Leg Cramps
Key facts
Leg cramps are common, usually harmless, and last from a few seconds to 10 minutes — most often at night or when resting. Pain and swelling in one leg that does not go away is different: that can be a blood clot and needs urgent advice from NHS 111.
Most often affects:Older adultsPregnant women, usually in the later stagesPeople who exercise hard, especially in hot weatherPeople taking statins or diuretics
What commonly causes leg cramps
- Ageing
- Putting too much strain on muscles during exercise — worse in hot or humid weather
- Pregnancy, usually in the later stage
- Certain medicines, such as statins for cholesterol or diuretics for high blood pressure
- Not drinking enough fluids (dehydration)
- Liver disease from drinking too much alcohol
- Often no cause is found
What helps at home
- During a cramp, stretch and massage the muscle — though most cramps go away without you doing anything
- Standing up and putting your weight on the leg with the cramp may help
- Afterwards the muscle can feel sore for up to 24 hours; paracetamol or ibuprofen can ease that soreness
When to get help
These three levels are different. Getting the level right is the single most useful thing this page can do for you.
Non-urgent advice: see a GP if
- Leg cramps are disturbing your sleep
- You also have numbness or swelling in your legs
- A cramp lasts longer than 10 minutes
Urgent advice: ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if
- You have throbbing pain in one leg, usually in the calf or thigh, that does not ease like a cramp — this can be a blood clot (DVT)
- One leg is swollen, or the skin around the painful area looks red, blue or darker than usual — this may be harder to see on brown or black skin
Immediate action required: call 999 or go to A&E if
- You have pain and swelling in one leg and you feel short of breath
- You have pain and swelling in one leg and you have chest pain
What to do next
Not sure whether leg cramps needs a doctor? These are your options, cheapest and fastest first.
Questions people ask about leg cramps
Reducing the chance of it coming back
- Stretch your calves regularly: stand facing a wall, hands on it, feet flat, and lean in until you feel the calf stretch. Hold for 2 or 3 seconds, stand up straight, and repeat for 5 minutes, 3 times a day — the last time just before bed
- If the cramps become less frequent, you may only need the stretches once or twice a day
- Drink enough fluids, especially when exercising in hot weather
Conditions this can be part of
Listed alphabetically, not by likelihood — this page does not tell you which one you have.
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- Dehydration
Sources and further reading
This page was written from the following published guidance. All links checked 26 August 2026.
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