Exercise Induced Calf Cramps

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  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    Cherimoose wrote: »
    esjones12 wrote: »
    And yes I do stretch a lot. I cant stretch at work every 30min. But I will take every chance I get.

    So does it help? If so, i'd wear a night splint to stretch your calves while you sleep. Get one that can adjust below 90 degrees like this:
    amazon.com/Adjustable-Plantar-Fasciitis-Splint-Medium/dp/B006L8N71Y

    Since increasing stretching (outside of my usual stretching) I have not had a strenuous enough workout that would cause one of my cramps. Tomorrow will be the test with back to back soccer games. Though I have a feeling if they don't cramp it will be because my calves have had a chance to recover for once. To be honest that contraption looks scary. Considering I don't have Plantar Fascitis I would want to consult a doctor about using a device for something other than it's intended purpose.

    In addition to reducing the overall impact on my legs I am being more diligent about hydration and protein. I am also getting compression sleeves to wear during harder workouts. I am hoping this fixes the core problem and provides enough support for me to perform at the top of my game.

    If problems persist I have a nice list of other options to try!

    @dawnmcneil10 - not that I needed another reason to eat cherries! So the cherries helped reduce calf cramps during intense exercise? I do not get them at night ever....
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I've gotten some pretty awful ones during races (think hot weather, lots of sweating, etc). I've had best results keeping my fluid levels moderate and my sodium intake high during training/racing.

    Everyone is different, so take this with a grain of salt (pun intended), but you drink roughly 2x what I do and take in roughly have the sodium.

    My completely subjective opinion is that you need sodium levels in muscle tissue, and too much fluids can actually be problematic. I reduced my fluids and increased my sodium going into last season and had no problem with cramping and PRed every race.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    You drink less than 8 cups of water a day? Even with exercise? I would assume the blood work I had done checked my sodium levels and the doctor cleared my results *shrug* I would trust those compared to my MFP averaging.

    But I will definitely still be playing around with banana's, salt tabs, and electrolytes. The races I do are definitely very strenuous and I have a feeling cramps during most of them will be inevitable. I just can't have them happening during training as often as they had been. Too many days off.

    Got any high sodium, low calorie foods you like?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    FWIW, I only care about it the day before and the day of a race. Day to day I pay no attention to sodium or water intake, though my normal tendency is for very low water consumption and very high sodium intake.

    I've moved to drink mix and gels with the highest sodium and caffeine quantities I can find. That ends up being powerbar gels and scratch labs drink mix.
  • hermann341
    hermann341 Posts: 443 Member
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    I had calf cramps due to compartment syndrome in my calves. I had been working out too hard when I started running, and my calf muscles bulked up too quickly (like over a 4 month period). Stretching helped, but I had to rest my calves for several weeks the last time I had cramps, and then had to proceed very slowly with increasing my speed and endurance once the soreness went away enough. I had to go to a sports medicine doctor for the diagnosis, at which time he pointed out I was also getting stress fractures in my shins from the muscles pulling the bone apart.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    For me stretching and potassium worked. I stretch 45 min, 3 mornings a week.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
    edited March 2015
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    hermann341 wrote: »
    I had calf cramps due to compartment syndrome in my calves. I had been working out too hard when I started running, and my calf muscles bulked up too quickly (like over a 4 month period). Stretching helped, but I had to rest my calves for several weeks the last time I had cramps, and then had to proceed very slowly with increasing my speed and endurance once the soreness went away enough. I had to go to a sports medicine doctor for the diagnosis, at which time he pointed out I was also getting stress fractures in my shins from the muscles pulling the bone apart.

    That is one of the possibilities my Sports Med doctor mentioned. Were you actually tested for it? Mine said it involved getting a needle stuck in your calf to measure the pressure, then running on a treadmill and then sticking your calf again. It sounded awful. He said it was something we would look into if decreasing the impact I was putting on my legs did not help. He was pretty sure it was overtraining syndrome (OTS) vs compartment syndrome. I'm crossing my fingers he is right.

    jacksonpt - Ah! That explains it lol. Salt tabs do seem to help me during races. I just don't always have them available. I'm thinking of wearing a small fuel belt for shorter races I don't have my camelback on for.
  • ekat120
    ekat120 Posts: 407 Member
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    I had some issues that I figured out were due to a new pair of shoes (the cute ones in my profile pic :'( ). Research has failed to find a connection between hydration/electrolytes and exercise-induced muscle cramps.
  • sunglasses_and_ocean_waves
    sunglasses_and_ocean_waves Posts: 2,757 Member
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    When I first got onto my cancer med, my calves would ball up like you describe. I was in so much pain one night, I fell out of bed. Ugh. Partially getting used to the med helped, but the other part was eating more potassium and stretching my calves any chance I got throughout the day. Good luck. I know how painful this is =(
  • hermann341
    hermann341 Posts: 443 Member
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    esjones12 wrote: »
    hermann341 wrote: »
    I had calf cramps due to compartment syndrome in my calves. I had been working out too hard when I started running, and my calf muscles bulked up too quickly (like over a 4 month period). Stretching helped, but I had to rest my calves for several weeks the last time I had cramps, and then had to proceed very slowly with increasing my speed and endurance once the soreness went away enough. I had to go to a sports medicine doctor for the diagnosis, at which time he pointed out I was also getting stress fractures in my shins from the muscles pulling the bone apart.

    That is one of the possibilities my Sports Med doctor mentioned. Were you actually tested for it? Mine said it involved getting a needle stuck in your calf to measure the pressure, then running on a treadmill and then sticking your calf again. It sounded awful. He said it was something we would look into if decreasing the impact I was putting on my legs did not help. He was pretty sure it was overtraining syndrome (OTS) vs compartment syndrome. I'm crossing my fingers he is right.

    jacksonpt - Ah! That explains it lol. Salt tabs do seem to help me during races. I just don't always have them available. I'm thinking of wearing a small fuel belt for shorter races I don't have my camelback on for.

    I did not get the needle test. The doctor (an orthopedist recommended by another doctor) took some x-rays and by process of elimination based on history and symptoms and what I had been doing to that point to correct it, determined it was the overtraining version of compartment syndrome. I had been pretty sedentary and weighed 260 lbs when I started running, and just plain overdid it. It took about a year after the diagnosis for the soreness to subside to a point I felt like I could train at a higher level. Three years after the diagnosis, I'm feeling fine.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    hermann341 wrote: »
    I did not get the needle test. The doctor (an orthopedist recommended by another doctor) took some x-rays and by process of elimination based on history and symptoms and what I had been doing to that point to correct it, determined it was the overtraining version of compartment syndrome. I had been pretty sedentary and weighed 260 lbs when I started running, and just plain overdid it. It took about a year after the diagnosis for the soreness to subside to a point I felt like I could train at a higher level. Three years after the diagnosis, I'm feeling fine.

    Ugh. Sounds like where I am/was headed. Definitely gives me more motivation to cut back. Or should I say just do less high impact. I've been off for a week, minus an hour of yoga with my trainer, and its mentally killing me. I made a chart for the next six weeks with 5 daily goals to hit to give me something to try for. All should help improve my performance too! I keep telling myself backing off is better than not being able to do anything.

    Glad you have recovered fully :)

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