and then he was working with a private coach and he was just working really hard. He also got my sweat jeans, which means he was sweating like crazy every time he works out. I mean, this is, this is how it is with me. This is why you almost always see me in some sort of athletic gear, because I need it to absorb my sweat. But this isn't about me, this is about my kid. So he had gone to practice one night and he calls us and I answer the phone and this is what he says get the gun, get the gun. And I'm like what? What are you talking about? I don't even know what you mean. Like whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, just going through because he's panicking. So that causes me to panic and of course my husband is like he can only hear my side of the story and he's freaking out. So finally we kind of get him calmed down and he says I'm in the garage, I drove home and both of my legs have cramped up and what he meant was the percussion gun like a Theragun. Also, we didn't have a percussion gun, we did not have a Theragun. But it was December and then we had a really great idea for his Christmas present. Anyway, we didn't have one of those, but his buddies had had one and he had used it. So I think that's just where his mind went. So of course, once we get everybody calmed down, we help him out of his car, we get him into the kitchen and then I go into like full on nutrition. The coach and I'm like, okay, we're going to do fluids, we're going to do magnesium, we're going to do all of these things, because not that I like have this magical answer to everything, but I know enough to be able to recognize what his body was needing. What's interesting is, as I have been talking with more and more women, especially in who are like post menopause. They are complaining of having Charlie horses, and this is not unusual. So if you have these Charlie horses which is kind of like what my kid had and that's what women are complaining about which basically, charlie horse is just a kind of a catch all term that's used to describe like sudden and involuntary muscle spasm or cramp. They often happen in our legs, but not necessarily always in the legs, or in the quads, or calf muscles is where it happens a lot. So it's just like super tight, not like feeling in that muscle. It is hard to get rid of. I had them a lot when I was pregnant with my first child. I don't really remember having them as much with my second one, but they are painful, they are absolutely painful. So as these women start saying, yeah, this is begging me and I know their age and I know they're in this stage that they're in, I started wondering huh, I wonder if there is some sort of hormonal connection that we need to be aware of. So I did a little digging and thought that this would be a good topic for these essentials videos or essentials episodes. So I'm kind of taking one small topic and breaking it down and bringing that to you in the hopes that you can feel and function better in your day to day life now and then also in the future. So let's talk some about why Charlie horses occur, and I'm doing this through a lens of women who are in hormonal transitions. So, yes, that can be like I was when I was pregnant, or most of you all. It's more in these other transitions, the change some used to call it. Now we're just saying, hey, we're calling it what it is, harry menopause, menopause, postmenopause, all of that kind of stuff. So I want to go through a few things that may be causing your Charlie horse, and some of this is across the board and some of it is really more specific to our changing hormones. The first is just dehydration. I think about back to my son and he was very clearly dehydrated because he was sweating so much and it's hard to consume that much. That's that amount of fluids that he needed. So that would be the first thing that I would ask you is are you drinking enough fluids? Are you drinking enough water, anything else that can be hydrating? So, yes, that includes your sparkling water, that can include herbal tea thing. That is just getting those fluids in. The second thing I would ask is are your muscles tired so? Have you been playing a lot of tennis that day? Did you go for an extra long walk or hike or bike ride, anything that might be just really causing your muscles to be extra fatigued. And then we get more into some of the more specific things, so like any kind of mineral deficiencies. Those are things like your micronutrients, like your potassium, your calcium, your magnesium, sodium. Those are all for your main electrolytes. If those electrolytes are off balance, then you may be experiencing those cramps. Electrolytes keep a balance of fluid in your body. They keep things balanced within your fluid cell, the cells in your fluid, the fluid in yourselves, sorry, so that's something to think about. And again, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium. If you are a very salty sweater, like when you sweat a lot, if you end up with a white line on your hat or maybe on your sports bra, you're a pretty salty sweater and so don't be afraid of including a little bit of extra sodium in your diet when you do that. Another thing that could happen is your, you know, you could just be having some poor blood circulation which, again, just as we age, as our blood vessels fatigue, you might not be getting enough circulation. We've had a conversation, or we will be having a conversation, with Dr Maria Colón Gonzalez about cholesterol, and so if your cholesterol is high, then it may be impacting some of those smaller blood vessels, which in turn reduces your circulation, which might be reducing the amount of blood and nutrients that are getting to those calf muscles, leg muscles, wherever you're getting those, wherever you're getting those Charlie horses, and then, of course, medications can have an impact on that as well. Now, in terms of, again, this menopausal age I'm just going to say that so I don't have to say all of them we do have hormonal fluctuations that occur during menopause, specifically your estrogen declining. So your estrogen protects your muscles and when our estrogen goes down, then our muscles might have a harder time being supple and that can lead to increased stiffness and increased cramping. Another thing is, you know, like I talked about, with those imbalances with your electrolytes, well, our hormones also influence that. So it may be that you're and we've talked to some about calcium and what hormones do to our calcium it has a huge impact. Go back and listen to season three I'm sorry, episode three of this season if you want to learn a little bit more about calcium and the hormone changes that affect that. But everything just kind of gets out of whack as our hormones are changing, and so keep in mind that what may have been enough and sufficient in the past may not be sufficient now, and you have to do things like increase your calcium and your magnesium and your potassium. Most of us get enough sodium, but, again, if you're a really salty sweater or if you live in a very hot and humid climate, like I do, you may need to supplement some with sodium. If you don't eat a lot of processed foods, another thing that you may be experiencing is a vitamin D deficiency. So vitamin D is really important for maintaining your muscle health, and menopausal women may be at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency because of those hormonal changes, because we may not be getting out in the sun. There's a whole lot that goes into that, but vitamin D may be a contributor to your Charlie horse, particularly if you are a menopausal woman. And then, finally, kind of what we talked about earlier, but that nerve compression. So, again, as we age, our blood vessels get a little bit smaller. They're not going to pass through all of the blood and nutrients and fluids as easily, and so the nerves kind of tighten up, and then you might. That will manifest itself in terms of a Charlie horse or a muscle cramp or something like that. So what can we do about it? Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, tell me what to do about it. Okay, so number one drink more water. I mean, that's probably an answer to a lot of different things. Number two have a lot of electrolytes. So a balanced diet rich in that magnesium, potassium, sodium, calcium. We did have a wonderful conversation about magnesium with Natalie Gerardo back in season 15, if I remember correctly. She does make a fantastic magnesium lotion. But you can also get it through Epsom salts. Basically nuts, seeds, leafy greens, grains, whole grains those are all good sources of magnesium. Calcium, of course just go listen to that episode in season, episode three here. But calcium fortified milks, whether it be cows milk or dairy milk. Broccoli has some more. Just go back and listen to that. So that cheeses, yogurts, I mean this stuff you probably know, but it is very important and I have started including more calcium in my diet and have really noticed a difference in my muscle function. Back to the magnesium. You can take Epsom salt baths. Those are a great way for your body or for your skin, which is an organ, to absorb magnesium, and it's a relaxing too as well. And, by the way, if you take a warm bath at night, that can help you go to sleep because your body, as it cools down, it'll start kicking in the hormones and the ability to go into a deeper sleep. So hot baths actually are good for you. Right before you go to sleep, make sure that you're stretching and warming up properly. Before you exercise, obviously, get outside, get that vitamin D. And then I also am a big fan of connective tissue hydration. So what is that? That's like foam rolling. Sue Hitzman, who is founder of the Melt method, came on back in season 15 and talked with us about hydrating that connective tissue with her soft body foam roller, which I highly recommend and anyone who I recommend it to and use it like they are a believer because it is so good. So that's a really great product as well. But hydrating that connective tissue using the tools and the resources that she offers is a really great one to do. I mean, just right off the bat, I can tell you if you will sit down, stretch out your legs and put your calves on that foam roller and then take your legs as they're straight, kind of out in a figure eight, so take them out wide and then come bring them in and then out and then in and do that to kind of get a little friction, get a little heat going on that and that can help hydrate that connective tissue which will help support your muscles and keep them from cramping as well. And then, if you can kind of try and gently move that, gently stretch it, do something, do support, do be gentle. Be gentle with your body. It's trying to communicate with you and don't give it a slap in the face when it's saying what it needs it needs fluids, it needs electrolytes, it needs stretching, and so don't give it a slap in the face by like forcing a hard stretch in it. No, that's not, that's not what we're going to do. So I hope that helps you with your Charlie horses. It can give you, I hope it gives you a few ideas of what to do. And remember that if your cramps are accompanied by severe pain or swelling or redness, or if it's constantly there, go talk to a healthcare professional, go to your doctor, see if they might have some other suggestions, but it may be that just a few simple changes within your fluid and your electrolytes might make a big difference, especially as we are dealing with our hormonal changes in this age and stage. Okay, that is all for today. Go out there and have a great day.