Quad cramp

davoj

Hi,

I never suffer from cramp and also what make this post unusual is that i got my first cramp and it happened after two days with out exercising.

I was on two rest days and had planned on a cycle on the 3rd day when out of nowhere i suffered a severe cramp on the front of my left thigh, it got so bad and severe i actually felt faint and weak so i decided to leave the cycle and rest.

This morning i than cycled to work and my leg felt stiff but ok but than after about 8km (less than halfway) i was cramped with severe pain again and could barely turn the pedals so i than returned home very slowly and painfully.

What caused this and should i just rest or would cycling cause damage?

napoleond

I was firstly concerned having viewed the thread title that you were in fact a dog or something.

I'd go to the docs. My cramping issues turned out to be glandular fever and a fvcked liver.

Yours might just be bad fit or poor hydration or indeed poor fitness taking it's toll. Or it could be something else.

ai_1

NapoleonD wrote:

I was firstly concerned having viewed the thread title that you were in fact a dog or something.

I'd go to the docs. My cramping issues turned out to be glandular fever and a fvcked liver.

Yours might just be bad fit or poor hydration or indeed poor fitness taking it's toll. Or it could be something else.

As Napolean says it could be many things. I'd say possibly serious but much more likely a passing problem.
Once you've suffered one it may have done some muscle damage plus the original cause may still have been present making the second likely. Years ago before i ever took up cycling I used to occassionally wake up in the middle of the night with a calf cramp. I never discovered the cause and I've just realised now that this must not have happened in maybe 10 years now!
I wouldn't be too concerned, especially if you've been drinking, de-hydrated or just feeling a little off over the past few days. If concerned or if it continues talk to a doctor. Online forums ain't a great place to get medical advice!

davoj

Thanks

supermurph09

What would be the difference between cramp and a muscle strain? I ask this because last week doing the Buxton MTT I suffered what I thought was cramp, took a few minutes to shake off then requried me to slow my cadence down to stop it going again. However, it took around 3 days before the discomfort left me, so I figured it was probably a pulled muscle and not cramp? It was a hot day though and I was probably slightly deyhdrated.

I wonder if others confused the two?

davoj

Supermurph09 wrote:

What would be the difference between cramp and a muscle strain? I ask this because last week doing the Buxton MTT I suffered what I thought was cramp, took a few minutes to shake off then requried me to slow my cadence down to stop it going again. However, it took around 3 days before the discomfort left me, so I figured it was probably a pulled muscle and not cramp? It was a hot day though and I was probably slightly deyhdrated.

I wonder if others confused the two?

I was wondering the same thing but just taught it was a cramp because it was so sudden. It was probably a cramp to start with and than caused a muscle strain. I am still very sore today and muscle are extremely tender. I think rest is the only cure and hopefully no long term damage was done.

ai_1

Supermurph09 wrote:

What would be the difference between cramp and a muscle strain? I ask this because last week doing the Buxton MTT I suffered what I thought was cramp, took a few minutes to shake off then requried me to slow my cadence down to stop it going again. However, it took around 3 days before the discomfort left me, so I figured it was probably a pulled muscle and not cramp? It was a hot day though and I was probably slightly deyhdrated.

I wonder if others confused the two?

A cramp is when the muscle contracts on its own, painfully. You can't just relax the muscle, you have to physically stretch the muscle to get it to relax. So for example if it's your calf you'll need to pull your toes towards you to relieve the cramp and if it's your quad you'll have to do a quad stretch. I've only cramped once on a pure cycle, that was my first sportive. It was a very hot day and I didn't drink enough which I think contributes but may not be the entire cause. I'm not really prone to them usually but multi-sport races (duathlons, triathlons and adventure races) seem to trigger them for a lot of people, me included. Typically my calves get twitchy when I start cycling hard after having been running. Once a muscle has already cramped and you get it to relax it's much more prone to cramp again for some time afterwards (next couple of hours say). So in an event when I've already had a cramp, I can feel that muscle twitching whenever I push it close to the level that will trigger another cramp. If you push beyond that level or tense/relax the muscle in a way it doesn't like - Bang! - cramp. You can usually feel it coming so if you back off just enough a recurrence can often be avoided but backing off too much can also trigger - I don't know if it's the same for everyone but for me, continuing to race after a cramp is like a balancing act.
I'm no expert on this but purely by observation - poor hydration, lots of lactic acid and adrenaline and changes in muscle position during exertion seemed to be the main factors present on the few occassions when I've suffered from cramps.

With regards to muscle pain for days afterwards: I believe this is because the muscle contraction during a cramp is uncontrolled and very extreme - way beyond what the muscle is used to. Therefore you suffer some muscle damage during a cramp and get muscle soreness for a while afterwards while it recovers. So I think any muscle strain or soreness is a result of the cramp not a cause.

meanredspider

Yes - if you get cramp often, it's easy to tell the difference. Cramp is quick and intense but will normally clear reasonably quickly too though some residual damage can remain. A strain remains at a reasonably constant intensity. Cramp often happens AFTER max intensity of load (I get it most in the hour or two after a ride). Strain often at max intensity of load. Of course, this can be different. Causes aren't known but I find Zero tabs really help me.

supermurph09

Based on the above, I would say it was cramp then as I was able to back off and then carry on. Although as Ai_1 mentioned it was a balancing act, I wasnt able to really spin up, I had to change to a grind as I felt it coming back. Once finished I was ok, the next morning it was a bit sort, this passed in a couple of days.

ai_1

Supermurph09 wrote:

Based on the above, I would say it was cramp then as I was able to back off and then carry on. Although as Ai_1 mentioned it was a balancing act, I wasnt able to really spin up, I had to change to a grind as I felt it coming back. Once finished I was ok, the next morning it was a bit sort, this passed in a couple of days.

Yes that sounds exactly like my experience with calf and quad cramps including the grinding versus spinning to help avoid re-cramping