Older people...and 'Twinges'...

A little more stretching before and especially after a workout. More water and bananas. We all get these kind of things along the way.

are you getting enough water? not enough water and too much caffeine can cause cramps!!

i'm 49 and i think the twinges are just my body settling!! you know like a house settles!!!

I just have O. thought: Low potassium? That night explain the muscle cramps at night.
(Otherwise, at 48, all I can say if the old gray mare she ain't what she used to be! LOL)

Do some exercises to strengthen your tendon's in the back of your foot and ankle. One is picking up marbles with your toes. I know, it sounds silly but it works.

Another one is standing on the edge of a step, toes pointing towards the wood, heels hanging off the edge of the step. Like you are going upstairs and just stop on a step. Lower your heel until you feel a good pull in that area. Do this a few times per day whenever you think about it. It will stretch out that muscle that you are feeling in your heel.

As for the toe cramps, stretching those muscles out would be good too. You can google exercises for that. I don't know any.

I use Ice when my heels get inflamed. If you are having any pain that might be that take a zip lock baggie and put ice in it. About half full and sit your heel on it. Ice reduces inflammation, heat relaxes muscles and draws the blood to heal any injuries. So if it hurts more with one that the other that will tell you if it is muscle damage or inflammation.

I echo the low potassium. I notice that if I don't get enough potassium then I get "twinges" and muscle cramps at night, so I make sure to eat at least 1 banana a day, preferrably 2. It really helps.

Why are you reluctant to see a doctor? You've been here a long time so you know we can only offer suggestiions and not really diagnose, right? ;) Is there a nurse helpline at your doctors office you can call and ask questions? That way you might avoid an actual doctors visit.

Good luck, and I hope this resolves itself soon!

tonight I was at the drive-in w/ my 15yo son & one of his friends. A storm blew in, & we had to sit in the truck. It got stuffy & I dozed off. Woke up with the dangest leg spasms! I was sooooo aggravated.....1st because I dozed off & 2nd because my legs hurt like heck. As soon as the rain stopped, I took a walk....& it helped, but I also had to take some Tylenol. Bummer....

In my case, I was slightly dehydrated from being in the heat today.....& weather changes tend to also trigger leg pain for me. I also agree with the other posters who've mentioned potassium. When I'm having leg pain or toe cramps, I pump water & milk, & have a banana. It truly does help!

The heel pain can be eliminated by doing stretches. It's amazing how much that does help! Good Luck!

Eat a banana before bed, always helped my dad!

I don't see why you wouldn't mention it to your doctor. It's something that isn't typical for you, and it could be a sign of something that needs attention. You won't know unless you say something. Guessing and trying to self-diagnose isn't really going to help.

How many times do we tell Mammas here "Why did you wait so long to get that checked out? It might not have become so serious!" It can't hurt to get it checked and then find out it's "nothing" but it could be something you regret if you wait and wait and wait it turns out to be something you should have had checked sooner.