Cramp - any ideas?

rarelyearly · June 2007

Very bad attack of cramp (thigh/calf)at the 100 mile mark yesterday - had to stop for a while before wobbling home in smallest gear. Completely spasmodic muscle lock - impossible to cycle through. Had drunk plenty (but it was a hot day) and done a fair bit of climbing at a decent rate.

I use Boots' rehydration powder in my bottles when it's hot (plus the SIS stuff) - but perhaps need to up the dosage. I remember C+ favourably reviewing a product last Aug/Sept(?)which someone may have tried, but I can't find the back issue it was in. Does anyone remember what it was, or are there any other tried and tested remedies that used out there? Should I just add more salt and drink more water? I'd be grateful, as usual, for any thoughts.

ut_o_cykla · June 2007

cramp seems to have a variety of causes.Soem people never cramp, others do it regularly Here's my ha'penny's worth : cramp is usually caused by lack of something - blood, salts (not just table salt!), nutrients or too much of something (lactate?).

Insufficient blood to muscle or too much lactate is a fitness issue -- if you're fitter you'll get less cramp which leaves lack of salts/nutrients - a problem also exacerbated by less than optimum fitness.

An immediate 'remedy' would be gentle massage/stretching & lower level of exertion, replace lost fluids/salts. Long term you should probably check fluid loss on hot hard rides (weigh yorself before & after?), check fluids are suitable (have salts & carbs at appropriate levels)and being taken up (eg wrong mix will pass stomach wall too slowly - test at home in front of telly - drink some and see if you need to pee soon after?) and try and improve fitness.

Hope you've recovered now and get some more helpful help than my wandering thoughts!

pousse moi s'il vous plait

bof · June 2007

Given the warm weather yesterday you will have sweated a lot and hence lost more salt than usual. A pinch of "low blood pressure" salt in your drink and a banana could help.

SteveR_100Milers · June 2007

two more tips might help: always use "Lo salt" in food as it contains both Na and K chlorides which you need for proper muscular function. Secondly could be cleat position - maybe its too far forward and therefore stressing the calf muscles too much

Time! Time! It's always too long and there's never enough!

[Deleted User] · June 2007

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rarelyearly · June 2007

Useful points as ever - thanks. I'm fitter than I have been for a while, and dropping weight but still on heavy side. Better fitness and fluid management plus a bit more fat lost should help - hopefully it'll all come together for July, when I've got to tackle some big climbs.

Kingston Wheelers - quite a website you've got there...

Moovie · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by KingstonWheeler

Surprisingly no one knows the exact cause of cramp. Read more about cramp here: http://www.kingstonwheelers.co.uk/coaching3.shtml
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Interesting article but one comment - Tonic Water no longer contains quinine (or at least any amount that would be effective for cramps or malaria (its original purpose in Tonic Water) - at least not the stuff you buy in this country

________________________________________________________________________
2006 Ridgeback World Horizon Touring
???? Ridgeback MBR

Unknown · June 2007

I try to avoid any big efforts in the last 40 miles of a century. The classic is racing up a hill in the latter stages of a sportive and then getting hit with an almighty cramp a short while later.

Hugh A · June 2007

You could try Nuun which works better for me than the dehydration salt mix stuff and tastes better so you end up drinking more of it. Also comes in ahndy tablets for dissolving in water.

However it is a bit pricey for what it is and I've only found it available in this country on their website. But worth it IMHO to avoid the dreaded cramp!

I'm sure I had one of those here somewhere

overmars · June 2007

I got severe thigh cramp on the L2B yesterday, around about 40 miles. I stopped took on fluids, massaged... 20 minutes later I was off and went up Ditchling Beacon standing on the pedals most of the time.
Funny thing is I had the same problems last year after 40miles too!

So now I'm pretty sure that I'm low on something and not taking enough of it eg. salt, magnesium...

I'll try the nuun.

________________________
The obstacle is the path

john dixon · June 2007

I get various cramps when riding, maybe fingers, foot or inner thigh!

But the worst cramps have been occurring regularly in my calves at night! I leap out of bed and stretch it out by putting my weight on the affected leg and maybe walk around a bit or have a drink. I can't make a connection with physical activity. Some days I get these cramps when I haven't even been on my bike (yes, there are some such days!) It may be dehydration as when as I have woken up with cramp I have also been very sweaty.

Any more ideas?

Happy cycling, John

Wogan · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by KingstonWheeler

Surprisingly no one knows the exact cause of cramp.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

But..but...I know (or have a very good idea). It used to be thought that cramp was caused by a fairly widespread salt imbalance in/around the affected muscle, resulting in an electrical freakout and consequent painful spasm. However, researchers couldn't quite find an imbalance large enough and widespread enough to account for such spasms.

What they did find were large salt imbalances in very small areas called muscle spindles. These sensitive organs are tiny and they are involved in giving us a sense of where our limbs are (proprioception). Muscle spindles are involved in muscle contraction in a rather complicated way, but suffice to say that the localised salt imbalances cause the spindles to go into spasm which then results in a larger chunk of muscle going into spasm.

Prevention? Avoid salt imbalance and dehydration (keep drinking the isotonic stuff) and try to minimise muscle damage (spread the load around your muscle groups by changing riding position).

Disclaimer: I know this stuff from a biophysics perspective, not sports physiology. YMMV.

overmars · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Wogan

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by KingstonWheeler

Surprisingly no one knows the exact cause of cramp.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

But..but...I know (or have a very good idea). It used to be thought that cramp was caused by a fairly widespread salt imbalance in/around the affected muscle, resulting in an electrical freakout and consequent painful spasm. However, researchers couldn't quite find an imbalance large enough and widespread enough to account for such spasms.

What they did find were large salt imbalances in very small areas called muscle spindles. These sensitive organs are tiny and they are involved in giving us a sense of where our limbs are (proprioception). Muscle spindles are involved in muscle contraction in a rather complicated way, but suffice to say that the localised salt imbalances cause the spindles to go into spasm which then results in a larger chunk of muscle going into spasm.

Prevention? Avoid salt imbalance and dehydration (keep drinking the isotonic stuff) and try to minimise muscle damage (spread the load around your muscle groups by changing riding position).

Disclaimer: I know this stuff from a biophysics perspective, not sports physiology. YMMV.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

You see I can relate to this! I did sit most of yesterday, but after I got my thigh cramp, rested, took on fluids/food... I was dancing on the pedals up Ditchling Beacon. I'm pretty sure that I'm not taking on enough of something but I've always been worried about taking too much salt. But as I'm exerting more than the average person, that should not be a worry should it?

Anyway whatever others say, this rings true for me.

________________________
The obstacle is the path

Cramp - any ideas?

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