Severe leg cramps: How do you relax severe leg cramps?

For nighttime leg cramps, I vouch for taking two potassium gluconate (99 mg elemental potassium) tablets before bedtime. I take them each night, and my bloodwork shows that my potassium level is right at mid-range. A friend who is a doctor recommended magnesium citrate and that might work for you too. Do not take magnesium with vitamin D3, it inactivates the D3.
Another thing to know is that some statins will cause nighttime cramping. The first statin I took, which I cannot remember name-wise, caused really severe cramps in the middle of the night, normally in the hamstrings.
I now take rosuvastatin (Crestor) that does NOT have the cramping side effect for me, but there are several statins that will cause severe cramping.

I was recovering from a bad pelvic fracture 3 years ago, and had severe hamstring cramping each night. I massaged Volaren lotion (diclofenac) into the muscle area and it took the cramping away in about 5 minutes or less.

@spreels2
Please read about the negative side effects of Gabapentin

I take methocarbamal 500mg. No more nighttime leg cramps.

Jim

Mine caused by faulty vein valves…..blood flowed wrong way. had vein ablations.
I straightened leg if possible & kept straight. Just kept massaging & praying & crying, too. Never lasted more than 15 minutes. was told to turn toes inward. Then when relieving some, i tried to walk as soon as possible, keeping legs straight rather than bending knees. I also drank diluted vinegar or salad dressing if someone there to give to me.
i used to carry some vinegar in flask with me around house & by bed when got them more often. I also correlated lack of water & electrolytes when sweating and bending a lot like in yardwork). Dr said to use pedialyte to replace electrolytes if sweating a lot.

My cardiologist recommended a magnesium supplement. I’ve taken it now for a couple of years. Really helps. I use magnesium glycinate. I just followed directions on bottle. Also, take at night.

Hello. I am 69 years old and had total knee replacement 3 weeks ago (January 27th, 2026.) I'm in physical therapy 2x per week and using a walker. Although I'm making progress, I feel I should be further along. My anxiety is through the roof, and pain is still a 7 -10 most days. Sleeping less than 4 hours in a 24 hour period. Is anyone out there experiencing the same? I'm alone for 12 hours per day as my husband works long hours. So it's a lot to take care of myself but doing the best I can. I'd like to chat to share my frustration with others in the same situation. Husband doesn't want to hear it. He says I'm lazy because I can't walk without the walker yet. I hope someone out there will respond to this post. Thank you, M

@johntow ...Thanks, I will do that again. The reason I was put on Gabapentin was to help alleviate withdrawal symptoms I had due to discontinuing Clonazapam, which had been prescribed for sleep. Now I am told that I will have to discontinue the Gabapentin as well. In the meantime, I have enjoyed having no problems with restless legs syndrome. I am able to enjoy going to bed, and not finding it to be a challenge.

I have found that an electric blanket is very helpful for muscle and joint cramps. I started with a heating pad but the cramps reappeared in areas away from the heat. With the electric blanket the generalized, large area of heat has been very effective.

Hello @marthas2026, Welcome to Connect. Sorry to hear you are struggling after your knee replacement. You are not alone and you might want to join others in the following discussion to learn what they have shared.
-- Total Knee Replacement Pain Levels: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/total-knee-replacement-pain-levels/