A charlie horse (also known as “charley horse,” “dead leg” and “corkie”) is a painful, involuntary muscle cramp that commonly happens in your legs. It's also a term used for leg cramps (For more information on cramps, read Cramps). Charlie horse is also used to describe painful contusions or bruises and even hematoma or internal bleeding on the thigh or lower leg. This is a common injury in most contact sports since it caused by impact force. It's not considered permanent or life-threatening, and can be expected to fully heal within a few days to a month.

 

One of the origins of this unusual name is said to have come from the pitcher Charlie “Old Hoss” Radbourn, an American baseball pitcher in the 1880s who was said to have suffered from leg cramps. Another story claimed that the name was from an actual horse named Charley that used to work at Comiskey Park in the Chicago White Sox's ballpark, although it was also known that old, retired horses were also commonly called “Charlie.”

Symptoms

Charlie horses are also termed as “nocturnal leg cramps,” often striking the calf region at night with no apparent warning and hours after any kind of physical activity. It can last for a few moments or several hours, depending on the extent of injury or cause. Other symptoms include:

• Muscle spasm. This is described as the tightening of muscles and a sensation of "going into knots."
• Swelling, bruising and tingling. For injuries caused by impact force, welling, bruising, pain and tingling may be the most immediate results of such a hit.
• Restricted movement. Muscle contraction is your body's way of protecting your muscles and this may cause limited or restricted movement from the affected area.
• Tenderness or sensitivity to the touch
• Pain

Causes

Charlie horse is usually considered a sports injury (More tidbits on Sports injuries), but most people also run the risk of getting it for several reasons:

• Muscle fatigue. First time going to the gym after a long while? Don't overdo it. Most leg cramps arise from strenuous activity and our muscles' lack of capability to put up with too much and sudden stress. Lack of warm-ups and proper stretching in your exercise routine can also cause undue stress on your muscles.
• Mineral deficiency.Occasionally, charlie horses are caused by an imbalance of potassium, calcium or magnesium in our bodies.
• Dehydration.Dehydration is one of definite causes of muscle cramps, because our body needs water to act as lubricant for our joints and muscles.

• Pregnancy. Charlie horses are also experienced by pregnant women due to additional weight gain and an increased pressure on blood vessels, which can slow circulation and cause blood to accumulate in your legs.
• Calcification. Calcification happens the mineral calcium gets into soft tissue and hardens. This happens when calcium is not properly absorbed by your body.
• Side effect. It can be a side-effect to medications like statins (cholesterol lowering medications) and prednisone (medication for allergic disorders).
• Complications. Charlie horses can also be a complication to the more serious medical conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and neuropathy, both conditions of damaged neurons in the brain.

Treatment

• Don't strain yourself. If you are an athlete, you should not put strain on the affected area. Limit your movements and avoid strenuous activities.
• Ice. For the quadriceps contusion type of charlie horse, applying ice to the affected area should be the immediate response. Keeping the leg in a fully bent position for 24 hours also helps in preventing further pain or spasms.
• Do not use heat. Heat may only increase swelling and encourage more blood to flow in the affected area and it may worsen the contusions.
• Compression.Compression is done to reduce swelling, and is especially useful for the quadriceps contusion type of charlie horse.

• Elevate the area. Encourage the blood flow from your limbs towards the heart by elevating your legs above the heart area. You can do this by lying down and propping your legs on pillows.
• Vitamin E. 400 iu of vitamin E is recommended for people who get nightly charlie horses.
• Stretching and massaging. For the quadriceps contusion type of charlie horse, do gentle pain-free quadriceps stretching for 30 seconds, and repeat five times daily. Depending on the severity of the condition, you may also apply gentle massaging to the area.

For the more common kind of charlie horse, you can also gently massage the affected area and also do some simple stretching exercises.

• Walking aid. Depending on the severity of the case, walking aids are also recommended until your legs fully recover. Physical therapy may also be needed. (For more information on physical therapy, read the guide to Physical therapy)
• Medication. Anti-steroidal, non-inflammatory may be prescribed for the pain. For more severe cases, anti-spasm medication may also be prescribed to you.
• Seek medical attention. It's best that you see a specialist to diagnose the severity of the charlie horse and its proper treatment.

Prevention

• Warm up and stretching. Charlie horses usually arise from an exercise regimen that doesn't include a proper warm up and stretch time. If you are a beginner in sports or in the gym, don't push yourself too hard.Your muscles may not be able to take the beating and you may instantly get a charlie horse. Your muscles need time to get prepared for the more strenuous parts of your workout, and they need time to wind down as well. (Tips on how to warm up before exercising)
• Drink up. Keeping yourself well-hydrated goes a long way in making sure your muscles don't get strained. Drink before, during and after your workout. Drink less diuretics such as tea and coffee.
• Mineral intake. Drinking magnesium with calcium helps the body absorb calcium and prevents calcification. Most sports drink include potassium as well as magnesium and calcium, and are recommended for athletes and heavy gym buffs.
• Padding. Some sports require body padding to protect you against impact forces that you may run into. Some sports, however, do not. If you're into contact sports, just learn how to dodge better.

Charlie horses used to be a term for retired horses, but getting a charlie horse doesn't mean you have to retire from any kind of activity. Proper exercise regimens, stretching, hydration and the proper diet are needed to keep your muscles happy and ready for anything. If you're interested in this article, you'll surely be interested to read how to get rid of cramps.