What Causes Leg Cramps in Pregnancy?

Video Transcript

"Hello, my name is Dr. Simion Tsinker, I'm with Plantation Maternity Center in Plantation, Florida. Let's talk, what causes leg cramps during the pregnancy. There's been many theories trying to explain why pregnant women have leg cramps. And one theory was siting deficiency in calcium as the reason for leg cramps, this theory was never proven by studies. In addition, it doesn't make sense because many women, majority of women in pregnancy take multivitamins preparations which, which include calcium. And yet they can till have some, some leg cramps. Therefore the reason is not in calcium deficiency, it's the increased weight of the patient, it's the, sometimes the deficiency of certain muscle enzymes that could increase the possibility for leg cramps, which were also called sometimes, Charlie Horses. The advice for a woman who suffers from that condition, is to avoid prolonged standing on her feet, to massage feet when she is feeling the cramps, to flex the toes backwards towards her shin. And sometimes applies warm bottle to the muscle."