Cramp - leg feels bruised

[Shmerlock]

Hello! I don't know if I'm overreacting, or if this is going to sound daft, but my brain has gone on to overdrive and I'm just hoping to hear others experiences of this! This morning I had very sudden, sharp cramp in my right calf. It didn't last long at all, and I quickly jumped out of bed and pressed my foot down hard to alleviate it. But since then, my calf has felt bruised and tight in the area of the cramp. I had a similar thing happen a few weeks ago, this time in my left leg just behind the knee.

I'm panicking now that it's a sign of DVT!? I realise this may seem very dramatic, but I tend to suffer from health anxiety and my mind shoots to the worst outcome!!

Just looking for some reassurance from others, anyone else experienced a bruised/tender leg after cramp!?

Thanks! Xx

Hi OP, calf cramps are incredibly common in pregnancy but for some reason one of those things no one really talks about! When it first happened to me, I wondered what on earth was happening. I've had them regularly through all three of my pregnancies and they often leave my calves feeling bruised. I have to be very careful when I stretch in the mornings/at night.

Being low in potassium can make them worse apparently so you could try eating bananas or pistachios. Some people swear by tonic water too.

@Teakind thanks so much for your reply, I'm off to go find a banana in my kitchen now!!

It's a horrible feeling - very sharp and sudden, but passes so quickly! Just the bruised feeling after panicked me!! Glad to hear it's very common though! Xx

Very common and very normal, albeit annoying!

As a pp stated, low potassium makes this worse, as does dehydration and low magnesium.

You can try putting magnesium bath salts in your bath (you can buy these in Boots etc) as it can be absorbed through the skin.

@lamptastic thanks for the tip! I'll have a look! Xx