Part I: Quadruple-Leg cramps

You may have heard about these...they are pretty common. What you may not be aware of is that it is possible for a single leg cramp to last 4 minutes and actually move from muscle to muscle in your lower leg like some sort of anaconda. You may have a wonderful husband who tries to stop your screaming by saying calming things like "it's almost over" and helping you to flex your foot--which generally can stop a cramp in its tracks--but nothing can stop this force of nature. You may be crippled for several days, needing a hand-rail or shoulder to lean on in order to descend stairs. Everyone will have a confused look on their face when they ask you what happened and you say "Leg cramp" so it is better to say something like "polio" or "leishmaniasis"--which has nothing to do with loss of control of your limb, but at least no one will know what you are talking about.