Almost everyone involved in physical exercise has experienced muscle cramps at some point in time. It can be explained as a painful and involuntary muscle contraction that locks the joint in place. They occur mostly in longer muscles that span two or more joints. Once experienced, athletes may continue to cramp unless adequate rest is provided. There are many theories as to how muscle cramps occur and what can be the possible solutions to relieving them. They are sometimes inaccurately termed as heat cramps. Exercise-associated muscle cramps do not have a relation with body temperature and do not recover with an external cooling modality, like an ice pack. If the theories of muscle cramps do not interest you, skip to the last part where you can learn how to deal with muscle cramps.
One of the oldest theories is based on dehydration and electrolyte imbalance that occurs during exercise. It states that sweating alters the chemical balance of the fluids present in the body, which affects the muscle-nerve interaction. There are a few things that help disarm this theory.
Firstly, since sweating and dehydration evenly affect the whole body, cramps should also not be specific to any particular muscle.
Although the mechanism of muscle cramps is not crystal clear, the solutions do have adequate evidence to back the recommendations. Static stretching is one of the most effective ways in which cramps can be relieved in the short term. The athletes are advised to rest to avoid the recurrence of cramps. Drinking water, carbohydrates, or an electrolyte solution can also provide some relief, but it takes more than thirteen minutes for fluids to be absorbed into the blood, so immediate results cannot be expected. It is also not advised to only consume sports drinks as their concentration can lead to different complications altogether. Bananas are also a popularly suggested remedy for cramps, but the research clearly states that it is ineffective in doing so.
Prevention is another case, however. Stretching does not seem to prevent the development of cramps. Magnesium is also not effective for preventing or curing muscle cramps. There are other actions like hydration tracking, exercises, recovery, and carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks that have been proven to be effective in prevention.
It is a relief to learn that despite the confusion regarding the exact mechanism of cramps, we have found ways to tackle and prevent them from occurring to a satisfactory extent. You can also find a few articles on dehydration and other relevant topics on the profile.
One of the oldest theories is based on dehydration and electrolyte imbalance that occurs during exercise. It states that sweating alters the chemical balance of the fluids present in the body, which affects the muscle-nerve interaction. There are a few things that help disarm this theory.
Firstly, since sweating and dehydration evenly affect the whole body, cramps should also not be specific to any particular muscle.
Secondly, as we shall see, stretching helps athletes recover from cramps, despite stretching not affecting the hydration status of the body.
The chemical composition and water content of the plasma were similar in the people suffering from cramps and the people who did not experience muscle cramps.
The athletes who cramped and the ones who did not cramp consumed the same amount of water during exercise.
Lastly, whatever connections were found between electrolyte balance and cramping were only in American football, whereas numerous studies investigating athletes of ten other sports did not find this association.
The second theory is the altered neuromuscular control theory. In simple terms, muscle activity is dictated by the electrical impulses that it receives through the nerves of our body. These can sometimes be sent from the brain and spinal cord, and other times the impulse is generated in the local circuits of the muscle itself. This theory states that there is an imbalance in this functioning which causes muscle cramps. It is also believed that a fatigue state predisposes the athlete to having muscle cramps, as they are more commonly observed towards the end of many competitions. However, even this theory has been questioned. Researchers have reasons to believe that fatigue cannot be the only factor responsible for muscle cramps.
A more recent theory in this case seems more plausible as it acknowledges the existence of multiple factors in the occurrence of cramps. It states that a sum of all the imbalances of different physiological processes is at play. A threshold exists, which when crossed, increases the chances of muscle cramps. Numerous factors contribute to this threshold. They include hydration status, electrolyte balance, fatigue, any previous injury or weakness, hot and humid climatic conditions, lack of sleep, and poor nutrition.
The Solution to Muscle Cramps:
The chemical composition and water content of the plasma were similar in the people suffering from cramps and the people who did not experience muscle cramps.
The athletes who cramped and the ones who did not cramp consumed the same amount of water during exercise.
Lastly, whatever connections were found between electrolyte balance and cramping were only in American football, whereas numerous studies investigating athletes of ten other sports did not find this association.
The second theory is the altered neuromuscular control theory. In simple terms, muscle activity is dictated by the electrical impulses that it receives through the nerves of our body. These can sometimes be sent from the brain and spinal cord, and other times the impulse is generated in the local circuits of the muscle itself. This theory states that there is an imbalance in this functioning which causes muscle cramps. It is also believed that a fatigue state predisposes the athlete to having muscle cramps, as they are more commonly observed towards the end of many competitions. However, even this theory has been questioned. Researchers have reasons to believe that fatigue cannot be the only factor responsible for muscle cramps.
A more recent theory in this case seems more plausible as it acknowledges the existence of multiple factors in the occurrence of cramps. It states that a sum of all the imbalances of different physiological processes is at play. A threshold exists, which when crossed, increases the chances of muscle cramps. Numerous factors contribute to this threshold. They include hydration status, electrolyte balance, fatigue, any previous injury or weakness, hot and humid climatic conditions, lack of sleep, and poor nutrition.
The Solution to Muscle Cramps:
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| Carbohydrate-Electrolyte Drink |
Although the mechanism of muscle cramps is not crystal clear, the solutions do have adequate evidence to back the recommendations. Static stretching is one of the most effective ways in which cramps can be relieved in the short term. The athletes are advised to rest to avoid the recurrence of cramps. Drinking water, carbohydrates, or an electrolyte solution can also provide some relief, but it takes more than thirteen minutes for fluids to be absorbed into the blood, so immediate results cannot be expected. It is also not advised to only consume sports drinks as their concentration can lead to different complications altogether. Bananas are also a popularly suggested remedy for cramps, but the research clearly states that it is ineffective in doing so.
 |
| Static Stretching |
Prevention is another case, however. Stretching does not seem to prevent the development of cramps. Magnesium is also not effective for preventing or curing muscle cramps. There are other actions like hydration tracking, exercises, recovery, and carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks that have been proven to be effective in prevention.
It is a relief to learn that despite the confusion regarding the exact mechanism of cramps, we have found ways to tackle and prevent them from occurring to a satisfactory extent. You can also find a few articles on dehydration and other relevant topics on the profile.
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