Night leg cramps, also called nocturnal leg cramps, are painful, involuntary contractions or spasms of muscles in your legs, usually occurring when you’re in bed. Night leg cramps usually involve your calf muscles, although muscles in your feet or thighs might cramp as well. Forcefully stretching the contracted muscle relieves the pain.
Dec. 09, 2020
Winkelman JW. Nocturnal leg cramps. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed Nov. 28, 2015.
Monderer RS, et al. Nocturnal leg cramps. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports. 2010;10:53.
Allen RE, et al. Nocturnal leg cramps. American Family Physician. 2012;86:350.
Wilkinson JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 1, 2015.
Garrison SR, et al. Nocturnal leg cramps and prescription use that precedes them. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2012;172:120.