• Question: Is there a way to stop getting cramps?

    Asked by mennie13 to Helen, Jenni, Mark, Martin, Stu on 21 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Stuart Mourton

      Stuart Mourton answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      In a word…No! There are several reasons for getting cramp, and while there is lots you can do to help prevent getting them, there’s nothing you can do to stop you ever getting them! A full warm up and cool down, staying well hydrated (enough water in your system) and replacing any lost nutrients like carbohydrates (used by the body as fuel during exercise) and salt are all ways of helping reduce the risk of cramps. I play Hockey and used to get cramps towards the end of matches. I started to spend longer on my warm up and started drinking water with added ‘Re-hydration’ powder in them and that helped me stop getting them. I also let the younger players do more of the running about too! That helped a lot as well!! 🙂

    • Photo: Jenni Tilley

      Jenni Tilley answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Lots of swimmers I know recommend avoiding eating up to an hour before exercise, and keeping a reasonable sodium intake (salt)

    • Photo: Martin Lindley

      Martin Lindley answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      This is actually a tricky question. In order to stop ‘cramps’ from occurring we have to know what is casuing it…..and we dont !

      So the real question should be…why do we get ‘cramps’

      The first step to answering this question is to define ‘cramps’

      This is where we find out that cramps is the muscle going into spasm and that it can happen for a number of different reasons. So for every reason the muscle goes into spasm there is a solution to stopping it happen.

      The simple answer is to cover as many reasons as possible ……..and that would mean following the good advice of Stuart and Jenni. Hydration status is key , that is drinking plenty of water (especially if you exercise in hot conditions) next is to make sure your electolyte status is good (a balanced diet helps – but a sports drink will also work).

      Next as Stuart and I both know 🙂 the older a hockey player gets the less able our muscles are for carrying out the same exercise we used to be able to do, so we warm up and warm down more thoroughly.

      So sorry its a long answer but it is a good question that still needs some research before we can give you a complete answer.

    • Photo: Helen O'Connor

      Helen O'Connor answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Thanks Stuart, Jenni and Martin: this is definitely not my area and I don’t know alot about physiology. I have worked with golfers who suffer from something called the “yips” where their hands go into a sort of spasm which stops them taking shots (this problem can get quite serious and cause people to retire from golf). Darts players can also suffer from something similar.

      There are several expanations for the yips, some say it is just a psychological problem, caused by anxiety, but other research has shown that in some ways, the “yips” is similar to the muscle cramps that writers or musicians can get in their hands.

    • Photo: Mark Burnley

      Mark Burnley answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      Ultimately, cramps can and will happen, you can only reduce the risk of them happening, as the others have said.

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