<P> Charley horse ( or charlie horse ) is a popular colloquial term in Canada and the United States for painful involuntary spasms or cramps in the leg muscles , typically lasting anywhere from a few seconds to about a day . It is less likely to refer to a bruise on an arm or leg and a bruising of the quadriceps muscle of the anterior or lateral thigh , or contusion of the femur , that commonly results in a haematoma and sometimes several weeks of pain and disability . In this latter sense , such an injury is known as dead leg . Dead leg and Charlie horse are two different kinds of injuries . Dead leg is when someone or something hits your leg making it go numb . A charlie horse is when your muscles contract without warning , and can last from a few minutes or a few days . In Australia it is also known as a corked thigh or corky . It often occurs in contact sports , such as football when an athlete suffers a knee ( blunt trauma ) to the lateral quadriceps causing a haematoma or temporary paresis and antalgic gait as a result of pain . </P>
<P> Charley horse ( or charlie horse ) is a popular colloquial term in Canada and the United States for painful involuntary spasms or cramps in the leg muscles , typically lasting anywhere from a few seconds to about a day . It is less likely to refer to a bruise on an arm or leg and a bruising of the quadriceps muscle of the anterior or lateral thigh , or contusion of the femur , that commonly results in a haematoma and sometimes several weeks of pain and disability . In this latter sense , such an injury is known as dead leg . Dead leg and Charlie horse are two different kinds of injuries . Dead leg is when someone or something hits your leg making it go numb . A charlie horse is when your muscles contract without warning , and can last from a few minutes or a few days . In Australia it is also known as a corked thigh or corky . It often occurs in contact sports , such as football when an athlete suffers a knee ( blunt trauma ) to the lateral quadriceps causing a haematoma or temporary paresis and antalgic gait as a result of pain . </P>
where does the expression charlie horse come from
where does the expression charlie horse come from
Canada and the United States
Canada and the United States