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Garlic nutrition facts importance of these factors is that Exxercise-induced are absolutely unique to the individual athlete. Some athletes are prone to cramping and others are not. The answer lies in the factors listed above.
Some athletes just sweat a lot. While performing the same level of activity, some athletes will be dripping with sweat and others will be relatively dry.
This can be seen in both genders. If an athlete has a high sweat rate during activity, this athlete may be susceptible and be at greater risk for muscle cramping.
Some athletes have a high sweat sodium concentration. These athletes may actually leave salt residue on their skin or clothes after a workout.
If an athlete has a higher sweat sodium concentration, this athlete may also be susceptible and be at risk for muscle cramping.
Although other electrolytes are lost in sweat, their concentration and consequent total loss via sweating is not enough to prompt muscle cramping or other problems.
The electrolytes most commonly blamed for muscle cramping include calcium, magnesium, and potassium. However, the review of the literature by Bergeron did not substantiate any of these electrolytes as possible causes of muscle cramping. The effective treatment of muscle cramps is dependent on the cause.
For athletes suffering from overuse or fatigue muscle cramps, the most effective treatments are passive stretching, massage, icing of the affected muscles, and contraction of the muscle on the opposite side of the muscle cramping i.
Contracting the muscle opposing the cramping muscle is based on the physiological principle of reciprocal inhibition. When a muscle contracts agonist the opposite muscle antagonist automatically relaxes to allow for the contraction.
Athletes suffering from fatigue-related muscle cramps will not be able to continue their activity without further cramping.
These athletes need time for their muscles to heal and recover before trying to compete again. For athletes suffering from muscle cramps prompted by excessive sweating and a sodium deficit, the same treatments as above can be immediately applied to reduce the pain and muscle spasm.
However, along with the stretching, massage, and applied ice, these athletes need to consume fluids with additional sodium. As the cramping resolves, these athletes may be able to continue competing at their normal intensity.
Once the activity is completed, the athlete needs to continue to consume electrolyte-containing fluids. According to McArdle, W. Sodium can be replaced by adding about one-third teaspoon of salt per one liter of water. The goal after exercise is to replace the water and electrolytes lost during the activity.
One method to determining the amount of fluid lost is to weigh the athlete before and after activity. This is good practice, especially in hot temperatures to help prevent serious heat illness in the athletes from accumulating water deficits. Because thirst is not often a sufficient stimulus to maintain adequate fluid balance during exercise, adequate fluids need to be consumed prior to exercising.
The athlete should maintain good hydration at all times. To assist in adequate hydration during exercise, the athlete should consume 17 — 20 ounces of water or sports drink 2 to 3 hours before the activity. If possible, another 7 — 10 ounces should be consumed 10 — 20 minutes before the activity.
Although historically, coaches may have withheld water as a punishment for their athletes, it is currently supported by the sports medicine community that athletes should have access to water throughout their activity.
To maintain hydration, it is recommended that adult athletes drink up to 1. If athletes are prone to excessive sweating and sodium loss, this may need to be increased on an individual basis.
Again, because thirst is not often a sufficient stimulus to maintain adequate fluid balance during exercise in the heat, coaches need to be proactive in ensuring that their athletes replenish their fluids on a consistent basis.
Because of the life-threatening nature of dehydration leading to heat illness, coaches that withhold water should be confronted about the dangerous practice and reported to the administration of the sports organization.
Withholding water from athletes is considered a form of athlete abuse and should not be tolerated at any age level. Diuretics are contraindicated for an individual who is active and participating in sports.
While there are prescription diuretics that can be taken to reduce body fluids, athletes may be consuming products that act as diuretics and not be aware of it. Preventing dehydration and muscle cramps in athletes starts with educating the athletes and their parents as to the importance of adequate hydration before, during, and after activity.
Just as important as adequate volume of fluid intake is the appropriate types of beverages athletes should drink before, during, and after exercise. Water can be sufficient in many cases and circumstances; but as sweat losses increase, the sodium content of the rehydration beverage becomes more important.
If you suspect you have problems with muscle cramps during exercise, it is critical to seek the urgent consultation of a local sports injuries doctor for appropriate care.
SportsMD offers Virtual Care and Second Opinion Services. It allows you to quickly and conveniently speak with a sports doctor or specialist and have an effective alternative to emergency room, urgent care, or waiting for a doctors appointment.
You can get Virtual Care from your home or anywhere via phone or video chat. References Anderson, M. Foundations of Athletic Training: Prevention, Assessment, and Management, 4th Ed. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins: Baltimore, MD. Bergeron, M. Muscle cramps during exercise — is it fatigue or electrolyte deficit?
Current Sports Medicine Reports: Supplement — Sodium Balance and Exercise 7 4 SS Landry, G. Essentials of Primary Care Sports Medicine. Human Kinetics: Champaign, IL. McArdle, W. Essentials of Exercise Physiology 3rd Ed. Treating and Preventing Muscle Cramps during Exercise By Terry Zeigler, EdD, ATC Exercise-induced muscle cramps are painful, debilitating, and can take an athlete out of the competition.
What are the causes of muscle cramping? The second category of exercise-associated muscle cramps is better understood and com monly recognized as a cause of muscle cramping in athletes. The body primarily cools itself using two specific systems. What are electrolytes and why are they linked to muscle cramping?
What might make an athlete more susceptible to muscle cramping? How can I treat muscle cramps? How much should I drink after a competition if I had muscle cramping? How much should I drink before an activity to prevent muscle cramping?
How much should I drink during an activity to prevent muscle cramping? Can the use of diuretics affect exertional muscle cramping? As a coach, what can I do to reduce the risk of dehydration in my athletes?
Virtual Care from Sports Doctors and Specialists SportsMD offers Virtual Care and Second Opinion Services. Learn more here. SportsMD Virtual Care.
: Exercise-induced cramps| Preventing Muscle Cramps during exercise and competition – this is how you do it based on evidence! | Exercise-induced cramps athletes are prone to excessive sweating and Exercise-induxed loss, this may Exercise-lnduced Exercise-induced cramps be increased on an individual Nutrient absorption pathways in plants. Dashed arrows used to help with clarity of understanding the hot, humid, or both environmental conditions and repetitive muscle exercise pathways. Pollard, PhD, PTKim S. Newsletter Signup Sign Up. Effects of TRPV1 and TRPA1 activators on the cramp threshold frequency: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. |
| Main Content | Effects of Exercise-induced cramps and Exercise-nduced activators on the cramp threshold crampd Exercise-induced cramps randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled crwmps. top of page. How much should I drink before an activity to prevent muscle cramping? January 11, at am. CHRONIC OR RECURRENT EAMC DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT. Body Hack 3: How to keep your muscles happy. |
| What causes muscle cramps in exercise? | These disturbances can be described by a series of several key events. First and foremost, repetitive muscle exercise can lead to the development of fatigue due to one or more of the following: inadequate conditioning, hot and or humid environments, increased intensity, increased duration, and decreased supply of energy. Muscle fatigue itself causes increased excitatory afferent activity within the muscle spindles and decreased inhibitory afferent activity within the Golgi tendon. The coupling of these events leads to altered neuromuscular control from the spinal cord. A cascade of events follow the altered neuromuscular control; this includes increased alpha- motor neuron activity in the spinal cord, which overloads the lower motor neurons, and increased muscle cell membrane activity. Medication has not been found to help reduce or prevent muscle cramping. To prevent or treat, athletes are recommended to stretch, stop movement and rest, massaging the area that is cramping, or drink fluids. Stretching helps to calm down spindles by lengthening the muscle fibers and increase firing duration to slow down the firing rate of the muscle. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Although many of the studies have been small, they have shown that larger losses in sodium during exercise tend to occur in athletes who experience cramps, who also tend to drink more plain water compared to electrolyte beverages, which may contribute. Other studies have tried to trigger cramps with exhaustive exercise protocols, with one showing that drinking carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks to replace sweat losses delayed the length of time it took for subjects to experience cramps. Of course, the working conditions of early 20th Century industrial workers are not directly comparable to sporting conditions, and similarly arduous conditions are uncommon. However, these studies provided the earliest suggestions that electrolyte imbalance could cause muscle cramps. Although cramping often occurs in prolonged exercise in the heat, cramping can also occur without dehydration or electrolyte imbalance and in cool environments. Therefore, there must be other causes for cramps that occur in these conditions. Cramping can be triggered by activities beyond exercise, including repetitive, small muscle group activities like typing, writing or pressing buttons. It was suggested that cramps could be caused by abnormal activity of the nerve that control muscle activity, originating in the central nervous system. The increased fatigue is thought to cause increased muscle activation, whilst the inhibition of excessive activation that normally controls contraction is reduced. This leads to uncontrolled contraction, leading to a muscle cramp. To study the impact of nervous system control of cramping, studies were developed to trigger cramping. Cramps during exercise are notoriously unpredictable and therefore difficult to study, so electrical activation of muscles was used in a number of studies to cause it. In one study subjects were provided with an electrolyte beverage or plain water, but this did not reduce the incidence of cramps triggered by electrical activation. Athletes who are prone to cramps have also been shown to require less electrical stimulation to the nerves to trigger cramps. Together this evidence supports the idea that there is a nerve-related mechanism that can trigger cramps. Whether these electrically stimulated cramps are similar to those cramps caused by exercise is not known, but they are one of the easiest ways to study muscle cramps. Cramping is certainly more common in exercise in the heat, where sweating rates are high and electrolyte depletion results. In these conditions, cramps are more likely to be caused by the altered control of muscle contraction by nerves, as a result of fatigue. However, the exact mechanisms by which this happens are not well understood because of the difficulties associated with studying cramping. Each mechanism applies differently in different situations, and although we do not fully understand the mechanisms, this is not necessary to know whether a treatment is effective or not. Watch this space for a blog on prevention and treatment of muscle cramps. Maughan RJ, Shirreffs SM. Muscle Cramping During Exercise: Causes, Solutions, and Questions Remaining. Sports Med. Cramping studies in endurance athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. Dill D, Bock A, Edwards H, Kennedy P. Industrial fatigue. J Ind Hyg Toxicol. Talbott J. The best way to prevent severe muscle cramps is to stay well hydrated before, during and after exercise. This is especially important in the hot summer months. Stretching your legs before and after can also help. These cramps often occur in the legs or feet. Stay well hydrated, do some light stretching and contact your doctor if the cramps start to become more frequent or severe. I am 84 years old and I ;have severe cramping at night. especially after heavy labor during the day. There must be some specific solutions beyond the general statements I see here! I had cramping almost daily for years until I read on the internet that it might be a magnesium deficiency. I started taking magnesium supplements and the cramps went away. I often would get leg cramps due to standing on cement floors to do my job. One night they were so severe I was outside trying to walk them off when my neighbour,who happened to be of Indian descent,advised me to put on a pair of socks and put wine cork in the socks,which she supplied. Amazingly the cramp was gone within seconds. I have since advised many people to do this,with excellent results. Remember to stay hydrated as that is really important too. Night cramps are a result of Magnesium deficiency. |
| Exercise-associated muscle cramps - Wikipedia | What about magnesium? No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Back to Insights Overview. Muscle cramp susceptibility increases following a volitionally induced muscle cramp. Finally, Kale says, cramps sometimes result from certain medications, like diuretics, that can cause both dehydration and mineral imbalances. |
| Take that, muscle cramps! | The diagnosis of EAMCs is based on a thorough clinical examination and history. Cramping muscles appear rigid, with the joint often locked in its end range of motion. Clinicians observe visible and palpable knotting or tautness, a key sign differentiating EAMCs from exertional sickling cramps. Fasciculations that wander over the muscle are also possible. Clinicians should develop treatment protocols for acute EAMCs. Ideally, the treatment approach is individualized Figure 2 and Table 3 and EAMC treatments are continued for up to 1 hour because susceptibility to EAMCs remains high even after cessation. Although most patients can finish exercising after mild EAMCs, some athletes cannot complete their competitions because of EAMCs. Similarly, pain-relieving agents eg, cryotherapy, massage, electrical stimulation may provide relief from the EAMCs by interrupting the pain-spasm-pain cycle. The fastest, safest, and most effective treatment for an active EAMC is self-administered or clinician-administered gentle stretching. Athletes can drink water or carbohydrate-electrolyte beverages ad libitum during EAMC treatment if tolerated because these liquids both restore plasma volume and osmolality over time and rehydrate effectively. Ingesting such large volumes of hypotonic fluids will dilute the blood and could result in life-threatening hyponatremia. Dangerous Volumes of Some Popular Sports Drinks an Athlete With EAMCs Would Need to Ingest to Completely Replace Sweat Sodium and Potassium Losses During Exercise a. In most situations, rehydration should be oral due to its simplicity, accessibility, and myriad of delivery options eg, cup, water bottle, prepacked container. Intravenous IV fluids are popular among professional athletes, yet they must be administered by a trained person and pose certain risks eg, infection, air embolism, arterial puncture. Interestingly, perceptual measures eg, thirst, thermal sensation, and rating of perceived exertion are often lower with oral rehydration because IV fluid delivery bypasses fluid volume receptors in the mouth ie, baroreceptors. Transient receptor potential TRP receptors detect temperature and sensations in the mouth, oropharynx, esophagus, and stomach. Ingredients such as vinegar, cinnamon, capsaicin, and ginger activate these receptors and, in theory, may affect neural function if potent enough. Conversely, only anecdotal evidence exists regarding mustard's efficacy in relieving acute EAMCs. Authors of other studies assessed the effect of spicy, capsaicin-based TRP agonists on cramp susceptibility. While the researchers in 1 study 42 reported longer times before cramping, higher contraction forces necessary to induce cramping, and lower muscle activity during cramping, all participants still cramped after ingesting the TRP-agonist drink. Conversely, Behringer et al 41 noted insignificant changes in cramp susceptibility, perceived muscle pain, cramp intensity, and maximal isometric force from 15 minutes to 24 hours postingestion of a TRP agonist. Further work is needed on TRP agonists and EAMCs. The ingestion of TRP agonists is usually benign, even though gastrointestinal tolerance varies considerably. Potassium is generally not considered an electrolyte of interest in EAMCs, yet bananas are sometimes used during treatment due to their high potassium and glucose content. However, no evidence exists on their efficacy. Some data suggested they are unlikely to help by increasing blood potassium; dehydrated participants who ingested 1 or 2 servings of bananas postexercise did not experience increases in plasma potassium concentrations or plasma volume until 60 minutes after consumption. If poor nutrition is suspected as a risk factor for an athlete's EAMCs, we advise clinicians to advocate for a well-rounded pre-exercise nutrition plan and consult with a registered dietitian before implementing dietary interventions. Quinine and quinine products eg, tonic water were once a popular treatment for cramping. Interestingly, cramp duration, which is the variable of interest in the acute treatment of EAMCs, was not reduced. Importantly, minor and major adverse events were reported in many of the trials eg, gastrointestinal distress, thrombocytopenia. The first step in the diagnosis and treatment of a patient presenting with recurrent EAMCs is a thorough medical evaluation to rule out any intrinsic risk factors, including a history of injury, past EAMC history, chronic medical conditions, medication use, or allergies Figure 2 and Table 3. After ruling out underlying conditions, the clinician should thoroughly question the patient to determine if pertinent extrinsic or intrinsic risk factors exist. Risk factors consistently associated with EAMCs include pain, 21 a history or previous occurrence of EAMCs, 21 , 22 , 48 muscle damage or injury, 18 , 21 , 31 , 48 prolonged exercise durations, 1 , 20 , 30 , 48 and faster finishing times than anticipated. The strongest and most recent evidence 4 , 9 suggested that EAMCs are due to changes in the neuromuscular system, yet most diagnostic questions revolve around factors that affect nervous system excitability Table 3. These questions can be asked before and after each EAMC to help clinicians identify consistent risk factors. Targeted prevention strategies for those risk factors can then be attempted. Many EAMC prevention recommendations have been advocated, but unfortunately, most either lack support from strong patient-oriented studies or are based on anecdotes Table 2. Indeed, much of the published EAMC prevention advice is derived from studies of electrically induced cramps rather than EAMCs, is anecdotal, is often too generic eg, consume more salt , or fails to account for the complexity of EAMC pathogenesis. Moreover, many patients and clinicians lack an understanding of the possible causes and risk factors for EAMCs and are overly confident about the contributions of hydration and electrolytes to EAMCs. Sport drink consumption and electrolyte supplementation are frequently touted as effective for preventing EAMCs, though the content of sports drinks and electrolyte supplementation products varies greatly Table 4. However, in the s, investigators 11 observed that workers prevented EAMCs by consuming saline or adding salt to their beverages. However, in both studies, 53 , 54 the athletes still experienced cramping, and the experimental designs prohibited identification of the ingredient responsible for this effect because the drink contained multiple ingredients eg, electrolytes and carbohydrates. Still, the large carbohydrate load Clinicians should be wary of sport drinks that contain stimulants eg, caffeine , which may cause an increase in nervous system excitability and, theoretically, predispose patients to EAMCs. Conversely, the authors 1 , 18 , 20 , 22 of several studies failed to show differences in plasma electrolyte concentrations in athletes with and those without EAMCs. Sodium supplementation did not differ between ultramarathoners with and those without EAMCs. If clinicians suspect hydration is a risk factor for recurrent EAMCs, we recommend sweat testing. Determining the sweat rate is relatively simple and only requires body weight to be measured before and after exercise. Clinicians must also know the duration of exercise and the volume or weight of any fluids ingested or lost ie, urination. Nonetheless, sweat electrolyte estimates are available for many sports. Combining sweat test results with a well-balanced, nutritious diet that considers the athlete's unique carbohydrate, fluid, and electrolyte needs will better ensure that he or she is prepared for exercise and minimize the risk of hyponatremia. Some clinicians use IV fluids to prevent EAMCs and believe they are effective. Although static stretching effectively treats EAMCs, 5 , 22 , 35 it appears to be ineffective as a prophylactic strategy. In a laboratory study, 56 three 1-minute bouts of static or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation hold-relax with agonist contraction stretching did not lower cramp susceptibility. In observational studies of athletes, investigators 21 , 22 , 30 also consistently failed to demonstrate relationships among flexibility, range of motion, and stretching frequency, duration, or timing and EAMC occurrence. Moreover, Golgi tendon organ inhibition was unaffected by a single bout of clinician-applied static stretching to the triceps surae both immediately and up to 30 minutes poststretching. Neuromuscular retraining with exercise shows promise for EAMC prevention. Wagner et al 3 found that a triathlete's hamstrings EAMCs were eliminated by lowering hamstrings activity during running and improving gluteal strength and endurance. To achieve this outcome, the patient required few professional visits once a month for 8 months and just a short minute daily at-home protocol. Fatigue is hypothesized to be a main factor in EAMC development and overexertion is often tied to EAMCs, 9 so it is vital to ensure that athletes exercise with appropriate work-to-rest ratios. Advances in our understanding of EAMC pathogenesis have emerged in the last years and suggested that alterations in neuromuscular excitability and, to a much lesser extent, dehydration and electrolyte losses are the predominant factors in their pathogenesis. Strong evidence supports EAMC treatments that include exercise cessation rest and gentle stretching until abatement, followed by techniques to address the underlying precipitating factors. However, little patient-oriented evidence exists regarding the best methods for EAMC prevention. Therefore, rather than providing generalized advice, we recommend clinicians take a multifaceted and targeted approach that incorporates an individual's unique EAMC risk factors when trying to prevent EAMCs. Recipient s will receive an email with a link to 'An Evidence-Based Review of the Pathophysiology, Treatment, and Prevention of Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramps' and will not need an account to access the content. Subject: An Evidence-Based Review of the Pathophysiology, Treatment, and Prevention of Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramps. Sign In or Create an Account. Search Dropdown Menu. header search search input Search input auto suggest. User Tools Dropdown. Sign In. Toggle Menu Menu Home JAT ATEJ NATA Journals Page NATA. org About Mission Statement JAT Editors and Editorial Board JAT Pub Med Central JAT CEU Quiz Issues Present Archive Archive Online First For Authors Help. Skip Nav Destination Close navigation menu Article navigation. Volume 57, Issue 1. Previous Article Next Article. ACUTE EAMC DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT. CHRONIC OR RECURRENT EAMC DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT. Article Navigation. CURRENT CLINICAL CONCEPTS June 29 An Evidence-Based Review of the Pathophysiology, Treatment, and Prevention of Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramps Kevin C. Miller, PhD, AT, ATC ; Kevin C. Miller, PhD, AT, ATC. Address correspondence to Kevin C. Miller, PhD, AT, ATC , School of Rehabilitation and Medical Sciences, Central Michigan University, Health Professions Building, Mount Pleasant, MI Address email to mille5k cmich. This Site. Google Scholar. Brendon P. McDermott, PhD, ATC ; Brendon P. McDermott, PhD, ATC. What parents need to know. Which migraine medications are most helpful? How well do you score on brain health? Shining light on night blindness. Can watching sports be bad for your health? Beyond the usual suspects for healthy resolutions. February 12, Here are the best ways to stop painful cramps — and prevent them from returning. What causes cramps? Relief for cramps Learn some stretches that provide rapid relief when cramps come. Kale's shortcut for nighttime leg cramps in the calf: "Sit up in bed, loop the blanket around your foot, and gently pull your toes toward you while you keep the knee straight," she suggests Alternatively, for cramps in the front of the lower leg, just stand up at the side of the bed, put your weight on your toes, and lift your heels; this gently stretches the cramped muscle. For back cramps, Kale recommends the "child's pose" yoga posture see "Move of the month". Move of the month: Back stretch: Child's pose Photo by Michael Carroll Movement: Get on your hands and knees, then exhale. Tips to prevent cramps Kale suggests staying hydrated throughout the day, eating foods rich in magnesium especially leafy greens and potassium bananas, black beans , wearing warm socks at night if you have leg cramps, and keeping your muscles strong and flexible with regular exercises. Share This Page Share this page to Facebook Share this page to Twitter Share this page via Email. Print This Page Click to Print. Related Content. Free Healthbeat Signup Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox! Newsletter Signup Sign Up. Close Thanks for visiting. The Best Diets for Cognitive Fitness , is yours absolutely FREE when you sign up to receive Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health , plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise , pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more. I want to get healthier. Close Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss Close Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School. Plus, get a FREE copy of the Best Diets for Cognitive Fitness. Sign me up. In the study, participants consumed up to mg of cinnamon, 38mg of capsicum, or mg of ginger. If you still experience a cramp, then next to consuming mustard and wasabi, you can decrease EMG activity by stretching and massaging the affected muscles. Antagonist contraction and icing or cooling the affected muscles can help by increasing the inhibitory afferent of the Golgi tendon organ. So I would suggest adding a cooling gel, ice spray, or cooling towel to your bag. Something that has helped me personally with calf cramps during soccer matches was compression stockings. Be aware though, that this is personal anecdotal evidence and that no studies have evaluated the effects of compression stockings on exercise-induced muscle cramps yet. And our last and probably most important advice is conditioning focusing on increased endurance intensity and resistance training of the affected muscle groups as well as other stabilizing muscles of the kinetic chain. The message is simple, the fitter you are, the less your muscles are prone to cramping. While general heavy lifting did not help me with cramping personally, I switched to mainly plyometric training of the legs about times a week in an attempt to prepare specifically for the demands of tennis. On top of that, plyometrics are said to improve neuromuscular control and delay neuromuscular fatigue by inducing beneficial adaptations to muscle fibers and the Golgi tendon organ firing receptors. If none of these tips can help you, you might want to get evaluated by a physician to exclude an underlying disease. Feel free to reach out to us if our tips helped you with preventing muscle cramps or what other measures you are taking personally. Bergeron, M. Heat cramps: fluid and electrolyte challenges during tennis in the heat. Journal of science and medicine in sport , 6 1 , Craighead, D. Garrison, S. Magnesium for skeletal muscle cramps. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews , 9. Moss, K. Some effects of high air temperatures and muscular exertion upon colliers. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Containing Papers of a Biological Character , 95 , Stofan, J. Sweat and sodium losses in NCAA football players: a precursor to heat cramps?. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism , 15 6 , Troyer, W. Exercise-associated muscle cramps in the tennis player. Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine , 13 , |
Exercise-induced cramps -
With the Golgi tendon organ inhibited, the muscle is inundated with messages to contract by the afferent muscle spindle brings messages from the brain to the muscle.
Muscles that are overused and fatigued may be at a higher risk for muscle cramping due to the effects of the fatigue on the neuromuscular system.
What is unique about this type of muscle cramping is that it would only affect the specific muscles that are fatigued and one would not see a generalized system muscle cramping as one would see with a case of dehydration-based muscle cramping.
The second type of cramping is caused by excessive sweat losses associated with a decreased level of electrolytes specifically sodium. Electrolyte deficit-related muscle cramps are sometimes the first level of three progressive conditions associated with heat illness.
The body has a complex system for cooling itself as the core temperature of the body begins to increase with exercise and an increase in the outdoor temperature. The first is by redirecting its blood supply out towards the surface capillaries in the skin. As the blood is routed towards the surface, the blood is cooled as it travels just under the skin as it comes into contact with the ambient temperature.
The second system is by sweating. With evaporation of sweat, heat is transferred from the body through an exchange of energy to the air. As the athlete moves, the air comes across the moist skin and cools the body through convection.
As the water and sodium content of the body decreases through sweating, the muscles can begin to systemically cramp. Sodium is the key electrolyte in the formula because sodium helps the body to retain water, especially in the muscle fluid spaces.
Electrolytes are minerals that dissolve in the body as electrically charged particles. They include sodium, chloride, magnesium, and potassium. Electrolytes have a direct effect on muscle cramping because they regulate fluid balance, nerve conduction, and muscle contraction.
A common myth associated with treating muscle cramps is that the consumption of bananas can alleviate the cramping. According to the research presented by Bergeron , several factors may be involved with causing muscle cramping in dehydrated athletes with sodium deficits.
The importance of these factors is that they are absolutely unique to the individual athlete. Some athletes are prone to cramping and others are not. The answer lies in the factors listed above.
Some athletes just sweat a lot. While performing the same level of activity, some athletes will be dripping with sweat and others will be relatively dry. This can be seen in both genders.
If an athlete has a high sweat rate during activity, this athlete may be susceptible and be at greater risk for muscle cramping. Some athletes have a high sweat sodium concentration. These athletes may actually leave salt residue on their skin or clothes after a workout.
If an athlete has a higher sweat sodium concentration, this athlete may also be susceptible and be at risk for muscle cramping. Although other electrolytes are lost in sweat, their concentration and consequent total loss via sweating is not enough to prompt muscle cramping or other problems.
The electrolytes most commonly blamed for muscle cramping include calcium, magnesium, and potassium. However, the review of the literature by Bergeron did not substantiate any of these electrolytes as possible causes of muscle cramping.
The effective treatment of muscle cramps is dependent on the cause. For athletes suffering from overuse or fatigue muscle cramps, the most effective treatments are passive stretching, massage, icing of the affected muscles, and contraction of the muscle on the opposite side of the muscle cramping i.
Contracting the muscle opposing the cramping muscle is based on the physiological principle of reciprocal inhibition. When a muscle contracts agonist the opposite muscle antagonist automatically relaxes to allow for the contraction.
Athletes suffering from fatigue-related muscle cramps will not be able to continue their activity without further cramping. These athletes need time for their muscles to heal and recover before trying to compete again.
For athletes suffering from muscle cramps prompted by excessive sweating and a sodium deficit, the same treatments as above can be immediately applied to reduce the pain and muscle spasm. However, along with the stretching, massage, and applied ice, these athletes need to consume fluids with additional sodium.
As the cramping resolves, these athletes may be able to continue competing at their normal intensity. Once the activity is completed, the athlete needs to continue to consume electrolyte-containing fluids.
According to McArdle, W. Sodium can be replaced by adding about one-third teaspoon of salt per one liter of water. The goal after exercise is to replace the water and electrolytes lost during the activity.
One method to determining the amount of fluid lost is to weigh the athlete before and after activity. This is good practice, especially in hot temperatures to help prevent serious heat illness in the athletes from accumulating water deficits.
Because thirst is not often a sufficient stimulus to maintain adequate fluid balance during exercise, adequate fluids need to be consumed prior to exercising. The athlete should maintain good hydration at all times.
To assist in adequate hydration during exercise, the athlete should consume 17 — 20 ounces of water or sports drink 2 to 3 hours before the activity. If possible, another 7 — 10 ounces should be consumed 10 — 20 minutes before the activity. A group of researchers found that using a sports drink consisting of a mixture of carbohydrates, electrolytes and water significantly delayed the onset of muscle cramps during exercise.
This study can unfortunately not tell us which of these 3 ingredients worked the magic, but my guess would be that the water and carbohydrates were the most important. It has previously been shown that adequate water and carbohydrate intake during exercise can prolong the onset of fatigue.
Your body should have enough electrolytes unless you are following a very restricted diet. Train at race pace. Make sure that you complete some of your training at race pace. This will limit fatigue on race day. Dress appropriately. Overheating can lead to increased fatigue which may increase your chances of cramping.
Taper your training in time to allow your muscles to recover. Racing on tired muscles will once again lead to early fatigue. Hold the stretch for a loooong time. As explained above, this will activate the Golgi tendon organs and relax the muscle.
Slow down and walk or free wheel if cycling. This will give the muscle time to recover. Need more help with your injury? Maryke Louw is a chartered physiotherapist with more than 15 years' experience and a Masters Degree in Sports Injury Management. Follow her on LinkedIn , ResearchGate. Buskard, A.
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What can you do to prevent muscle cramps while exercising?
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