What Is a Charley Horse?

A charley horse is the term used for a painful and involuntary muscle spasm or cramp. It can occur in any muscle in your body, but it usually affects the leg. You might be most likely to get a charley horse while you’re sleeping or exercising.¹

A charley horse comes on suddenly and can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. The spasm will typically go away on its own, so you don’t need treatment. But there are things you can do to make the muscle feel better and prevent a charley horse from happening in the future.²

Symptoms of Charley Horses

A charley horse can bring on sudden, intense pain to your muscle. The muscle will feel very tight, as though it’s in a knot.¹ If you were to touch the muscle, it might even feel hard.³

Sometimes, the affected muscle might look distorted or you might even see it twitch.³

Cramps most often affect the leg muscles, usually the calf.⁴

A charley horse can go away and come back a few times before it finally stops.³

You might feel pain in your muscle even after the charley horse is gone and for days after.⁴

What Causes a Charley Horse?

Charley horses happen when your muscles contract without your control and then don’t relax. This can happen for a variety of reasons. 

One common cause of a charley horse is that the affected muscle is overused or injured, typically due to exercise.

Charley horses also commonly occur if you’re dehydrated, particularly if you’re exercising through dehydration. Muscle spasms can also happen when your body is low on essential electrolytes like potassium and calcium.

Charley horses can also be due to nerve issues. A herniated disk can irritate your spinal nerves, causing pain and spasms in your back muscles. 

Stress can also cause a charley horse in your neck muscles.¹

Who Is Most Likely to Get Charley Horses?

Athletes are at greater risk for charley horses. This is especially true for athletes in preseason since their body is not as used to the activity and so can become fatigued. Endurance athletes, such as those who participate in triathlons and marathons, are also more likely to get charley horses.³

Editor’s Note: The exercise you are performing might dictate where your charley horse will happen. If you are kicking while swimming, your charley horse will likely occur in the calf. If you are running or jumping, the charley horse would likely happen in your upper leg.¹

Older adults are also more likely to get muscle cramps. Adults naturally start to lose muscle in their mid-40s, and the muscle loss can worsen without regular activity. This change in muscle can lead to more cramping by the time you are in your 60s. Older adults also tend to feel less thirsty and so might not drink as much fluids. This can lead to dehydration, prompting cramping.

People who are overweight or pregnant might be more likely to get a charley horse. People on dialysis might also be more susceptible to charley horses.² Certain conditions, such as fibromyalgia, might make you more likely to cramp up, as well.⁴

How to Get Rid of Your Charley Horse

While charley horses can be extremely painful, they typically go away on their own in 10 minutes or less.⁴ There are things you can try to help the spasm feel better, though.

If you’re exercising, you may be able to stop the cramp by simply stopping your activity and instead stretching and massaging the affected muscle.³

You can also try applying a heating pad to your tightened muscle. Once the immediate pain has subsided, you can switch to a cold source to soothe the sore muscle.³ If you still have discomfort after heating and icing, consider taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like Advil (ibuprofen).¹

Additionally, you may be able to help ease a muscle cramp by rehydrating with water. If you are cramping because of a lack of minerals like electrolytes, a sports drink can help you replenish. Drinking milk or eating foods such as yogurt, bananas, lentils, or spinach can also help.³

How to Prevent Charley Horses

You might be able to prevent charley horses. Make sure to stay properly hydrated, especially while you are exercising. You can also consume more potassium, such as by having more bananas or orange juice.¹

You can also incorporate stretching into your daily routine. Stretching before working out is particularly important. If you tend to get charley horses at night, stretch before bed.²

If you think you are cramping up because your workouts are a little too intense, try adjusting your workout so that you are exercising at a more comfortable level.¹

If a medical condition is causing the cramps, treating the condition can prevent charley horses. There are also medications available that can help prevent cramps, but their effectiveness varies and they can cause side effects, so a healthcare provider will have to determine the risk-reward for you.²

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Charley horses are common, and it is not out of the ordinary for them to be painful. But consider seeing a healthcare provider if you have:³³¹

• Severe pain with charley horses
• Muscle weakness with your charley horse
• Swelling, redness, or warmness with your charley horse
• Frequent charley horses
• Charley horses even after trying prevention tactics
• Charley horses that seem unrelated to dehydration or intense exercise
• A muscle spasm that doesn’t stop and instead spreads to other parts of the body

A healthcare provider can determine whether there’s an underlying medical issue causing the cramping that needs to be addressed.

A Quick Review

A charley horse is a sudden, painful, and involuntary muscle spasm or cramp. While it usually happens in your leg, especially your calf, you can get one in any muscle. A charley horse can develop at any time of day but is most associated with being in bed and exercising. It most often happens if your muscle is overworked or injured or if you are dehydrated. 

The spasm isn’t usually a cause for alarm, going away on its own within seconds to a few minutes. The spasm can be painful while it’s happening and cause soreness in the muscle for a bit afterward. There are treatment steps you can take, like massaging, warming, and icing the muscle, to make it feel better. You can also prevent charley horses in the first place by addressing simple lifestyle factors related to your exercise and hydration habits. 

If charley horses happen often or continue even after taking preventative measures, a healthcare provider can determine whether there’s a health condition tied to the spasms.