How to Manage Leg Cramp in CKD

CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) patients may experience rude awakening in the middle of night because of leg cramp which is a sharp pain in the leg and usually last a few seconds to several minutes. Therefore, if you are a CKD patient or there is someone around you suffering from CKD, it is worthwhile for you to master the following information.

How does CKD cause leg cramp?

Leg cramp is a common complain for kidney disease patients and occurs easily in the following several medical conditions:

1. Electrolyte disturbance

Electrolyte disturbance is one of the major health tissues caused by CKD, as kidney is the organ that take charge of adjusting and keeping electrolyte balance. With impaired kidney function, electrolytes like sodium, potassium and calcium can not be kept in the normal range, which can cause leg cramp directly.

Besides, diuretic is a commonly used medicine for CKD patients who can not urinate normally. Diuretic increase the body’s excretion of some electrolytes-including sodium and potassium, leading to imbalance of electrolyte. Therefore, diuretic also can be the root cause of leg cramp in some CKD cases.

2. Diarrhea and dehydration

Diarrhea and dehydration can cause leg cramp directly and compared with healthy people, CKD patients suffer from diarrhea and dehydration more easily. Therefore, for people with diarrhea and dehydration, they should be alert about leg cramp.

How to manage leg cramp in CKD?

For CKD patients with leg cramp, the following tips will help to relieve this symptom:

1. Try to eat more foods with calcium or potassium. Also, take some calcium supplements and potassium supplements in serious cases.

2. Take some medicines to bring diarrhea and dehydration under control if they are the root cause of your leg cramp.

3. Change your diuretic and make sure it does not worsen your illness condition. Take potassium-sparing diuretics if your potassium level in blood is lower than the normal range.

4. Flex your toes upward as soon as you get a leg cramp.

5. Massage your leg frequently and also this will help to reduce your suffering

6. Since CKD is the root cause of leg cramp, improving your physical condition will be help to lower your risk for leg cramp.