25 questions about cramp
1. What is cramp?
Usually not all fibres in your muscles are active at the same time.
While part of the fibres contracts the rest "takes a rest". The
"working" and "resting" alternates at high frequency. This way a muscle
can continue performing over a longer period of time.
Cramp is a sudden, involuntary contraction of all muscle fibres of a
muscle, mostly during or after intensive training.
2. How does cramp develop?
Muscle cramps occur when sinews that make the muscles contract, respond
wrongly and send too many signals to contract. Sometimes a muscle cramp
occurs without obvious cause but most of the times, the cause can easily
be found.
3. What is the cause of cramp?
The phenomenon of cramp is still not entirely clear. Possible causes
are:
*Disturbed supply of blood with a shortage of oxygen in the muscle as a
result by, for example, wearing too tight stockings.
* Low glucose (sugar) levels in the muscle.
* Salt shortage because of a low-salt diet.
* Loss of water (extreme sweating), which could lead to a disturbed
balance of electrolytes.
* Overloading (exhaustion) by e.g. insufficient conditional training.
* Tiredness.
4. Where could I get cramps?
In principle you can get cramps in every muscle. There are certain
"favourite" muscles though. Most common is cramp in calf, foot, shinbone
muscles and hands. With gymnasts cramps occasionally occur in the toes.
Cramps can occur in other muscles as well, for example in the jaw and
even in the sphincter muscle of the eye.
5. How do I recognize a cramp?
The muscle will feel hard and tense and is rather painful. Moving is
difficult and no swellings or bruises are visible.
6. Can I do something about cramp?
First you should check if it really is cramp. Sometimes a whiplash in
the calf could look like a cramp. If in this case you start stretching
the muscle you only increase the damage.
7. If it really is cramp, what next?
With cramp it is important to break the occurred reflex so that the
muscle fibres will return to their normal pattern of contracting and
relaxing. This can be done best by trying to stretch the affected
muscle. Because stretching is hard on "toe cramp" one could switch to
"rubbing and squeezing" of the area to break the reflex.
8. How should I stretch?
Stretching is done by elongating the muscle. For example: if you are
having a cramp in your calf muscle you could try moving your foot
upwards. On cramp in your foot you can move your toes upwards.
9. Could I just give a good pull?
No, in no case. Stretching muscles should always be done carefully and
without "bouncing". With quick movements comes the risk of muscle
rupture in the end.
10. I am not that lithe that I can reach, legs stretched, all the way
to my toes.
In that case you can pass a towel under the ball of your foot (legs
stretched). Take both ends with your hands. Pull the towel with your
arms, carefully, so as to lift your toes. You could also ask someone to
assist you.
11. Does massage help against cramp?
Yes. When the worst cramp is gone, massage could help increase blood
flow and further restore peace in the muscle. If the cramp is caused by
heat and dehydration one should not do massage.
12. How do I do massage?
Self-massage is difficult. More convenient is when someone else, with
calm strokes, massages the muscle. One starts at the "furthest" point of
the muscle and works his way to the centre. To let the hands go smoothly
across the skin, massage oil is needed. This way, one can massage for 5
to 10 minutes.
13. Do (warmth) rubbing oils work?
No. The warmth medicine only get to the skin and will not reach the
muscle. It could even work in opposition because the blood that is
needed for the muscle will be transported to the skin. It is true on the
other hand that it will feel better and provide some diversion.
14. What else could I do against cramp?
It could help to warm the muscles by means of warm clothing (leg
warmers), a hot pack or a visit to the sauna. If the cramp is caused by
heat and dehydration all this is of course not an option.
15. What is a hot pack?
A hot pack is the counterpart of the cold pack. It is a plastic bag with
liquid. After having put this in the microwave or in hot water it can be
put to the muscle where it will share its heat.
16. Could I return to my activity right again?
It is advisable to quit the exercising activity because the risk of the
cramp reoccurring is definitely there.
17. Are there any risk factors?
I named a few in the causes part. Another well-known risk factor is too
low a water temperature for swimmers. In their case, too stiff or
flippers that do not fit properly could also cause cramp.
18. What should I do if I get cramp while in the water?
In any case, do not panic. Best thing to do is to try and swim ashore or
to stretch the muscle while floating on your back. Never take on longer
swimming routes without assistance or buddy.
19. What about minerals and supplements?
Anyone thoughtful about his diet will not suffer from mineral shortages.
It could happen though that the balance is temporarily disturbed by
exhaustion, dehydration or heat. Regularly complementing the body
fluids, sugar and salt in endurance performance is wise, from this point
of view.
20. Is there any good in calcium and magnesium?
If you are suffering from cramps very often you can, in consult with
your physician, choose to complement your diet. The physician will take
a blood sample for research and look for shortages.
The methods and need for this are subject of an ongoing discussion these
days.
21. If dehydration is the cause, how much water should I be drinking?
Two litres a day at least and also before and after an endurance
performance. Preventing thirst is the point. If you are feeling thirsty
it is too late already and you can no longer "drink in". Loss of
performance is immanent and the risk of cramps is increasing.
22. I am a creatine-user, does that add to the risk of cramp?
Sometimes creatine-users get cramp in their muscles. This cramp is
caused by water shortage. Creatine-users should drink more water than
non-users.
23. I only suffer from cramp at night.
You can try to prevent nightly cramp by relaxing your muscles well
before you go to sleep or by going for a short walk. Pre-warming the bed
could also work as a prevention.
24. Is cramp always innocent?
Not always. A less innocent form is the calf cramp that occurs with
older people during walking; so-called "window legs". This is caused
mostly by narrowing of the blood vessels to or in the leg due to
arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Arteriosclerosis develops
from smoking and collecting of fat (like cholesterol and sugar) in blood
and connective tissue. With sportsmen this is not very common because
they do not smoke. Isn't it?
With swimmers and divers cramp is naturally also not without risk.
25. Can I do something in prevention?
Before training or competition you could do a nice warm up and
afterwards a good cool down with stretching exercises. Do not train
harder than your condition allows. Drink extra water every now and then.
And especially: listen to your body, that is your best advisor.