Weak muscles cause problems

April 23, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Four years ago, I was told that I have both neuropathy and myopathy. I’m finding it more difficult to walk and even to lie down comfortably. Is there anything new I can take to eliminate the nerve- and muscle-damage discomfort I’m experiencing?

I take one 300 mg gabapentin at night. I’ll be 74 this year and take no other drugs.

DEAR READER: Neuropathy, as you know, is caused by damage to nerves. It can occur anywhere in the body, but it is most common in the extremities, especially the feet and legs. Unfortunately, you don’t specify what type of neuropathy you have, and there are many from which to choose.
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Osgood-Schlatter possible cause of ‘growing pains’

September 28, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I wonder why you didn’t mention Osgood-Schlatter disease in your column about growing pains. Our son, who is now 38, had this condition when he was 12 and had to have both legs (one at a time) put into a cast for two months.

DEAR READER: Osgood-Schlatter (OS) causes a painful lump below the kneecap (where the tendon attaches to the shinbone) in some children. It results from growth spurts during puberty and typically occurs in children who participate in sports that involve jumping, running and swift changes in direction.
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Leg pain is troublesome

February 26, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I’ve been experiencing unusual discomfort in my legs. It began when I started to exercise in the summer of 2009. I attributed it to the exercise on the glute machine, so I stopped. The pain went away, but I then began to experience leg pain/discomfort that can be described as similar to shin splints. It’s not a sharp pain, just a throbbing discomfort. I feel it especially at night, and it wakes me up. This usually happens when I lie on my side. Sometimes I put a pillow between my legs, hoping to avoid it, but it doesn’t always help. When I wake up, I turn on my back and the discomfort dissipates, allowing me to go back to sleep. There are nights when the pain doesn’t awaken me, and I’m not sure what that is attributed to.

During the day, I occasionally feel the same discomfort but not to the same degree, and it’s not as bothersome. Do you have any ideas on what it could be or how I can work toward making it go away?
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Daily Column

December 8, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I have two foot related issues. I know that you are not a podiatrist but hope you can help anyway since I reserve doctor visits for physicals and severe illness.

First, my daughter has flat feet and regularly suffers from leg pains that her doctor says is due to her flat feet and over-activity. She is only five and I worry that this is something she will have to suffer with for the rest of her life. Is there anything I can do to help her? I also worry that this will only worsen as she is estimated to be nearly six feet tall when she is done growing.

Second, I have high-arched feet. I have recently developed a heel spur on one foot that over the course of about eight months caused worsening pain. It no longer aches the way it did but it is still painful to stand on it after sleeping at night. [Read more...]

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Daily Column

December 6, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I have a recently-acquired doctor in whom I have little admiration or faith, sad to say.

I’m an 83-year-old man with type 2 diabetes and am medicated pretty well. I walk sometimes but usually get little exercise. I am starting to have bad cramps at night and my legs are getting very weak. I fear losing my feet and lower legs.

Frankly, I love having a 3 oz. glass of red wine before lunch and twice that before dinner. I also love my 4 oz. dish of iced cream at about 9 PM. Are these habits which give me pleasure doing me in? Please advise me.

DEAR READER:
As you are aware, type 2 diabetes is non-insulin dependent and is the more common form. The pancreas continues to produce insulin but the body develops resistance to its effects, resulting in a deficiency. [Read more...]

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Daily Column

September 26, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
After having my left kidney removed, I have been prone to severe leg cramps. They are especially troublesome after sitting for hours at our euchre club. One night they were particularly severe and several of my friends told me to drink dill pickle juice. I love dill pickle juice and since we were having the club at my house, it was easy for me to grab some juice. Instantly the pain stopped and I was able to go back to playing. It was unbelievable and you can add my vote to the dill pickle juice for cramps remedy.

DEAR READER:
I have received several letters from people who drink dill pickle juice (the liquid left in the jar after the pickles are gone). Many claim it is instantly effective. Others have had success with sports drinks that contain electrolytes and still others apply liquid soap directly to the sore muscle. [Read more...]

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Daily Column

July 1, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I don’t remember where I read it, but a while ago I came across an article stating that dill pickles would relieve nocturnal leg cramps. Let me start by saying it works!

I have suffered from nighttime leg cramps all my life just like my mother before me. Before the pickles I had tried just about everything I could find but the only thing that worked was to jump out of bed once one started, stand on the affected leg and drink lots of water. Needless, to say it wasn’t exactly conducive to sleep and I often awoke feeling tired and irritable. Now all I do when I get a cramp is take one or two bites of a dill pickle and go back to bed. It works very quickly.

I hope this helps your other readers as much as it has helped me.

DEAR READER:
Dill pickles for nocturnal leg cramps is new to me. I have no idea how this would help relieve the pain of the cramps but if it works for you, stick with it. [Read more...]

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Daily Column

June 22, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I would like to comment on the problem of severe nocturnal leg cramps. I was a victim myself until I found the solution, so I understand the misery and frustration cramps cause.

The activities of the day cause fatigue and perspiration, resulting in depletion of saline and other electrolytes from the bloodstream. Tired and sensitive leg muscles respond by cramping. The cure is simple. Replace the electrolytes!

As soon as the cramps begin, drink an entire glass of Gatorade and wait five minutes. If the cramps have not stopped, drink another glass of Gatorade, go back to bed, and enjoy a peaceful and painless sleep! Forget the soap and prescription drugs. I have a hunch that restless legs syndrome (RLS) will respond to this therapy as well. And, for Heaven’s sake, stop the quinine. I’ve been told it can be harmful.
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Daily Column

May 20, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
Seven years ago I started using a very cheap dark concord wine on the advice of my sister (who got it from another lady) to relieve my hand, foot, toe and leg cramps. Only ¼ cup every four to six weeks is needed. I have not had a cramp since. Before the wine I was using TUMS for the cramps with success but the wine is easier to use because I don’t need it as frequently.

DEAR READER:
I cannot offer any conclusion about why the wine works. It seems to me that is may simply be a placebo effect because ¼ cup every month should have no effect. The wine will not stay in the body for more than a day.

As for the TUMS, they are great source of calcium, which can, in theory, block cramps.

For many readers with leg cramps I have recommended putting a bar of soap under the sheets to prevent cramps. Again, I have no knowledge about why this works.

If the wine works for you, stick with it. There is no harm in drinking ¼ cup once a month.

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Daily Column

May 16, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I, like many of your readers, have bad leg cramps. While I do not have a solution to prevent them (soap doesn‘t work for me), I do have something that stops them. It is an over-the-counter medication called “Leg Cramps”. I purchase mine at Walgreens, but am sure it is available in more places. They stop the pain within 60 seconds or so and if the cramp returns, I simply take another one. I hope this helps your readers.

DEAR READER:
I have had no experience with this product but am passing it on to my readers. I ask that anyone with “Leg Cramps” experience (either good or bad) write to me with their results. I will put the answers in a future column. Thanks for writing.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Dr. Gott’s Compelling Home Remedies”. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

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