Night Cramps, Leg Cramps, Muscule Spasms, Restless Legs Syndrome, and Morton’s Toe
I ask all of my new patients if they have any problems sleeping because of any discomfort of their legs. Many of them tell me that they are, in fact, experiencing nightly leg cramps that disturb their sleep. Some also tell me that they are being treated for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). Night leg cramps are abnormal contractions of the leg muscles. Some people call them Charlie Horses. They normally can awaken the patient from a deep sleep. The exact cause of night cramps, leg cramps or Restless Leg Syndrome is not known; however, everything from poor circulation, dehydration, muscle overexertion, imbalance of electrolytes, to drug reactions, has been proposed. Some of the more popular treatments for night cramps have been stretching of the leg muscles, hot packs, cold packs, and massage. For years, quinine was a very popular drug for the treatment of night cramps. But in December 2006, the U.S. Government took it off the market because of its serious side effects.
Can a Morton’s Toe Cause Night Cramps?
Dr. Dudley J. Morton did think so, and so do I. In his 1935 book, The Human Foot, he discusses how the hypermobility of the first metatarsal bone can cause spasms and strains in the leg muscles that can then cause disturbances in sleep. If your feet are overworked because of problems at the first metatarsal bone, you can have tired feet, fallen arches, and weak ankles, and because of that, it is not a big leap to see how your leg muscles could also become strained and exhausted and cause night cramps. I regularly treat patients who did have problems sleeping because of night cramps and who told me that their cramps got better when I treated their Morton’s Toe. This is different from the patients who also tell me they are just sleeping better because their feet are now hurting less.
Restless Legs Syndrome and Morton’s Toe
According to the National Institutes of Health, Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)is a neurological disorder characterized by unpleasant sensations in the legs and an uncontrollable urge to move them for relief. Individuals affected with the disorder describe the sensations as burning, creeping, tugging, or like insects crawling inside the legs. The sensations range in severity from uncomfortable to irritating to painful. There is no known cause for this condition, but it does run in families in up to half of the people with RLS.
I am not saying that Morton’s Toe is a cause of RLS. There is no evidence to support this, but please allow me the opportunity to tell you what is on my mind concerning RLS and Morton’s Toe and the possibility there may be some connection. Could it be possible that some of the problems that we see in night cramps, caused by Morton’s Toe, such as exhaustion or strain of the leg muscles, could also be contributing to the causes of RLS? My answer to this question is “I don’t know.” What I do know is that the majority of the patients, who come to me with pre-diagnosed (by another physician) RLS, do have a short first metatarsal bone and/or hypermobility of the first metatarsal bone. When I treat the problem(s) at the first metatarsal bone, many of these patients’ tell me their RLS does improve.
Up to now, I have not been aware of anyone, at anytime, questioning the possible relationship between Morton’s Toe and Restless Legs Syndrome. Nevertheless, I do believe it is worth asking in the light of the great benefits that could be gained by determining if there is correlation between these two problems. According to the RLS Foundation, about 9 million people in this country have RLS. Statistically, if only one tenth of one percent of these people got some relief from RLS by treating their Morton’s Toes, 9,000 people could be sleeping better soon.
If you do suffer with either night cramps or RLS, you may want to start using the toe pad or shoe insert that I describe in my book Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In The Foot. It may take weeks to see a change, but you having nothing to lose and everything to gain. Again, common sense dictates that in any group of people who have night cramps or RLS, some of them are going to have Morton’s Toe and all the problems that come with it as well. The problems associated with their Morton’s Toes just have to be aggravating some of their sleeping problems. You could be one of them, and you will never know if my suggested treatment for your toes will help you until you try. Regardless, advise your physician that you are trying this because he needs to know if your problems get better or not. Stranger things have happened.
