My sister and I were discussing Charley Horses the other day. She gets them, I get them, our mother got them. Next I wondered why these leg muscle cramps are called Charley Horses.
In 1640, Charles I of England expanded the London police force. The new recruits were nicknamed "Charleys." There wasn't enough money to provide the new police with horses so they patrolled on foot. They joked that their sore feet and legs came from riding "Charley's horse."
Now we all know:)
P.S. If you get a Charley Horse drink some pickle juice and it will stop in less than a minute. You can now buy bottles of pickle juice or even pickle juice popcicles.
I have never tried the pickle juice but I have some spray on magnesium that helps me when they hit -- always at night, waking me from sleep.
ReplyDeleteThank you for both the information and the remedy. I will have to see whether we have pickle juice here.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy learning word origins, thank you. As for pickle juice, i wonder if it's the vinegar content that does it, brining up electrolytes quickly.
ReplyDeleteInteresting
ReplyDeleteI almost never have a cramp and it passes quickly with some rubbing.
ReplyDeleteI usually get them at night, and I try to flex my foot upwards and that usually does the trick for me.
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