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Muscle Cramps


petitepedal

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I got leg cramps..sometimes foot and sometimes hand :runcirclsmiley: My massage therapy friend suggested I take my calcium/magnesium in the PM...I am drinking lots of water..she suggested I might want to add electrolyles... so I tried having a water bottle of scratch. 

The first night with the PM cal/mag.....no cramps but that didn't last... ha the best non cramp night was after some way salty and more greasy than I like... lo mein (other things kept me awake :wacko:)

This morning...thankfully it was about 5AM after I stretched out my leg.

I have not been working out..or even much walking this entire last month (when the trainer said take it easy...I stopped :whistle:  )

So I am thinking of adding yoga @SuzieQ for stretching...and I plan to get back to at least the treadmill or outdoor walking this week..and rest will be determined by PT...

So what do you guys do for leg cramps???

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Hydrate!

I am quite prone to cramping, Most every long ride, every hockey game.   Even if I don't cramp during the event, I will wake up in the middle of the night twisted in a knot.   I've at time had them so bad that I am completely immobilized, even with help I can't straighten limbs. 

But if I increase my water intake a few days prior to an activity that I expect to cause cramping, it helps a lot.  

I tried Gatorade, Pedialite, all those, Skratch works best for me.  It's higher in sodium, Sodium helps draw fluid into muscles.

But here's the real secret:  I pickle Serrano peppers every fall, keep jars of those around, dice some and carry them on bike rides, keep some on my nightstand.  When a cramp kicks in, pop a pepper in my mouth, often within seconds the cramp shuts down.  Works on all but the worst cramps.

The research I did says that it's the combination capsacian/vinegar/cinnamon hitting the back of the throat that interrupts a nerve signal from the brain that instructs the muscles to cramp.  Vinegar alone (pickle juice) does this in about 10% of people.

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Couple tablespoons of pickle juice. I take some to ultra runs and take a taste every now and again.  At the 12 hour race, they have it at the rest stop in shot glasses. Pickles there too but few people eat them. 

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Staying hydrated is the biggest part for me. My calves used to cramp on me, usually if I rode hard several days in a row, but haven't had that issue for a while.  Over the winter, I was getting cramps in the arches of my feet from days on the treadmill. I know I don't hydrate near as well in cold months! It almost always resulted in scarring on my legs. The cat would snuggle with my legs. I  would get a cramp and jump up and the cat would scratch me in a panic as she tried to scramble away!

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3 hours ago, groupw said:

Staying hydrated is the biggest part for me. My calves used to cramp on me, usually if I rode hard several days in a row, but haven't had that issue for a while.  Over the winter, I was getting cramps in the arches of my feet from days on the treadmill. I know I don't hydrate near as well in cold months! It almost always resulted in scarring on my legs. The cat would snuggle with my legs. I  would get a cramp and jump up and the cat would scratch me in a panic as she tried to scramble away!

I was reading your post and trying to make the connection to hydration & scarring until you mentioned the cat!

Funny but not I guess... 

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I really don’t experience muscle cramping, must be lucky... Sometimes when I ride really long distances like a century my quads & hammie will cramp up after 80 miles but I can usually stretch them out & carry on.  

But for my usual day to day activity & workouts I don’t get them.

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