How do I Treat Toe Cramps?

My Wife just experienced toe cramping right after having peanut butter on white bread, following eating Panda Food because she still had the munchies. The Panda Food has never caused this in the past - only the peanut butter (Jiffy). She knows this from her past and it took a while to remember what she did back then to stop it. Hot water from the faucet (very warm) to soak her toes is what took care of the cramping in less than a minute.

Also, we both would experience leg cramping in the middle of the night after having ribs from Tony Roma's. We recognized that their Carolina honey BBQ sauce was the culprit behind this and we could only jump out of bed to stand hard on that leg that was cramping or jump/bounce up and down to stretch that area that's in so much pain. It has always quit cramping within moments, but the shock of waking up so quickly lingers on for a while. Falling back to sleep usually occurs after 15-20 minutes later when we would just lie back down and relax.

We think we would stretch in our sleep, then roll over to get comfortable again to start the next sleep cycle and that's when we fully awake from a leg cramp.

We know what causes our cramping and yet, we still enjoy those foods knowing the risks because there are times when we do not get the cramps (such as having a baked potato with the ribs). We merely just forget about the past history and do it anyway. I'm sure many others go through this and I should mention it here as a new reminder.

Why I am posting now is because I originally booted up the laptop to look up a quick cure for my wife's cramping toes, only to have to wait for stupid commercials to finish their "airing," while my wife limped around in pain before remembering how she fixed it a decade or so ago. Without the help from the "information highway." Stupid commercials!

We're good, now.

I frequently suffer from toe cramps, and it makes me sad to learn that flip flops could be the cause. These are the only shoes I wear during summer, and my shoe rack is filled with different colors and styles of them.

I just can't get comfortable in sandals with straps and buckles. Many of them have suede soles, which are just too hot for the season.

I can see how the thongs would place pressure on the top of the foot and the toes. They have to work to keep the shoe in place, and they awkwardly spread the big toe apart from the other toes.

Does anyone know of a good type of comfortable summer shoe that I could use instead of flip flops? I really want to put an end to these toe cramps.

Toe cramps are worse than simple soreness or aching. They are devastating, and they bring me down to the floor in pain.

When I get toe cramps, I can actually see my toes curling over each other. I can't straighten them out. Massaging doesn't even seem to help, and all I can really do is wait for them to pass.

My sister used to suffer the same debilitating cramps, and she would always soak her feet in very warm water. I remember watching her cry as she soaked them, because the pain was that intense.

@Perdido – I think it might be the same culprit that causes other muscle spasms. You might need to be getting more potassium.

Bananas are a great source of this. I have found that if I go a day or two without eating one, I get terrible cramps in my legs. This makes me think that a potassium deficiency could also cause toe cramps.

Pineapple and potatoes are other good sources of potassium. Try adding some of these to your diet and see if your toe cramps disappear. If not, you might need to see a doctor.

I'm really not sure what causes my toe cramps. I don't wear heels or flip flops, and my feet are not uncomfortable during the day. I usually wear sneakers with arch support, and my toes aren't jammed into them.

I get toe cramps after I shower, when I'm not wearing any shoes or socks. I'm simply walking around the kitchen, when I'm suddenly taken over by this horrible pain in my toes.

Does anyone know what could be causing this? I really don't think it is anything that I am doing.

I started getting toe cramps and heel pain at the end of the summer and couldn't figure out why. I finally realized it was from wearing flip flops all the time.

While flip flops are really comfortable and cool to wear in the summer, they don't give your feet much support.

If am am wearing them for short periods of time I don't usually notice any problems. It is when I am standing in them all day long, they really start to bother my feet.

I made the mistake of wearing these to an amusement park one day and my feet and toes were killing me by the end of the day.

Now I stop and think how much support I am giving my feet if I know I am going to be doing a lot of standing.

I have had the worst toe and leg cramps when I wear ski boots that are too tight. Since I don't have my own ski boots, I always have to rent them when we go skiing.

Sometimes I have to try on several pairs before I find some that fit me just right. More than once, I have found myself heading back to the lodge after a few runs to change my boots.

When you wear ski boots you want them to be tight so you don't twist your ankle, but if they are too tight you are really miserable. When the bottom part of your legs and toes start to cramp, you know you need to find a different pair.

Even when I wear a pair of boots that fit right, I always take them off at lunch and give my feet and toes a good massage.

I finally gave up wearing high heels to work because I kept getting toe cramps. I work in a retail clothing store, and felt that wearing heels was the only way to look professional.

It got to the point that it just wasn't worth it. I would get toe cramps while I was at work, and it was not always convenient to go sit down, take my shoes off and massage my feet.

What really made me decide to try something different was when I still had toe cramps at night. I began looking for shoes that still looked nice, but gave my toes more room to breathe.

It really is amazing how much better I feel. My feet don't hurt nearly as much at night, and I don't have to worry about standing there in pain when I am helping a customer.

I'm a snowboarder and I get them when I snowboard too much, if my equipment is not well fitting or if I move my legs and feet in a way that it's not used to.

That might be the case with you when you're swimming too. First of all, you might want to make sure you're well hydrated and don't have any vitamin deficiencies. I would also recommend warming up your body before strenuous exercise and do some leg stretches.

And listen to your body. If your body says that you're pushing it, take some time out to relax. You might want to stay off that activity for a week or two to let your muscles relax, rest and heal.

I've been getting severe toe cramps for several years now. It is triggered by the usual activities- wearing improper shoes, exercise and stretching. But it also happens when I'm doing absolutely nothing, and even when I'm barefoot or at night when I'm sleeping.

My doctor first suspected a vitamin deficiency. Apparently this is a main cause of toe cramps. However, my tests showed all my vitamin levels to be normal. We haven't been able to figure out what's going on. I am however taking a muscle relaxant medication to help reduce them and it has helped a lot.

I get toe cramps when I wear high heels too much. If I'm lucky, it doesn't happen until I get home and take my heels off. It's so painful though, I usually can't walk for the rest of the day. I do a hot foot soak and just rest all night.

Sometimes though, I get a toe cramp in the middle of the day. It's a bigger problem then because it becomes impossible to keep wearing heels. I try to avoid this by keeping some flat shoes with me all the time. Sometimes I wear flats to work and back and only change into heels while at work.

The only other time I've gotten toe cramps not caused by heels is while swimming. I love swimming and go to the pool several times a week. Sometimes, I get a foot and toe cramp while I'm doing my laps. It usually resolves in several minutes. I just wait by the side of the pool and try to move my toes.

I know why heels cause toe cramps, because they're too tight and push the toes together. But what could be the cause of cramps in my toes while swimming? It's not like I'm wearing shoes or any sports equipment.