Night-time leg cramps are common but poorly understood. An orthopaedic doctor explains why they strike during sleep, what triggers them, and when they need medical attention.

Why leg cramps, or Charley horses, occur is often not clear. However, they may result from nerve dysfunction and various health conditions, such as diabetes and kidney failure. Leg cramps involve ...

Many of us have felt a muscle in some part of our body suddenly and involuntarily tighten, causing a twitch or even severe cramp. Muscle spasms are common and typically don't signal a severe health ...

Infectious agents can cause muscle twitching and spasms, too. The most commonly known is probably tetanus, which causes a phenomenon called lockjaw, where the neck and jaw muscles contract to the ...

We've all been there before. Running along the basketball court or swimming across the pool, when, all of a sudden, we experience a sharp pain in our foot or leg. Muscle cramps are common, affect ...

Many of us have had this dreaded experience: you’re asleep or lying in bed, minding your own business, when all of a sudden you feel an excruciating, twisting, tightening, pain in one of your calves.

Have you ever found yourself clutching your calf and wondering what causes leg cramps? Ouch, right? Like the check engine light or a same-day 5 p.m. calendar invite from your boss, it always seems to ...

Occasional leg cramps are considered common and usually harmless, especially after physical exertion, dehydration, or ...

Dear Dr. Roach: I am an 82-year-old, reasonably fit woman. I am having cramps at night in my feet and legs, causing me to wake three or four times a night. Getting up and walking helps, as does ...

Q: I was on rosuvastatin for eight months. During that time, I repeatedly complained to my doctor about severe leg cramps. They finally got so bad that he let me stop the statin. Within two weeks all ...