A Few Suggestions to Ease All Types of Ulcerative Colitis Cramps

Ulcerative colitis is a very difficult disease to deal with, especially during a flare up. Cramping is one of the extremely painful symptoms of ulcerative colitis.

Abdominal cramps, because of the diarrhea, are very painful. Sometimes, they can get so bad that it is hard to sit up straight or stand up. As difficult as these actions are, sometimes, they are the best way to alleviate cramping.

Stomach cramps get worse when you slouch over or lean forward because you are allowing your stomach muscles to stay tight. Bending back wards is one of the best ways to stop stomach cramping caused by ulcerative colitis.

To do this, you have to take a deep breath and just do it. It will be painful at first. Once your stomach muscles start are stretched for a few minutes, the cramping will feel less painful.

Another way to help ease ulcerative colitis cramps is with warm water. I have found that if I sip on a coffee mug of warm water while I am taking a warm bath, my cramps ease up some. I am not sure why this works so well but, it does. I guess it because I am warming up the muscles from the inside and the outside.

Leg cramps are another unpleasant side effect of ulcerative colitis. This is because during a flare up, a lot of potassium is lost due to the diarrhea and because ulcerative colitis affects your ability to absorb nutrients properly. Leg cramps can happen at any time, even when you are not in the middle of a flare up.

Taking a good multivitamin can help to head off leg cramps before they even get started. Adding a potassium supplement is another possibility to help stop leg cramps before they get started. You should talk to your health care professional to find out if a potassium supplement is a good option for you.

When you do have leg cramps, aggressive massage and heat packs can help to stop the cramps. You can also try stretching your legs out by flexing your foot. Sometimes, soaking in a tub of warm water with epsom salt will help to stop the cramping.

Making sure that you are in the best shape possible will also help to ease cramping. Muscles that are in shape are able to better absorb oxygen.

Deep breathing and meditation help to ease all of the cramping associated with ulcerative colitis because your body relaxes when you are doing these. Being relaxed helps a lot of the symptoms of ulcerative colitis seem much more bearable.

Lastly, keeping a positive attitude will help ease your cramps because everything seems brighter when you have a positive attitude.