Do You Get Cramps In Your Foot?
If so, you know how painful they can be. Watch the video below to learn how to stop foot cramps fast, what causes them in the first place, and how to prevent future cramps in your foot.
Table of Contents
- What Causes Cramps in Foot?
- Understanding Muscle Physiology
- Nutrition & Supplements to Prevent Foot Cramps
- Muscle Length and Foot Cramps
- Stretches for Foot Cramps
- Can Certain Shoes Cause Foot Cramps?
- Joint Mobilizations for Foot Cramps
- Massage for Foot Cramps
- Summary
- When to See a Healthcare Professional
What Causes Cramps in Foot?
There are several different things that can cause cramps in your foot. I’ll cover some of the most common causes below and then share solutions for each cause.
*Note that this is not an exhaustive list. There are other causes besides just the ones mentioned below.
Electrolyte Imbalances Can Cause Cramps In Foot
Dehydration or electrolyte imbalance can cause muscle cramps in your foot.
To understand why that happens, you first have to understand a little bit about how normal muscle physiology works.
This can be quite complex, but it will help you understand the solutions better.
Normal Muscle Contraction Physiology
Normally, your muscles have a membrane potential where the inside of the cell is slightly more negative than the outside of the cell.
Sodium is maintained on the outside of the cell and potassium inside the cell, thanks to sodium-potassium pumps.
When your brain sends a signal to your muscles to contract, it releases a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine onto the muscle.
This signal makes voltage-gated sodium channels open, allowing sodium to rush into the cell. This in turn makes the inside of the cell positively charged.
This action potential travels along the cell membrane through T tubules and into the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), which contains calcium.
The calcium is then released into the cell and binds with a protein called troponin.
When calcium binds with troponin, troponin moves another structure called tropomyosin off the binding sites between actin (thin filament) and myosin (thick filament).
This allows myosin to bind with actin, causing the muscle to shorten.
This process continues as long as the electrical signal from the nerve is maintained and there is enough ATP and calcium present in the cell.
Nutrition & Supplements to Prevent Foot Cramps
If you're dehydrated or don't have enough water, it increases the concentration of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium inside and outside your cells.
Drink enough water
Drinking enough water is really important. Ideally, you need at least eight glasses a day, but some studies suggest up to 10 to 16 glasses a day. This is particularly important in warmer weather or if you're particularly active and sweating a lot.
Magnesium
Magnesium can be a helpful supplement to prevent foot cramps.
NOW Supplements, Magnesium Citrate, Enzy...
$13.60 ($0.11 / Count) (as of February 15, 2025 04:26 GMT -06:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)It maintains the membrane potential and helps stabilize the cell. It prevents excessive amounts of calcium from being released into the muscle, thus helping to prevent muscle cramps.
Sodium and Potassium
It's also important to get enough sodium and potassium.
Most people don’t have to worry too much about getting sodium in a normal Western diet, but some people can become deficient in potassium.
That's why people often recommend eating bananas if you’re having muscle cramps.
If you don't get enough potassium from your diet, there are also potassium supplements.
Nature's Bounty Potassium, Supports Flui...
5% OffMuscle Length and Foot Cramps
Muscle imbalances can also cause cramps. When a muscle is shortened across 2 or more joints, it can lead to cramping.
Examples of such muscles include the hamstrings, calves, and toe flexors.
When the muscle is shortened, the myosin and actin filaments overlap maximally, and the muscle can't contract any further.
Therefore, when it tries to contract in that shortened position, it can cause cramps.
Stretches for Foot Cramps
If you get muscle cramps in the morning after sleeping with your foot and toes pointed all night, stretching your calf and foot muscles can help.
Your calf crosses both your knee and ankle, and your toe flexors cross both your ankle and foot joints.
Stretch by pulling your ankle and toes toward your while keeping your knee straight.
This stretches out both the toe flexors and the calf muscles and can help stop muscle cramps.
Can Certain Shoes Cause Foot Cramps?
Wearing shoes that are too tight can squeeze the nerves in your foot and cause a cramping sensation. Therefore, it’s important to wear shoes that are wide enough in the toe box.
The Altra Torin is one example of such a shoe.
ALTRA Men's Torin 7 Road Running Shoe, B...
$111.93 (as of February 15, 2025 09:55 GMT -06:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Altra brand shoes are made with a fan-shaped forefoot that mirrors the natural fan shape of the foot.
Bony Causes of Cramps in Foot
Cramps in the foot can be caused by the bones in the arch of the foot. The foot is shaped like an arch, and there are some bones in the middle part of the arch called the cuneiform bones.
By BodyParts3D, CC BY-SA 2.1 jp, Cuneiform Bone Animation
These can sometimes drop down, making the arch unstable.
As a result, your foot muscles, particularly the intrinsic muscles in the bottom of your arch, have to work harder to give your arch stability. This in turn can cause foot cramps.
Joint mobilization for foot cramps
If you tend to get cramps when you're on your feet for long periods, you may have an unstable arch.
One way to help is to put your thumb right on the middle part of your arch and feel for a tender bone that sticks out.
Put pressure on that bone, and then pull your metatarsals down around it.
This helps push the cuneiform bone back up into your arch and pulls the metatarsals down to give the arch more bony stability so the muscles don’t have to work as hard.
Massage for Foot Cramps
Applying pressure to trigger points within the intrinsic muscle in your foot can help relieve cramps.
After the intense part of the cramp has let go, apply gentle pressure to the area where you felt the cramp.
Often, it’s in the middle part of your arch. You may also find knots in your calves or long toe flexors.
Find the area where you feel a knot and apply a gentle pressure.
Hold for about a 1.5 to 3 minutes.
Summary
In conclusion, the 7 tips to stop foot cramps are:
- Drink enough water
- Consider magnesium supplements
- Get enough potassium
- Stretch your calves and toe flexors
- Avoid wearing tight shoes
- Mobilize the bones in your foot
- Release trigger points in the foot and calves.
When to See a Healthcare Professional About Foot Cramps
Some medical conditions can cause cramps in the foot, such as diabetes, neuropathy, or peripheral artery disease.
Therefore, if you're having cramps in your foot on a regular basis, it’s a good idea to see a healthcare professional.
If you're in the St. Louis area, we'd be happy to help you at More 4 Life.
Just tap the button below to request an appointment with one of our specialist physical therapists.