Expert: Walter Hintz - 12/28/2005

Question
Hoping that your last name does not imply that you will be supplying partial answers, here we go.

My question is about the humble charley horse.  This subject is fresh today as my wife got zapped in bed this morning.

What causes these?  Why do we seem to experience them after a day where we've spent an inordinate amount of time on our feet?  Do they get more frequent as we get older (I've noticed them in my fore arm when I do a lot of heavy lifting -- Age: 43.)  And what is the bunching and spasming all about?  And why the excrooociating pain?

Thank you so much for this service.  I wish I could find someway to reciprocate!

PS: Dictionary.com states that the term "charley horse" comes from an old baseball slang and that furthermore its origins are unkown.  So I guess I'll be contacting one of your etymologists!

Answer
 Hi A J ;
A Charley horse is a pain in the quadriceps femoris.  No one really knows where it came from.  There are many reasons for leg cramps.  Aging is one of them.  They can also be caused by vascular problems or problems with electrolytes. At times everybody gets them. If they are persistant then you should have a doctor check them out.