Cramps - Magnesium - Heartburn
September 20, 2012 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring
I do sports for 1 to 3 hours a week and otherwise ride my bike everywhere. When swimming (1x a week), especially during intense leg exercises, I always get a cramp in my calf and sometimes also in my foot. Sometimes my leg remains cramped for days; very uncomfortable. Several people have advised me to drink mineral water with gas - which I immediately stopped because it caused heartburn - and to take magnesium tablets. I have been taking these for 5 days now and since then I have had heartburn every day right after breakfast and somehow feel air in my esophagus (or at least it feels that way). Could this possibly be related to the tablets and if so, what should I do about the cramps? And please don't tell me to stop training anymore. Thank you in advance!
Good morning,
Of course, you are allowed to continue exercising! You do a lot of sports, but not an unhealthy amount. Gas, or carbonation, has nothing to do with the magnesium content of water, so the advice was incorrect; you can continue to drink still water. However, it is likely that your cramps are due to a magnesium deficiency. The fact that you already get heartburn from carbonation suggests that your stomach is not in good condition, and that's why you can't tolerate the magnesium tablets. Never take them on an empty stomach, and choose a high-quality product from the pharmacy. If that doesn't help, you can try taking a stomach acid blocker like Omeprazole on an empty stomach in the morning if you plan to exercise and take magnesium that day. If that helps, eventually you may need to have your stomach examined.
Please also have your feet checked. For example, if you have flat feet, your leg will be unevenly stressed, which can also lead to cramps.
If nothing helps, Limptar is a good over-the-counter, but unfortunately not very cheap alternative.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery,
Dr. Höllering, Specialist in Internal and General Medicine
