Foot cramps writes Wikipedia are common in older people, and at present there is no known cure for them, so it seems a mention of my successful experiences might be of some interest to those suffering people.
My problem and the usual cures.
My number two toe was cramping into a curled position which was annoying, and painful. The usual procedure of stretching the toe back out to its straight position relaxed the muscle, and relieved the pain, but left the sensation that it was about to cramp again. After about 10 seconds it did cramp again, and I straightened it again. This went on for quite a few cycles, and I walked around for five minutes to see if that would help. It did but in a few minutes, after sitting back down, the toe cramped again, and again.
Here is what worked for me
The cause of cramping is some sort of chemical-nerve thing, I thought, so why not try some nerve pain medicine. There is a product called CAPZASIN © with the stated uses: to temporarily relieve minor pain associated with, arthritis, muscle strains, simple backache, sprains, bruises and cramps. I applied this liquid using its built in applicator sponge to the sole surface of my foot, mostly on the arch, where the muscles were cramping, hoping for some relief from the pain. To my surprise within a couple of minutes the pain eased and the cramping muscles stopped cramping. And with no cramping there was no pain. Because it states right on the bottle that this product works for cramps I can’t claim any originality in that discovery, but what they didn’t say and what the standard medical practice doesn’t say is that it stops the cramping. They say it eases the pain, but I say it stops the cramping. And that is different. —
Other types of cramps where this might work.
There is the possibility that other types of cramps might respond to the active ingredient in CAPZASIN © which is capsaicin. That is the natural chemical in hot peppers which makes them hot. Now, just supposing the capsaicin works on nerves or the muscle cells somehow to change their responsiveness, and that is why there is a relaxation from cramping. If that were so then women who eat a lot of spicy hot foods should have fewer menstrual cramps. It is just an idea, not even a theory really, but it would be easy to interview a lot of women and compare those who ate lots of spicy hot foods to those who didn’t.
[ Comment September 4, 2008 – The Capzasin treatment works okay but it needs a couple of minutes to sink in but once it does it seems to work for several hours perhaps it even helps for a few days. Another thing to try is Quinine Tonic water. You can get bottles of this beverage right beside the Coke in the grocery store. Drinking one of these 12 ounce bottles in the evening gives me all night protection from foot cramps]