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Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I stretch a little too fast. What results is a mind numbing pain in the back of my leg. It feels like a super tightening of the leg. Is this just from stretching too fast?

Also, earlier today when I was trying to take a treadmill out of the back of a van on my knees, I felt a balling up in the bend of my leg? What the heck is that?

As far as the ball, I am not sure what you are referring to.

But as far as stretching goes, it is true that if you stretch too fast and stretch a cold muscle that it can respond the way you just described. When stretching the muscle before it has enough time to be warmed up it would be like someone hitting you and causing a sharp muscle response. The area (let's say your chest) that a person hits you at will tighten from the trauma. Not saying that this type of blow to the chest and stretching too fast are exactly the same but this is how the muscle responds to trauma.


SLOW DOWN....

I have had this sensation sometimes waking up at 4 o clock in the morning screaming my lungs out. The reason in my case was not a trauma but I was low on electrolytes especially potassium, haven't stretched enough.

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sprainsstrains/a/legcramp.htm

After fixing the imbalance it went away for good, good luck.

Thanks for the comments. I remember hearing something about potassium. I also think spending the majority of the night sleeping with my legs bent might have something to do with it. Maybe.

I recommend sleeping with the knees slightly bent as this can usually take the pressure off the lower back and the lower back muscles can relax.

Interesting, while I agree 100%,I wonder how do you facilitate that ? Since I do sport every day I could sleep 12 hours a day, I am glad to even make it to the bed and just drop down like a log, I have no clue whatsoever what my legs are doing at night, last week I woke up and the dogs had opened the bedroom door and thought it was a good idea to place their 300 pounds halfway across my legs, didn't feel a thing till the alarm went off.




do you strap yourself to bed ? I would not be judging...