Calf Cramps

[Nyrides]

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.

 

[Tmac]

On Sun, 04 Jul 2004 12:46:45 GMT, "NYRides"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>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

 

[Frank Krygowski]

NYRides wrote:
> 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]

 

[Dave]

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 protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> 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.

 

[Ben A Gozar]

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

 

[Victor]

Stretch...

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

 

[Mimi Forsyth]

<< 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?

 

[Rick Onanian]

On 08 Jul 2004 06:11:35 GMT, [email protected] (Mimi Forsyth) wrote:
>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

 

[Palookabutt]

> 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.

 

[moonshdw]

NYRides <[email protected]> wrote:
> 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.