Today's true sports drinks are still the classic Gatorade -- packed with the electrolytes potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium to provide energy during intense workouts -- as well as competitors such as Cytomax, Allsport, and Accelerade.
Performing one or several stretches which elongate the muscles in the affected area should help to provide quick relief. Stand up straight, and then get into a lunging position, with your back leg being the one experiencing the charley horse. Straighten out your back leg while keeping your front leg bent.
What Causes Charlie Horses. Charlie horse is the name given to a muscle spasm or cramp experienced by an individual, especially in the leg. The most probable area where Charlie horse strikes is the calf region and that too, at night, lasting for a few seconds to few hours, thus awakening the patient. In most of the cases, Charlie horses are the late responses of overstraining a muscle during exercise, or otherwise. 2  Charley horse might be the result of an electrolyte or mineral imbalance in the body. 3  In some of the cases, Charlie horses have been found to be a signal of the onset of a vascular disease.