Calf cramp and resultant pains

I also get vicious calf cramps with very little warning - they really hurt like hell and I'm still aching two days later. They sometimes happen on a ride, sometimes in the middle of the night. As a remedy just about anything salty washed down with pure water can relieve the spasm in 5 - 10 minutes. Even a left-over barbequed chicken drumstick saved me once - halfway up a 3100m mountain. For prevention a magnesium supplement helps, and I always carry natural stuff like dried fruit, nuts and bananas (for potassium), and crispy bacon (for sodium) . . .
Lots of riders recommend isotonic drinks, but tbh I've never found them much good - went off them years ago and never gone back. Most taste like vomit to me, and have been known to result in the same.

ianrams wrote:

Thanks for the replies, very interesting. It took three days before the pain went and five before aching stopped.

I know what you mean. When I do cramp, which is luckily not that often anymore, i'm basically immobilised for about 2-3 days afterwards.

I think I may have found the cause of my cramps . . . this might help any of you who have had similar problems.

After a good summer of riding, when winter arrived I started feeling cr*p and battling to maintain a decent pace on my bike. Lots of aches & pains, and the crunch came on the Evans ride at Cliddesden in Nov when out of the blue I got massive cramps in my quads and calves. At the time I put it down to the cold and mud.
Long story short, more cramps plus dizziness and a few other things eventually led me to visit the doctor, and blood tests showed that I had a serious vitamin D deficiency (mine was 24, 'normal' is 75 :shock: ) . . . and low calcium levels.
The vit D deficiency is put down to a lack of sunlight, which is why it's worse in winter, but it affects some people much more than others. Vit D and calcium deficiencies often go together because vit D is required (amongst many other things) for the absorption of calcium - and a lack of calcium has been linked to cramps!
I won't go into detail - there is plenty about it on the web - but if you are suffering cramps at night / feeling run down and achy in winter, it may be worth getting your vitamin and mineral levels tested.

I've been on a vit D3 supplement since the beginning of January. The doctor said it would be at least a month before I should expect to see any improvement, but in the last two weeks I've had less muscle aches and thankfully no cramps, so it's looking hopeful.

ride_whenever wrote:

liver is a delicious and easy alternative to vitamin supplements, has load of vit d in it along with lots and lots of 'good stuff'

Delicious it is . . . but not that rich in Vit D (though it has lots of vit A) and unfortunately beef and chicken liver also contain loads of cholestrol. Salmon, mackerel, tuna and (if you can stomach it) cod liver oil are the best dietary sources, followed by milk.