Charley horse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A charley horse is a term for a painful contusion (bruise) of the quadriceps muscle of the anterior thigh that commonly results in a muscular hematoma and sometimes several weeks of pain and disability[1]. It often occurs in sports when an athlete is struck by an opponent's knee, in a manner like the kick of a horse, perhaps the reason for its name. In the UK and Commonwealth countries, such an injury is known as a dead leg. In Australia this is also known as a corked thigh or "corkie"[2]

"Charley horse" is also used to describe leg/foot cramping, especially those that follow strenuous exercise.[3][4][5] These muscle cramps can have many possible causes including hormonal imbalances, dehydration, side effects of medication, or more seriously, diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and neuropathy.[6] They are also a common complaint during pregnancy.[7]

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[edit] Treatment

The quadriceps contusion type of "charley horse" is initially treated by icing. Recent studies have shown that the resulting tightness and contractures that sometimes ensue can be lessened by maintaining the knee in a fully bent position for the first 24 hours to prevent the involved muscles from going into spasm. Premature returning to sports activities increases the likelihood of the main complication of a charley horse, the deposition of calcium into the hematoma that forms at the site of injury. This complication, termed myositis ossificans, can result in long-term disability.

A cramp can be quickly defused with active stretching of the affected muscle. Cramps in the calf muscle can be defused by outstretching the leg, pushing the heel downward, and pointing your toes toward your head. Standing up with most of your weight on the ball of the foot on the cramping side will also stretch the gastrocnemius muscle and diffuse the pain. If you feel a cramp starting, this will usually stop it from becoming more painful. Persistent cramps should be treated by a doctor.[8]

[edit] Etymology

The term may date back to American baseball slang of the 1880s, possibly from the pitcher Charlie "Old Hoss" Radbourn who is said to have suffered from cramps.[9] Another story mentions a horse named Charley that used to work at Comiskey Park, the Chicago White Sox' ballpark. In those days, an old, retired horse was often called "Charlie".

The term may also reference Charlie "Bucket" Mccormick, who was said to wander the streets of Altoona in the late 1800s and massage the calf muscles of the horses who would deliver bushels of rye to local Shriners. The Shriners used this rye for bootleg whiskey, and so the horses needed to have strong calf muscles to outrun the tax collecting authorities.

[edit] References

  1. ^ World Wide Words: Charley Horse.
  2. ^ What is a dead leg?, bbc.co.uk.
  3. ^ WordNet Search - 3.0
  4. ^ Dorlands Medical Dictionary:charley horse
  5. ^ World Wide Words: Charley Horse.
  6. ^ Miller TM, Layzer RB (2005). "Muscle cramps". Muscle Nerve 32 (4): 431–42. doi:10.1002/mus.20341. PMID 15902691. 
  7. ^ Young GL, Jewell D (2002). "Interventions for leg cramps in pregnancy". Cochrane database of systematic reviews (Online) (1): CD000121. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD000121. PMID 11869565. 
  8. ^ Nighttime Leg Cramps-Topic Overview
  9. ^ Charley horse definition. MedicineNet. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.

[edit] External links