Leg cramps from nerve damage?

My husband had a very successful back surgery 7 years ago. He does have some nerve damage (which he had before the surgery) in one leg, which makes him limp slightly (no pain).

Often, he gets leg cramps in the calf with the nerve damage. These cramps are only at night. He drinks 2-3 liters of water a day, so he is not dehydrated. He takes a multivitamin and typically eats either bananas or other potassium rich foods.

We believe the cramps are due to the nerve damage and/or the back surgery.

Any advice (OTHER THAN DRINKING MORE FLUIDS OR EATING BANANAS/TAKING POTASSIUM) for relief from the cramps would be appreciated, especially from those with back surgery and nerve damage experience.

TIA.

failed back surgeries are SOOOOO common. what he really needs is an EMG and nerve conduction velocity study (NCV). that'll tell him which specific nerves are still damaged, if any, and if anything can be done for them. have him go to a physiatrist...they're a specialty of medical doctors that deals with musculoskeletal and nerve pains and are highly trained in performing EMG and NCVs. they'll also know exactly who to refer you to if that's needed.
good luck.

alright, there's absolutely NO sound clinical research proving the effectiveness of this BUT, put a bar a dial soap in your bed (between the fitted sheet and the mattress). Report It

do your own little test. don't tell him about this...and see if over the next few days he complains less of leg cramps at night. it's somewhat embarrassing writing this as a physician but I've read out it before, and I've actually had a patient tell me he does this and it makes a HUGE difference. Report It

let me know what happens. Report It

I have severe nerve damage and the only thing that helps me is massage therapy. Many people get helped by acupuncture. Try some alternative methods and see if they help.

Has he ever had a problem with varicose veins? My wife had them and before they were treated she had night time leg cramps constantly. Her vein specialist said the cramps were caused by lack of oxygen in the muscle tissue. He said if you have diseased veins and you stand or sit all day long blood pools in the lower parts of your leg. When you lay flat at night the blood slowly works it's way back up and can actually block the flow of fresh oxygenated blood and cause severe cramps.