Fitness Tip of the Day: Dont Let This Cramp Your Game! Source: University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter - Vol. 30 Issue 12 June 2014 Have you ever had a muscle cramp? If you have, you know that they can be painful and often they happen at the most inconvenient times. Why does a muscle cramp happen? A muscle cramp happens because the muscle is shortened--for example...with your calf, a cramp may occur when you point your foot downward. Even though there has been numerous years spent on researching this issue, muscle cramps still remain a mystery. At one time, it was thought that they were caused by low levels of electrolytes in the blood(minerals such as calcium, sodium and potassium, which help to regulate blood pressure and fluid balance), resulting from dehydration and heavy sweating. So what was the preventative to this?? --To drink a lot of water or sports drinks. However, no evidence has confirmed that this works. In fact, many studies have shown that individuals who suffer from cramps arent any more dehydrated or have low electrolytes than individuals without cramps. So, what have the most recent studies confirmed? Muscle cramps are caused by muscle fatigue. If you are out-of-shape or working out too much...too intensely...it tends to increase your risk of getting cramps. Also, if you are taking certain medications or have certain medical conditions, such as, atherosclerosis(hardening of the arteries) also increases the chance of getting cramps. However, more research still needs to be performed to understand why some athletes tend to cramp up more than others. To Prevent Cramps: To reduce the risk of getting cramps when you exercise, proper training is the answer. General endurance training as well as training specific to your sport or activity will help. Also, increasing the intensity of your workouts gradually, especially, those workouts that involve jumping or other explosive movements may help. To Halt A Cramp: *Stretch the affected muscle. For example, if you have a calf cramp, flex your foot upward. You can also grab and pull the toes and the ball of your foot to help flex it. You can also walk to alleviate the pain of a calf cramp, especially if you put your full weight on the heel. *Massage the muscle...it may hurt...but keep doing it. *Stretching exercise- lean with the forearms against a wall and your feet perpendicular to it. Step back with the leg you want to stretch, keeping the front foot in place. Then, slowly bend your front knee until you feel a stretch in the rear leg, keeping the rear knee straight and heel on floor; hold for 10-30 seconds. Switch leg and repeat. Dont let cramps get in the way of workout! Hope these suggestions help! Take it one step at a time!
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 23:50:02 +0000
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