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Lead Stories: Saturday, September 6, 2008

Exercise-Induced Muscle Cramps: Causes & Prevention

Posted November 17th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

Exercisers are often told that muscle cramps are caused by lack of salt (sodium) or low potassium. However, recent studies show that athletes in endurance events who suffer cramps usually have normal sodium and potassium levels.

A review of the current literature from Buenos Aires, Argentina shows that doctors don’t know very much about exercise-induced muscle cramps (Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, July 2007).

The most common cause appears to be muscle damage. Athletes may be able to prevent cramps by slowing down when they feel the muscle pulling and tightening, and picking up the pace only when the muscle feels good again.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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Avoiding muscle cramps

Posted September 19th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Shannon Clark

Section: Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

One of the worst things that can happen to you during a workout is to be halfway through and then get a terrible muscle cramp. This is a regular occurrence for some however, particularly runners who try and exercise after eating a meal.

By paying attention to the foods you are eating before this occurs however you should be able to see a trend with regards to what foods give you issues and which don’t.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HesFit.com

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Got Cramps?
Check Your Salt Intake

Posted August 31st, 2007 at 8:10 AM by Katie Drummond

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Nutrition, Hydration, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

The most common cause of muscle cramps in exercisers is lack of salt, according to a report from the University of Oklahoma (Sports Medicine, April-May 2007).

The authors cite studies of tennis and football players showing that crampers tend to be salty sweaters, and of triathletes who cramp losing more salt during a race than peers who did not cramp. They found that intravenous saline can reverse cramping, and that more salt in the diet or in sports drinks can help to prevent heat cramping.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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Q & A: Can sports drinks cause stomach cramping?

Posted March 7th, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: Nutrition, Hydration

A study from the Netherlands shows that sugar in sports drinks slows absorption and increases stomach cramping in running races shorter than 12 miles.

Fluids pass through your stomach and are absorbed almost immediately in your intestines. Exercise slows fluid passage from the stomach but does not affect intestinal absorption. Sugar added to drinks can delay stomach emptying to increase risk for cramps.

Another study from the University of Utah, reported in the same journal, shows that taking a salty drink just before exercise increases endurance. Dehydration is the most common cause of fatigue during exercise in fit men and women. This study used salted drinks or placebo (unsalted) drinks with two groups of cyclists, and demonstrated a significant improvement in an endurance time trial as well as better maintenance of blood volume in the group that had the salted drinks.
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Study: Exercise can lower your sensitivity to salt

Posted December 7th, 2006 at 2:31 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Exercise

Excessive intake of salt causes high blood pressure in some, but not all, people. High blood pressure increases risk for heart attacks, strokes, and kidney damage.

Why do some people develop high blood pressure when they take in a lot of salt, while others do not?

A recent study from the University of Minnesota shows that middle-aged people who start an exercise program lose their tendency to develop high blood pressure when they take in extra salt (Journal of Human Hypertension, May 2006).
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CRAMPS - Factors That Can Cause Them & How to Prevent Them

Posted August 4th, 2006 at 1:00 AM by Jim Fortner

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Training Tips

A note from the TFS: We are pleased to welcome Jim Fortner as a guest contributor to The Final Sprint. Jim is an extremely knowledgeable runner and talented writer. Make sure to also check out “Jim2’s Running Page”, his own personal running and advice site.

Below you will find his latest post about cramps; where they come from and strategies to prevent them. Enjoy.

I believe that there are several causes of cramps. Therefore, it’s necessary to deal with several factors to avoid them. The key factors are early race pace, hydration, minerals, electrolytes, weather, being adequate trained and a sufficient taper.

I experienced leg cramps (calves) in my first 3 marathons that slowed my pace considerably and reduced me to some walking after 21 miles. I almost had problems with them in my 4th and 5th marathons. I occasionally felt ripples/spasms in my calves as they bordered on cramping. I was able to fend them off each time they threatened with more of a forced forefoot landing for a few strides. But, my pace was still affected. After that, I have avoided them completely in my 16 subsequent marathons. (Except for my 18th when an experiment with Gallowalking/pacing brought them on….but that’s another story. :) ) In the process, I have adopted several techniques that I think are effective against cramps.

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