Leg cramps?!

Leg cramps?

I am 20 and a gymnast (sort of...haven't been working out lately though...), so I have pretty large calves. Sometimes (not sure how often, maybe every other month or so...) my calves will get tight (not cramped) and I will stretch them for a few days, which helps for an hour or two and then they get tight again. Then, sometimes, when I'm sleeping, they actually cramp up. The last major cramp was so intense that I couldn't stop screaming (and I've broken bones/sprained things/bruised my sternum and vertebrae before and didn't scream at all) and I couldn't move until the cramp went away. I had another minor cramp this morning but was able to stretch it out and it went away, but now (45 min. later), my calves are really tight again. I drink quite a bit of water (not the optimum amount, but when I donate plasma, the process goes really fast, which means I'm hydrated, and my urine is pretty clear) and like I said earlier, I haven't been working out or doing any physical exercise...

3 weeks ago
other than walking. I wear flip flops a lot and I don't eat a lot of salads/bananas. Could this be the cause of my cramps? Are there any other possibilities besides things I've read online? Thanks!

3 weeks ago
Ooohhh milk---maybe that's my problem? I usually drink chocolate milk, but white milk is pretty rare for me.

I know for sure I definitely need to eat more bananas, but I'm in college and the bananas the dining center has are brown and I only like green ones. Are there any other sources of potassium besides bananas? Any pills?

I eat enough meat...my protein level is fine for plasma donation (6.8 or so).

Sounds like you either need to drink more milk or eat more meat...maybe both...

Edit - If milk (dairy) is your problem, maybe more cheese or yogurt as well...