Pain in the Calf Muscles

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dpmother

Registered User
Hey Friends!!

Being in my 3rd trimester now & gaining weight from left & right looks like my calf muscles are getting really worked out ;)

The pain in the calf muscles appears sometimes in the day &
is really bad during the nights?.
Awww I pity my hubby who gets up in the middle of the night to give me a quick massage?. So that I can get some sound sleep?

Does anybody have a similar experience & has tried out some grandma?s home remedy or some magical treatment ;) for the calf muscle pain?.&
has disappeared ??
I?ve tried the heat pack, stretching exercise, soaking the legs in lukewarm salt water, etc..etc?but all in vain :(

Would really appreciate if you can share some remedies that have helped you!!

Thanks in Advance !!
 
i used to get muscle cramps on my third trimester too. to make it better, hubby used to massage the calf while i "tried" to wriggle my toes. i noticed that i only got it in the mornings (while getting out of bed) when i had walked for a good one hour in the previous evening. if i'd walked only half an hour then i wouldn't get it in the following morning. i shortened my walk of one hour to half an hour afterwards and i stopped getting it.
 
As Aava said, it is probably muscle cramps which unfortunately you can't do much about - keeping well hydrated especially in this hot weather may help. But please mention it to your ob as there is higher risk of deep vein thrombosis in pregnancy and this can be dangerous, so you should get it checked out. I have had it twice and had none of the risk factors for getting it, but pregnancy is definitely one. It's more likely to be cramps but better to be safe than sorry!!
 
Hi - this is what works for me

1. Calcium supplements - or drink more milk
2. Wearing socks in bed - wierd but true
3. Having a pillow under your knees so that circulation remains good.

Good luck
 
I got them BAD in my first pregnancy - now I'm 36 weeks pregnant with my second and it's not as bad. Here's what I think made a difference for me:

1. I stretch them a lot. I've been doing pilates since my firstborn was about 6 months old and my flexibility is a LOT better than it was before she was born. I try to stretch my calves specifically at least a few times a day by either sitting down and touching my toes (harder with a big tummy in the way!) or doing lunges etc... I think this is the MAIN difference between my two pregnancies.
2. I make sure that my legs don't get too cold at night. I still wear long pants to bed and also have the sheet over my legs. I find that when my legs are cold, they cramp a lot more. I also have the AC just pointing towards the head of our bed instead of swinging and I find that helps. I sometimes get too hot at night - but I'd rather wake up a bit sweaty than wake up with the sharp pain of leg cramps!
3. Pillow between the legs helps for me too.

For me - in my first pregnancy, at this stage I would get those cramps throughout the day, and EVERY single night - it would wake me on average 2-3 times a night. The difference in this pregnancy is enormous. I only get maybe one cramp a week now... it's much better!! Leg cramps were one of my WORST pregnancy issues first time around... this time they're much more minor :)
 
hey thanks ladies for the useful tips !!

i did try putting a pillow under my knees
& yeah i think the long pants idea really works.....as suggested by nicolejoy :)
..also as ava mentioned i think i'll stick to walk one day & swimming one day..
i think doing both in one day can be tedious....
sazzy iam taking calcium supplements as suggested by my doctor !

the pain did not completely vanish but i must say its much less now :) thanks again for the useful tips !

&TNT thanks for this insight....i did mention to my doc in my last visit....
but i guess it was not so bad then..i'll mention it again in my next visit :)

iam wondering does anyone know of any massage ladies who can come home for prenatal massage... ??
what are their app. Rates per hour ?
will be grateful if u can pass on their contact details too !

guess a massage will help relieve the pain a bit more !!
 
Hi DPmother,

I'm a massage therapist who trained in Canada and perinatal massage was required to learn in the curriculum. I work for a clinic called Sutherland-Chan Centre which is located on 50 Stanley St. on the 19/F in Central. There are about 7 of us that work there and also an osteopath works there. You can book a massage to see someone at the clinic, but sometimes we can arrange onsite treatment. If you come to see us at the clinic, it's 800 for one hour, 1200 for 90min or 650 for 45min. The phone number is 2544-5838. Another thing that can help stretch your calves is to purchase a foam roller which you can use to massage your calves and legs. The muscles get a lot tighter as the bump gets bigger and circulation is more difficult with the increase blood volume. Best of luck!
 
You know what else you could try - I haven't tried it myself, but it might work... you could probably get those knee length kind of "flight socks" and that might help... If I was having the pain really bad this time, I'd probably try that...
 
A little off topic - but I wanted to ask banane76 about pregnancy massages at Sutherland-Chan. Actually a friend also recommended that to me. Was just wondering if all the massage therapists there are trained to do pregnancy massages or are there a few who specialize in it. Also, how are pregnancy massages done since I suppose you can't be lying on your stomach.

More on topic - I get calf cramps too - but usually in the middle of the night. The only thing that helps it to get better is having my husband massage it for me! Poor guy is now trained to jump straight up in the middle of the night when I scream in pain to massage my calf!
 
try getting a foam roller and in the evenings, roll on your calves. this made a huge difference for me together a LOT of foot-rubs! Just made sure the foot rub people had experience of where/where not to massage.
 
I get the occasional cramp at night. I think stretching during the day really helps. Also when the cramp hits remember to pull your toes towards yourself (don't point them).
 
Sutherland Chan is amazing, not sure if all the therapists are trained in pregnancy massage but I have never had a problem getting someone with the right skills. I even had one there in the very early stages labour (didn't know i was in labour - it was an excellent good start...). I lay on my back.
 
Hi FutureHKmom,
I'm a massage therapist at Sutherland-chan and we're all trained to do massage for pregnant women. We have a cushion that you can lie on your belly, but if you are not comfortable with that, we can do the massage sidelying as well. The foam roller, like LeahH suggests is awesome during your pregnancy! We can show you how to use it if you don't know how already. I used it for my ITBs (iliotibial band on the side of your thighs) and calf muscles. My name is Anna, but the other therapists that are great are: Lindsay, Sher, Starry, Rosemary, Ky, and Justin. You can check out our profiles on the website: www.scchancentre.com.hk They need to be a little updated, but check it out.
 
Thanks for the info Anna! Actually, the good friend who recommended Sutherand-Chan to me gets massages from either you or Ky! I think I will call and see if I can get an appointment in sometime in the coming weekends.
 
Try a calcium supplement. It can be associated wih growth spurts in baby's and mums are always scarificing their own stores to make sure the baby has everything it needs. I have used this a lot and found it very effective. Best away from Iron supplements (if taking) and in the evening with dinner. Look for a calcium citrate or chelated form which are well absorbed and utilised by the body.
 
futurehkmom, when i got my pregnancy massages i did them all lying on my stomach! they had a special bed with a huge supported hole in the middle and i had the most fantastic massages up until a week before delivery.

unfortunately the place closed down already but all their masseuse got absorbed by elemis day spa in central, just fyi. i can probably dig out the lady's name that I always asked for if you want, let me know!
 
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