Cramping/Drawing Hands & feet

I've had a problem with foot cramps since my teen years, but in the past year or so, have noticed a LOT of trouble with cramping in my hands and feet. I'll grasp something with my hand, and the fingers lock around it and won't straighten back out without my using my other hand to unwrap the cramped fingers. I can try to put on socks or slip foot into a show, and it or the toes draw into a cramp. It's VERY hard to get my feet to stop this, once it begins. I'm 53 years old.

I'm just throwing this out here to see who among us might have problems like this, and learn of any likely solutions? I don't know what's causing the problems, or any likely fix. One possibility is magnesium deficiency, (also saw that Vit D Deficiency can contribute to this.) which I've known for years I tend to have. I guess I should get busy taking supplements for this issue.

Any ideas? Thanks,
Kay

I get terrible leg cramps at night now and then. I started taking Calcium supplement with the magnesium in it; also trying to eat more dairy products but 'Im not really a milk drinker.
Haven't had a bad cramp lately, but time will tell.

Potassium deficiency can cause that, too. I had a similar problem about 20 years ago, & finally found a doctor that was willing to consider the possibility that I wasn't just neurotic. My hands would draw up so bad that my fingernails would dig holes in the palms of my hands. Turned out that I was so low on potassium that I was in danger of heart failure. It was caused by an adrenal tumor. Had the adrenal gland removed, & it fixed the problem.

If you take medicine for your blood pressure, it can also cause low potassium.

It could also be magnesium deficiency. You really should have a blood test to check your potassium & magnesium. It can kill you if it gets low enough.

Calcium, or magnesium....

Get on a GOOD mineral supplement. Maybe try this one and see if it helps:

http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Calcium-Magnesium

Also, make sure you're drinking plenty of water. Dehydration causes cramping. If you only drink when you're feeling thirsty, you're already in a state of mild dehydration. Watch caffeine- it's dehydrating, as is alcohol.

Summerthyme

Thanks for the input. I think I have been a little dehydrated, and am making a point to drink more water. I also bought a magnesium supplement and am taking it daily. I had my essential minerals tested years ago and my magnesium level was quite low. I expect these two items are the big part of the problem.

The last couple of days have shown a big improvement in these cramps, so we'll see!

Kay

DH has night foot and leg cramps and I have him on 4 oz of tonic water daily which I did for years with some success. Last year I read about celery and added 2 stems of celery (with peanut butter) to his lunch. This has really worked and he hasn't had cramps in a long time.