Cramp in Thigh and Calf -How to Prevent or Treat Leg Muscle Cramps

by oystein lakskjonn
(norway)

Hi

I would like to get some advice regarding cramp in thigh and calf.

I am a runner in pretty good shape even if I am 57 years old. I have had problems with really bad cramp when I am running in thigh and calf.

I am pretty good at stretching and I have started eating seasalt, biomagnesium and minerals.

I also drink milk.

It has improved, but I still have problems when I train hard. Do you have other suggestions? My plan is to do a few competitions this year, but that is impossible with cramp.

Thanks in advance



Oystein Lakskjonn

vikinglaxen@hotmail.com

 

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How to Prevent Leg Cramps for Serious Runners



Because movement and coordination is controlled by the contraction and subsequent relaxation of the muscles of the body, we are therefore all prone to contractions that may occur irrespective of movements and these may be painful, and can last from anything from a few seconds to several minutes.



In many cases, muscle cramps will go away as soon as they start, without much effort or pain. However to the serious runner or athlete muscle cramps during an exercise period or during a competition can have devastating effects on
performance.





What are the principal causes of Leg cramps?



It is often said that when you know the cause of the problem, then you are already halfway to solving it. Therefore understanding the causes of cramps will lead us to a solution on how we can prevent them.



Muscle cramps are usually noticed when there is a sudden change in the level of activity of the body. Imagine getting straight into a morning run without adequate time to warm the muscles up. This is often one of the principal causes
of leg cramps.



Cramps have also been noticed in states of dehydration, which changes the chemical composition of the body fluids as water goes in sweat, and is not being adequately replaced.



Leg cramps have also been known to occur when the body falls short of its energy needs. And this may occur in individuals that hold their breath while running, even for just a short period of time. Acid build up in the muscles due to
anaerobic respiration may change the chemical composition of the muscles, causing cramps.





How to prevent leg Cramps in thigh and calf for serious runners



For runners, the parts that are mostly affected by cramps are in the thigh and the calf. For one these parts are intimately involved in the running process, and for the other they consist of a large amount of muscle mass. Here are a few
techniques that will keep your body in the right physiological balance and keep cramps away;





1. Warm up adequately before beginning the run. The muscles have been resting for a while with minimal contractions and stresses placed upon them. Warming up gets them ready to go, and sets the blood going faster in them, therefore they
are not going to feel the strain of an intensive run.



2. Make sure that your breathing follows the rhythm of your running or at least that you breathe adequately. Many people have found it useful to train themselves to breathe in relation with their steps. In this way you are sure you
won’t be holding your breath for any length of time.



3. Make sure that you drink enough water. Dehydration is one of the principal causes of cramps. Therefore making sure that you have enough to drink before, during and after exercise will go a long way to keep you out of the danger of suffering from cramps in during your exercise period, or during a competition.



4. Choose your meals wisely, especially pre exercise meals. People have commonly complained of cramps when they take in foods that have been difficult to digest. Though these cramps predominantly occur in the stomach and not the legs, making sure that your meals are light, especially carbohydrates for energy will help
the foods digest faster and so there is less chance of you getting cramps anywhere.



5. Know what is expected of you and train to get there. It is a sad thing to see and athlete lose his chance or joy in a competition when they get attacked by a cramps. Sometimes it is due to the fact that the terrain is rough, or the intensity of the run is much more than they trained for. Therefore training in line with what you expect to meet, and gradually increasing the intensity of your training to meet your goal will mean that on the big day your muscles will be ready for the level of strain, and will likely not convulse in a cramp.