Calf Cramps

NYRides said:

Does anybody have a quick fix for these? They happen to me in only
occasionally, in the middle of the night, but it seems the potential is
there EVERY night. I think the cause might be long rides followed by going
to bed in an air conditioned room. I'll deal with avoiding them in due
time, but, for now, I need to know what to do when it happens. MAN ,it is
painful, and it can affect me for days afterward.

The best way to get rid of them fast is to get out of bed and stand on
the balls of your feet to work them out. They usually disappear
pretty fast.

For prevention: those cramps are usually a sign of oxygen and nutrient
depletion. I've always read that the potassium in bananas helps. You
might try eating a banana in the evening after a long ride or taking a
potassium supplement.

They happen to me after a night of drinking 🙂, so I think there's
something to the nutrient depletion theory.

tmac

"Finally, there's a flag-draped coffin and military funeral that President Bush wants to be associated with, and wants us to see." - Maureen Dowd, June 10, 2004

NYRides said:

Does anybody have a quick fix for these? They happen to me in only
occasionally, in the middle of the night, but it seems the potential is
there EVERY night. I think the cause might be long rides followed by going
to bed in an air conditioned room. I'll deal with avoiding them in due
time, but, for now, I need to know what to do when it happens. MAN ,it is
painful, and it can affect me for days afterward.

I've heard or read about many claimed remedies. All of the following
are serious, believe it or not.

Drink more water.

Be sure your electrolytes levels are high enough and balanced. Make
sure you get enough salt and enough potassium.

Take in more calcium. (Milk products, for example.)

Stretch the offending muscle frequently.

.... and on to the strange ones...

Pinch your upper lip _hard_. I've read about this, and had several
people tell me this really works for them. I've heard this only
regarding leg cramps, though, never another muscle.

Swallow a spoonful of mustard. This remedy was touted in a recent
newspaper article.

--
--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

So the other posts about hydration, sodium and potassium are all right on
the money. I also had continuing problems (although lessened by the above)
and my massage therapist hit it on the head (and later confirmed by a
training friend who does Ironmans as well as seeing the results myself)...
Magnesium. That's the other key you need.

Try Cal-Mag capsules (Calcium and magnesium) The calcium aids the magnesium
absorption since magnesium is not easily absorbed, and also, sodium and
potassium can be replenished kinda quickly, but magnesium has to be built up
and maintianed, but will drop along with the sodium and potassium. (IOW, if
you ride a lot, take cal-mags daily)

Cal-Mag capsules, lots of leafy greens, spinach, broccoli, will keep those
mag levels up, and that WITH the sodium and potassium should take care of
those nasties.... That combo has worked like a charm for me.... Used to
get woken up in the middle of the night with calf cramps... no more...

Dave

"NYRides" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Does anybody have a quick fix for these? They happen to me in only
occasionally, in the middle of the night, but it seems the potential is
there EVERY night. I think the cause might be long rides followed by

going

Quoted message said:

to bed in an air conditioned room. I'll deal with avoiding them in due
time, but, for now, I need to know what to do when it happens. MAN ,it is
painful, and it can affect me for days afterward.

I started having this problem when I used to run. Gatorade takes care of it
for me. One glass every couple of days seems to be enough. gl

Stretch...

"NYRides" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Does anybody have a quick fix for these? They happen to me in only
occasionally, in the middle of the night, but it seems the potential is
there EVERY night. I think the cause might be long rides followed by

going

Quoted message said:

to bed in an air conditioned room. I'll deal with avoiding them in due
time, but, for now, I need to know what to do when it happens. MAN ,it is
painful, and it can affect me for days afterward.

<< Does anybody have a quick fix for these? They happen to me in only
occasionally, in the middle of the night >>

How's your calcium intake? Try drinking a glass of milk before bedtime?

(Mimi Forsyth) said:

Try drinking a glass of milk before bedtime?

You shouldn't milk calfs, only full-grown cows. Proper milking will
reduce cramps in adult cows, though.
--
Rick Onanian

Quoted message said:

For prevention: those cramps are usually a sign of oxygen and nutrient
depletion. I've always read that the potassium in bananas helps. You
might try eating a banana in the evening after a long ride or taking a
potassium supplement.

I've heard the same thing about bananas. Another poster mentioned
celery juice, which I assume to be made by putting celery sticks
through a juicer (rather than something purchased at the store with
added salt, sugars and whatnot). There's a good website with nutrient
information on all these foods: http://www.nutritiondata.com/. There
you'll find that celery does indeed contain more sodium than, say,
bananas, while bananas contain more potassium. While I rarely suffer
from cramping, I may try adding more celery to my diet anyway - can't
hurt.

For any ride longer than about 20 miles, I use bananas and a
gatorade-like drink which I mix from powder. There are a number of
recipes on the 'net (no need to spend $$ on commercial products), but
you'll have to try them to see what works for you. During a quick
perusal I found a recipe at
http://www.dissidents.com/articles/sportsdrink.htm which appears to be
similar to what I use.

There's also a good article on muscle cramps at
http://www.medicinenet.com/Muscle_Cramps/page1.htm.

NYRides said:

Does anybody have a quick fix for these? They happen to me in only
occasionally, in the middle of the night, but it seems the potential is
there EVERY night. I think the cause might be long rides followed by going

I get the occasional cramp in my hamstrings, generally following long
exertion in hot weather. (Got them in both legs simultaneously once in a
precarious bivouac on a mountain--now THAT'S misery!)
My reading on the subject suggests that the causes may be exertion,
dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance. To avoid cramps: drink up, drink
sports drinks, warm up, warm down, eat bananas. Milk? I haven't heard
that one, but it can't hurt.
Once you get the cramps, the usual therapy is to gently stretch the
muscle and hold it in the stretched position until the cramp passes.
Gentle massage/pressure on the cramp site may also help.