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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Chronic Leg Cramps At Higher Elevation?

Hello. I was just curious. It seems that every time I spend overnights in the mountains (blue ridge/smoky mountains) not Rockies or other really high elevations, my leg cramps get MUCH worse. Cramps are not unusual for me but they do seem to be much worse at altitude. I am diabetic, but take metformin only and my a1c s have been coming down for the last5-6 years since major cancer surgery and losing about 125 lbs. I also take simvastatin, metoprolol and losartin as well as sometimes Imodium ad and a daily omeprazole (cancer surgery was for esophageal cancer in lower esophagus and upper stomach; esophagus removed and part of stomach so I have some digestive problems). How s that for a medical history?
Tue, 12 Dec 2017
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General Surgeon,  's  Response
Hi and welcome to Healthcaremagic. I understand your concerns and I will try to help you as much as I can.
Yes, it may be deep vein thrombosis or so called DVT although this is not very likely. I means that clot is formed inside the big leg vessel. So you need to do Doppler ultrasound to rule this. Vein thrombosis which is manifested with unilateral swelling of the leg, pain in calf and lividity of the skin. Some conditions such as pregnancy, obesity and recent surgery may increase the risk of it. This may be serious if blood clot travels to heart and lungs so it should be ruled out as soon as possible and then appropriate treatment can be started. In most cases it include strict resting heparin infusions and aspirin. More invasive procedures are rarely required.
I hope I have answered you query. If you have any further questions you can contact us in every time.
Kindly regards. Wish you a good health.
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What Causes Chronic Leg Cramps At Higher Elevation?

Hi and welcome to Healthcaremagic. I understand your concerns and I will try to help you as much as I can. Yes, it may be deep vein thrombosis or so called DVT although this is not very likely. I means that clot is formed inside the big leg vessel. So you need to do Doppler ultrasound to rule this. Vein thrombosis which is manifested with unilateral swelling of the leg, pain in calf and lividity of the skin. Some conditions such as pregnancy, obesity and recent surgery may increase the risk of it. This may be serious if blood clot travels to heart and lungs so it should be ruled out as soon as possible and then appropriate treatment can be started. In most cases it include strict resting heparin infusions and aspirin. More invasive procedures are rarely required. I hope I have answered you query. If you have any further questions you can contact us in every time. Kindly regards. Wish you a good health.