Leg cramps

The main symptom of leg cramps is a sudden pain in a leg muscle that lasts a short time before going away.

Stretching and massaging your leg muscles can help with leg cramps. Paracetamol or ibuprofen can help ease the pain after the cramps have stopped.

A GP may suggest treatments such as quinine tablets for leg cramps if stretching and massaging your leg muscles does not help.

Leg cramps can sometimes be caused by ageing, doing lots of exercise, dehydration and pregnancy.

Leg cramps happen when the muscle in your leg shortens and causes a sharp pain, which usually goes away in a few seconds or minutes.