U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Format

Send to:

Choose Destination

Leg Cramp

MedGen UID:
7289
•Concept ID:
C0023218
•
Sign or Symptom
Synonym: Leg cramps

Definition

An involuntary contraction of a muscle supporting the femur. [from NCI]

Term Hierarchy

CClinical test,  RResearch test,  OOMIM,  GGeneReviews,  VClinVar  
  • CROGVLeg Cramp

Professional guidelines

PubMed

Primary care approach to calf cramps.
Lam CSE, Zhang M, Lim I
Singapore Med J 2022 Dec;63(12):746-752. doi: 10.4103/SINGAPOREMEDJ.SMJ-2021-343. PMID: 36573659Free PMC Article
Magnesium supplementation for the treatment of restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder: A systematic review.
Marshall NS, Serinel Y, Killick R, Child JM, Raisin I, Berry CM, Lallukka T, Wassing R, Lee RW, Ratnavadivel R, Vedam H, Grunstein R, Wong KK, Hoyos CM, Cayanan EA, Comas M, Chapman JL, Yee BJ
Sleep Med Rev 2019 Dec;48:101218. Epub 2019 Oct 16 doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2019.101218. PMID: 31678660
Restless legs syndrome and nocturnal leg cramps: a review and guide to diagnosis and treatment.
Tipton PW, Wszołek ZK
Pol Arch Intern Med 2017 Dec 22;127(12):865-872. Epub 2017 Nov 9 doi: 10.20452/pamw.4148. PMID: 29120993

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Treatment of nocturnal leg cramps by blockade of the medial branch of the deep peroneal nerve after lumbar spine surgery.
Imura T, Inoue G, Nakazawa T, Miyagi M, Saito W, Uchida K, Namba T, Shirasawa E, Takahira N, Takaso M
Brain Behav 2015 Sep;5(9):e00370. Epub 2015 Aug 7 doi: 10.1002/brb3.370. PMID: 26445706Free PMC Article
Leg cramps in relation to metabolic syndrome.
ManiIa MN
Georgian Med News 2009 Jan;(166):51-4. PMID: 19202219
The effect of health and nutrition education intervention on women's postpartum beliefs and practices: a randomized controlled trial.
Liu N, Mao L, Sun X, Liu L, Yao P, Chen B
BMC Public Health 2009 Feb 1;9:45. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-9-45. PMID: 19183504Free PMC Article
Randomised, cross-over, placebo controlled trial of magnesium citrate in the treatment of chronic persistent leg cramps.
Roffe C, Sills S, Crome P, Jones P
Med Sci Monit 2002 May;8(5):CR326-30. PMID: 12011773
The effect of oral magnesium substitution on pregnancy-induced leg cramps.
Dahle LO, Berg G, Hammar M, Hurtig M, Larsson L
Am J Obstet Gynecol 1995 Jul;173(1):175-80. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(95)90186-8. PMID: 7631676

Diagnosis

Necrotizing fasciitis and meningitis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 9 N: a case report.
Hovmand N, Byberg S, Larsen MB, Podlekareva D, Buck DL, Hansen BR
BMC Infect Dis 2019 Apr 29;19(1):358. doi: 10.1186/s12879-019-3969-4. PMID: 31035964Free PMC Article
Sleep-Related Leg Cramps: A Review and Suggestions for Future Research.
Brown TM
Sleep Med Clin 2015 Sep;10(3):385-92, xvi. Epub 2015 Jun 14 doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2015.05.002. PMID: 26329449
Differentiating nocturnal leg cramps and restless legs syndrome.
Rana AQ, Khan F, Mosabbir A, Ondo W
Expert Rev Neurother 2014 Jul;14(7):813-8. Epub 2014 Jun 14 doi: 10.1586/14737175.2014.927734. PMID: 24931546
The effect of health and nutrition education intervention on women's postpartum beliefs and practices: a randomized controlled trial.
Liu N, Mao L, Sun X, Liu L, Yao P, Chen B
BMC Public Health 2009 Feb 1;9:45. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-9-45. PMID: 19183504Free PMC Article
The role of serum zinc and other factors on the prevalence of muscle cramps in non-alcoholic cirrhotic patients.
Baskol M, Ozbakir O, Coşkun R, Baskol G, Saraymen R, Yucesoy M
J Clin Gastroenterol 2004 Jul;38(6):524-9. doi: 10.1097/01.mcg.0000129059.69524.d9. PMID: 15220689

Therapy

Treatment of nocturnal leg cramps by blockade of the medial branch of the deep peroneal nerve after lumbar spine surgery.
Imura T, Inoue G, Nakazawa T, Miyagi M, Saito W, Uchida K, Namba T, Shirasawa E, Takahira N, Takaso M
Brain Behav 2015 Sep;5(9):e00370. Epub 2015 Aug 7 doi: 10.1002/brb3.370. PMID: 26445706Free PMC Article
The effect of health and nutrition education intervention on women's postpartum beliefs and practices: a randomized controlled trial.
Liu N, Mao L, Sun X, Liu L, Yao P, Chen B
BMC Public Health 2009 Feb 1;9:45. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-9-45. PMID: 19183504Free PMC Article
The effect of oral magnesium substitution on pregnancy-induced leg cramps.
Dahle LO, Berg G, Hammar M, Hurtig M, Larsson L
Am J Obstet Gynecol 1995 Jul;173(1):175-80. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(95)90186-8. PMID: 7631676
Quinine sulfate for leg cramps: does it work?
Sidorov J
J Am Geriatr Soc 1993 May;41(5):498-500. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1993.tb01884.x. PMID: 8486881
Treatment of nocturnal leg cramps. A crossover trial of quinine vs vitamin E.
Connolly PS, Shirley EA, Wasson JH, Nierenberg DW
Arch Intern Med 1992 Sep;152(9):1877-80. PMID: 1520054

Prognosis

Leg cramps in relation to metabolic syndrome.
ManiIa MN
Georgian Med News 2009 Jan;(166):51-4. PMID: 19202219
Efforts to standardize the reporting of pain.
Kane RL, Bershadsky B, Lin WC, Rockwood T, Wood K
J Clin Epidemiol 2002 Feb;55(2):105-10. doi: 10.1016/s0895-4356(01)00429-2. PMID: 11809346
Nocturnal leg cramps in children: incidence and clinical characteristics.
Leung AK, Wong BE, Chan PY, Cho HY
J Natl Med Assoc 1999 Jun;91(6):329-32. PMID: 10388258Free PMC Article
Leg cramps in children.
Leung AK, Wong BE, Cho HY, Chan PY
Clin Pediatr (Phila) 1997 Feb;36(2):69-73. doi: 10.1177/000992289703600202. PMID: 9118592
Quinine sulfate for leg cramps: does it work?
Sidorov J
J Am Geriatr Soc 1993 May;41(5):498-500. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1993.tb01884.x. PMID: 8486881

Clinical prediction guides

Leg cramps in relation to metabolic syndrome.
ManiIa MN
Georgian Med News 2009 Jan;(166):51-4. PMID: 19202219
The role of serum zinc and other factors on the prevalence of muscle cramps in non-alcoholic cirrhotic patients.
Baskol M, Ozbakir O, Coşkun R, Baskol G, Saraymen R, Yucesoy M
J Clin Gastroenterol 2004 Jul;38(6):524-9. doi: 10.1097/01.mcg.0000129059.69524.d9. PMID: 15220689
Efforts to standardize the reporting of pain.
Kane RL, Bershadsky B, Lin WC, Rockwood T, Wood K
J Clin Epidemiol 2002 Feb;55(2):105-10. doi: 10.1016/s0895-4356(01)00429-2. PMID: 11809346
Pharmacokinetics and tolerance of a new fluoroquinolone antimicrobial drug after single oral doses in healthy volunteers.
Tanaka M, Tamura K, Atarashi S, Kubo Y, Oliver SD, Bentley M, Hakusui H
Xenobiotica 1995 Nov;25(10):1119-25. doi: 10.3109/00498259509061912. PMID: 8578768
Quinine sulfate for leg cramps: does it work?
Sidorov J
J Am Geriatr Soc 1993 May;41(5):498-500. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1993.tb01884.x. PMID: 8486881

Supplemental Content

Table of contents

    Practice guidelines

    • PubMed
      See practice and clinical guidelines in PubMed. The search results may include broader topics and may not capture all published guidelines. See the FAQ for details.
    • Bookshelf
      See practice and clinical guidelines in NCBI Bookshelf. The search results may include broader topics and may not capture all published guidelines. See the FAQ for details.

    Related information

    • PMC Articles
      Related information in PubMed Central Links
    • PubMed
      Related literature resources in PubMed

    Recent activity

    Clear Turn Off Turn On

    Your browsing activity is empty.

    Activity recording is turned off.

    Turn recording back on

    See more...