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Muscle Cramps and How to Avoid Them Print E-mail

It is a sure thing that at least some of the folks in the Highathon Challenge will experience serious muscle cramps during or immediately after finishing each event.  A handful may even be unable to finish due to cramps.  To help avoid that fate, gallons of fluid and dozens of electrolyte capsules will be consumed.  But, will they make a difference over just drinking water?

The researchers who post at The Science of Sport blog did an exhaustive five-part series on cramping in December 2007.  Go to http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/01/featured-series-on-science-of-sport.html and scroll down the page to the Muscle Cramps section.  After analyzing the available research studies, Tucker and Degas concluded that electrolyte drinks and pills will not make a difference and could make things worse:

“So bottom line – drink to thirst, don’t worry too much about what you drink, but just make sure you are getting enough ENERGY in – the one thing that the sports drinks provide that is required is glucose, and so plain water is unlikely to be sufficient for longer than about 2 hours of exercise.” So, if not electrolytes, what can we do to reduce the probability of cramping?  Tucker and Degas offer practical advice in Part V of the series.  First, there does seem to be a predisposition to cramping.  Some people cramp both at night and during exercise while others never cramp.  No one has even tried to identify the genes that might predispose one to cramps.

What causes cramps?  Tucker and Degas present two models for the cause:  1) electrolyte disturbances and dehydration or 2) neural activity and muscle excitation and relaxation.  The short answer is neither model is adequate; we just don’t know exactly what causes cramps.

So, if you are a “frequent cramper,” what can you do?  Tucker and Degas have some suggestions:

  1. Regular stretching will help.  A cramp is an uncontrolled muscle contraction.  Therefore stretching is often recommended especially if you know you are a cramper.  
  2. If taking an electrolyte capsule stops your cramping, then by all means take the pill.  The authors say they cannot explain why this happens physiologically, but if it works for you, stick with it.

If not a frequent cramper, how can you reduce your chances of cramping in your big race?  The authors note that “fatigue appears to be a common factor in cramps and so preventing fatigue or delaying its onset is crucial.”  By this, they don’t mean to stay home or don’t race hard.  Rather, they have two positive suggestions:

  1. Try racing close to your abilities in order to reduce the amount of fatigue you acquire during the race.  That is, avoid going out at an unrealistically fast pace only to crash and burn.  If your training and fitness are adequate for a 3:30 marathon, don’t set out at a 2:55 pace.
  2. Progressive training will help reduce the chance of cramping.  Make small and incremental increases in training volume and intensity with appropriate rest.  The authors note “rest is just as important as all the intensity and distance work you do, because it is during rest periods that your body actually makes the adaptations… and it is those adaptations that will delay the onset of fatigue.”
 
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