I have found two quick ways to lessen pain from a charlie horse. Usually they will happen when I am already sleeping, so I keep good old Ben Gay Pain Relieving Cream right by my bedside. Just rub it into the calf. It lessens the pain enough to be able to walk right away. The other way is to run cold water into a bathtub (enough to cover the feet)then put both feet in and splash the water up to the calf, and this usually will work immediately. Most of the time I use the Ben Gay Pain Relieving Cream first to get the pain less, then the bath water next., but either one used seperately works fast for me!!

Charlie horses are the worst. I usually get them while sleeping and the pain shoots from calf down to toes. The best thing to do for me is to try to stretch it out and walk around. I find it helpful. But you can get more potassium to prevent these in general. I started eating more bananas and found that I had less charlie horses.

For me, its rubbing the cramp directly where it hurts most. It hurts really bad but seems to lessen the length of the cramp. I also have had luck in lessening the duration of the cramp if I get up and walk during it. This is very difficult but it does help.

The quickest way when lying in bed at 3am is simply to strecth your leg and point your foot upwards and massage the muscle to relax it. You can then apply a cold pack to reduce the blood flow and relax the muscle. Hope that helps.