Leg Cramps Quiz

The more you know, the better you can kick them

Christina Ianzito,

En español

Published November 09, 2012

8 Questions

67cb3112-9b35-47bc-b596-2c82825ad1bb

Leg Cramps Quiz

[ {
  "question" : "Leg cramps often happen at night and can last for several painful minutes. What can you do to ease the cramping once it starts?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Walk or jiggle your leg.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Flex your foot up, toward your head.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Take a warm bath.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "All of the above.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The Mayo Clinic suggests all of the above activities to alleviate cramping. You can also try massaging the muscle.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "When should you consider seeing a physician regarding leg cramping?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "If it occurs frequently and the pain is severe.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Soon after the first occurrence.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "There's no sense in consulting a doctor",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "If you have a cramp that lasts longer than 15 or 20 seconds.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Nearly everyone has a cramp at some point in their lives, and they can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. It shouldn't be a cause for alarm unless it happens frequently and intensely. A doctor may want to make sure the cramps are not a symptom of a larger problem, such as diabetes or peripheral artery disease.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which kind of medication seems to increase the likelihood of night cramps?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Antianxiety meds.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Statins.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Antibiotics.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "None of the above.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Studies have found that statins, along with some diuretics and beta-blockers, among other drugs, can trigger night cramps. (This doesn't mean you should stop taking any of your medicines, of course: If you're concerned that a drug you're taking may be causing you to cramp up at night, talk with your doctor about possibly changing the dosage or switching to another medication or treatment.)",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Cramps are linked to insufficient potassium, calcium and magnesium. Which food is a good source of magnesium?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Red wine.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Apples.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Almonds.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Cooked barley.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Almonds are an excellent source of magnesium: One ounce has 75 mg, or 20 percent of the recommended daily amount.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What are some things you can do during the day that might help to ward off night cramps?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Stretch your leg muscles periodically.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Take a dose of quinine.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Eat only gluten-free foods.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Avoid acidic foods such as oranges and grapefruit.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Doctors recommend regular stretching, especially before exercising. Some also suggest stretching before bedtime. (Before stretching, it helps to warm up the muscles first — with a brisk walk, for example.) Quinine is no longer a recommended treatment for cramping, due to its severe potential side effects.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What change in your sleep routine might help prevent night cramps?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Untucking your sheets.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Setting an alarm to wake up once or twice during the night to stretch.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Sleeping on your back with your legs stretched out.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Wearing shoes or slippers with good arch support to bed.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Tight-fitting sheets can push down your toes in such a way that your calf muscle cramps.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What is a common folk remedy for preventing night cramps?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Sleeping with soft music playing.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Wearing a warm hat to bed.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Sleeping without clothes or pajamas.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Sleeping with a bar of soap under the covers.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Although placing soap under the sheets is an unproven remedy, it's been embraced by decades of cramp sufferers. Some speculate that the magnesium in some soaps somehow wards off cramps; others call it a fresh-smelling placebo.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What is the origin of the colloquial term for a leg cramp, a charley horse?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "President William McKinley's physician, Charles Horseman, famously tried to treat the president's persistent leg cramps and his name became synonymous with them.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "An early 20th-century veterinarian in England, Charles Greene, coined the name after treating a series of horses with leg cramps.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "A famous baseball player from the 1880s named Charles \"Old Hoss\" Radbourn was known for his leg cramps.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "The term came from a case study in an early issue of the <i> Journal of the American Medical Association </i> about a horse named Charley, whose owner would get leg cramps whenever he went riding.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Nobody knows for sure how or why a leg cramp became known as a charley horse, but the tale of poor Charley Radbourn is one commonly cited source.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

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Leg Cramps Quiz

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Christina Ianzito is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist who joined AARP in 2010. She’s the travel and books editor for aarp.org and AARP The Magazine and also edits and writes health, entertainment and other stories for aarp.org. She received a 2020 Lowell Thomas Award for travel writing.