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April 4, 2014
Time to stop horsing around
How to plan for pain-free prep on Passover and before Shabbat.
DEBORAH RUBIN FIELDS
After hours of cooking scrumptious meals for Shabbos or a chag, almost everything seems to be in place. I say “almost everything” because the muscles in your calves seem to suddenly be painfully knotted; you are experiencing the tight and uncomfortable spasms known to many as the charley horse. To make matters worse, the contractions occur just when you are trying to get a good night’s sleep. What is going on?
Shabbos-related charley horses, or calf muscle spasms, may be the result of one or more of the following situations:
• standing in one place for a long time,
• wearing incorrect shoes,
• dehydration,
• muscle fatigue,
• not enough magnesium or potassium in your body,
• poor circulation in your legs.
What can be done to relieve the discomfort and what can be done to minimize recurrences of these spasms?
If the charley horse has already started, you have two courses of action: either you deal with it or you lie in agony. If you choose to deal with it, get out of bed and stand facing the wall. Put your hands on the wall while extending one leg backward. Keep the stretched leg straight. Bend the other leg at the knee so that you feel the tension in the stretched leg. Stay in this position for 10 to 15 seconds at least. Then do the same with the other leg. Alternatively, you can sit or lie while holding your affected leg straight. Then grab the top of your foot and pull toward your head. Heat or ice might help too.
To help prevent episodes of calf muscle spasm, some suggest doing the above exercises before you turn in for the night. Importantly, you need to break up your cooking and prep with periods in which you simply sit and park yourself in a chair. Changing position by walking around, shifting your weight while standing or stretching, likewise could alleviate potential spasms. Personally, I have found that short sits are extremely effective in keeping charley horses at bay. Furthermore, if you are standing directly on the hard floor, consider standing on a floor mat.
Next, take a look at the kind of shoes you wear when you are cooking. If you are female, don’t wear the heels you might have worn to work. Don’t wear shoes with a tapered or narrow width. Wear shoes that provide adequate inner support. You might even want to consider adding orthopedic inserts to your shoes. Make sure the soles cushion your feet from the floor’s hardness. Avoid standing in shoes that require you to curl your toes in order to keep them on your feet. In general, if you are going to be standing for long periods, you need to be wearing well-fitting shoes that offer adequate support.
As low quantities of potassium or magnesium in the body can lead to charley horses, too, there are foods that provide a good amount of these valuable minerals. Oranges are high in potassium. Mackerel, soybeans, squash, pumpkin seeds, brown rice, fat-free plain yogurt, avocados, figs and dark chocolate are good sources of magnesium. Bananas and spinach contain both minerals. Generally, fibrous foods are high in magnesium. This list is by no means the final say-so in appropriate foods, but does focus on the top 10 – those that are the highest in magnesium content. Moreover, added good news is that the majority of these top 10 foods are suited to those who keep kosher and for those who follow either a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Today, there are over-the-counter products aimed specifically at those who suffer from calf muscle spasms. Some people claim they have had fewer muscle spasms since they began regularly using magnesium supplements, for example. A 2012 study by researchers at the University of British Columbia, however, found that “it is unlikely that magnesium supplementation provides clinically meaningful cramp prophylaxis to older adults experiencing skeletal muscle cramps.” By contrast, for pregnant women who are having at-rest cramps, the literature on the subject is conflicting; further studies with this group are necessary. Moreover, as some antibiotics can interact with magnesium, it’s important to inform your doctor that you are taking supplements.
Most importantly, and before diagnosing and treating yourself, if you suffer from frequent calf contractions, check with medical personnel. Some medications can cause muscle spasms or spasms can be a sign of malfunctioning nerves. The underlying cause in this case could be either a pinched neck or back nerve, or even a spinal cord injury.
Moreover, if you have knee issues, consider wearing elastic bandages or supports to further protect your knees against both tiredness and achiness when you are going to be standing for long periods of time. This might also help with varicose veins. Talk to a doctor if you suspect you may have additional issues that could contribute to leg discomfort.
So, quit horsing around and take care of those painful muscles – and have a good Shabbos and a happy and healthy Passover.
Deborah Rubin Fields is an Israel-based features writer. She is also the author of Take a Peek Inside: A Child’s Guide to Radiology.
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