Muscle cramps, why they occur and how to avoid them

They can happen when you least expect it, they will take you by surprise… But you will soon realise, just as if an electric current had passed through you, that your calf is involuntarily contracting, forcing you to stop any movement you are making. Swimmers, cyclists, marathon runners, footballers… practically any sportsman and/or athlete will have suffered or may suffer during their sporting career from the dreaded cramps.

However, taking the appropriate measures, we should not be afraid of them, and in the worst case, with a simple massage, and electrolyte replacement, we can continue…

What are muscle cramps?

Leg cramps are a painful and frequent occurrence that can occur during physical activity, such as walking or running. They are very common among endurance athletes and older people who engage in strenuous physical activity.

They often occur during, or at the end of, intense exercise

Cramps occur when a muscle contracts involuntarily, without us intervening at will

 At that moment, right in the place of the pain, we can notice a lump or protuberance, which indicates the stiffness and stiffness that the muscle has just suffered. Of course, a certain amount of pain will accompany it. The duration of this cramp can be as short as a few seconds, or even a few minutes. In the worst case, it can last for several hours, intermittently.

As we get older, cramps may become more common…

If they are quite frequent and regular, it is advisable to go to the doctor

Muscle spasms

This term is related to cramps, but one possible difference is that while cramps tend to occur as a result of medium to long term activities along with a number of factors such as poor hydration leading to excessive loss of minerals, muscle spasms occur outside the time of exercise.

Muscle spasms occur as a result of an involuntary contraction of a muscle and can cause pain

Spasms can affect practically any muscle group, giving rise to various symptoms, and obviously a different scale of pain

How do muscle spasms happen?

Among the most general symptoms are dehydration, which produces electrolyte alterations, and also an excess or inappropriate workload of the muscle.

Such a combination is conducive to the appearance of spasm, which tends to be punctual, producing pain, but at the same time, of short duration

To relieve and calm the pain, it may be sufficient to apply a massage to the area

How to treat muscle spasms?

Muscle spasm is typically treated conservatively with muscle relaxants and exercise therapy. Muscle relaxants inhibit painful contractions by sedating the muscle, while exercise stretches the muscles so that they are less prone to tension, tearing or spasm.

Spasms or nocturnal muscle cramps

The nocturnal muscle spasms or cramps that usually occur in the legs are sudden contractions that occur while we sleep, and cause the calf muscles to contract involuntarily, although the thigh or even the foot can also be affected.

They often occur just when we fall asleep

Causes of muscle cramps

Although muscle cramps may be the result of rare diseases, most cramps associated with or induced by exercise are unrelated to disease or disorder.

• Skeletal muscle cramps can occur in the middle of a competition, immediately after the competition or at night in the middle of sleep.
• Cramps are equally frustrating for scientists because they have not been able to fully determine their cause or how to prevent or treat them.
• Exercise-associated cramps have been defined as involuntary, spasmodic and painful contractions of the skeletal muscles that occur during or just after exercise.

Muscle fatigue seems to cause this lack of control through an effect of the Golgi tendon organs and muscle spindles. The activity of the muscle spindles increases while the activity of the tendon organs decreases.

How are muscle cramps produced?

The most frequent causes of cramps occurring during sport correspond to the following:

How to avoid muscle cramps

Preventing cramps

Maintaining a frequent stretching routine, everyday, and if it is possible, dedicating a minimum of 30 to 60 minutes to it, brings a series of improvements, both physical and physiological in the case of reducing the risk of suffering cramps.

Thanks to stretching, the tissue covering the muscles, the fascia, will be kept relaxed, and the continuous tension, which it normally suffers due to exercise, will be avoided

Before doing exercise

Try to hydrate yourself well, drinking at least 1 glass of water. Drink plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. If the weather conditions are adverse and the temperature is high, you may choose to take a dose of powdered electrolytes as a precaution.

Warming up and stretching before exercise

Before starting the exercise, it is always necessary to warm up, consisting of mobility exercises, and then warm up by doing low-intensity activity, such as running or jogging for several minutes, in the case of running.

Endurance athletes are more prone to leg cramps

Stretches to avoid cramps

• Calf Stretch: Leaning on a wall with one leg in front of the other. Stretch your leg back and press your heel to the floor. The front knee should be bent. Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds. Keep both heels on the floor and the tips of your toes facing the wall.
• Hamstring stretch: Sit upright, with your legs stretched out in front of you. Your feet should be relaxed, not bent. Place your palms on the floor and slide your hands towards your ankles. Stop when you feel the stretch at the back of your thighs and behind your knees. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
• Quadriceps stretch: Lean against a wall or the back of a chair. Lift one foot towards the buttocks. Hold your ankle with your hand and lift your heel towards your body until you feel the stretch. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Avoid twisting your back.

Remedies for cramps

Obviously we will be forced to stop running. If the intensity is too low, we will stop the activity and proceed to stretch

• Stretch and gently massage the muscle: Keep it in a stretched position until the cramp stops. Someone can help you keep your leg straight.
• Hydration: As we have seen, the most common cause of muscle cramps during sporting activities is dehydration. Drink sports drinks to replace lost minerals.
• Electrolyte supplements: before and, above all, during physical activity, also as a recovery aid

Advice to avoid suffering muscle cramps

Sources

• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/musclecramps.html Wilmore, Jack H., and David L. Costill.Fisiología del esfuerzo y del deporte. 1. ed. Barcelona: Paidotribo, 1998.

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