Charley horse

A charley horse is a North American 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.^[2]

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"Charlie horse" is also used to describe leg/foot cramping. 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.^[3] They are also a common complaint during pregnancy.^[4]

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.

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 would usually stop it from becoming more painful. Persistent cramps should be treated by a doctor.^[5]

Etymology

The term may date back to American baseball slang of the 1880s, possibly from the pitcher Charley "Old Hoss" Radbourn who is said to have suffered from cramps.^[6] Another story mentions a horse named Charley that used to work at Comiskey Park, the Chicago White Sox' ballpark in Chicago. In those days, an old, retired horse was often called "Charley".

References

1. ^ World Wide Words: Charleys Horse.
2. ^ What is a dead leg?, bbc.co.uk.
3. ^ Miller TM, Layzer RB (2005). "Muscle cramps". Muscle Nerve 32 (4): 431–42. PMID 15902691.
4. ^ Young GL, Jewell D (2002). "Interventions for leg cramps in pregnancy". Cochrane database of systematic reviews (Online) (1): CD000121. PMID 11869565.
5. ^ http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/Nighttime-Leg-Cramps-Topic-Overview
6. ^ Charley horse definition. MedicineNet. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.

• Shulman, D. Whence "Charley Horse"?. American Speech, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Apr., 1949), pp. 100-104.
• Troubridge, St. V. "Charley Horse" Again. American Speech, Vol. 25, No. 1. (Feb., 1950), p. 70.
• Woolf, H B. Mencken as Etymologist: Charley Horse and Lobster Trick. American Speech, Vol. 48, No. 3/4. (Autumn - Winter, 1973), pp. 229-238.