Cramps

As summer is upon us more and more people are out doing exercise and activity.  If their bodies haven’t been active for the whole winter, they may be plagued by painful cramps and muscle spasms.  Ordinarily a muscle contracts when it is used and then stretches out when the motion is completed or when another muscle moves it in the opposite direction.  If a muscle contracts without stretching out again you feel the pain of a twitching muscle cramp.  This type of cramp more commonly affects leg and feet muscles, but it can also affect women, in the form of menstrual cramps and children, when legs may cramp due to “growing pains”.

This type of cramping can be caused by lots of different factors…including unaccustomed physical exercise, tobacco use, allergies, sitting/standing/lying in one position for a long period of time, hormone imbalance but, also, (to bring it back to nutrition), is often caused by an imbalance in the body’s level of electrolytes – that is, minerals such a potassium, calcium and magnesium and/or a deficiency of vitamin C.  Calcium and magnesium work hand-in-hand to help the muscles of the body contract and then relax.  Calcium is known to help with the contraction and magnesium with the relaxing.  A deficiency in these minerals can often be seen as cramping in the legs and feet at night.  Calcium is found in nuts, seeds, parsley, prunes, corn tortillas, leafy green vegetates eaten with their bones and dairy products.  Magnesium can be found in nuts, seeds, green leafy veg, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, green peas, garlic and cooked beans.

Also, vitamin E may help to improve the poor circulation that can cause night cramps.  Night cramps in the elderly may be caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency, this is found in fish, eggs, cottage cheese and meat.

When a cramp occurs during or immediately after exercise, it is likely to be the result of a gradual build up of lactic acid – this is a by-product of muscle activity.  Cramps may be the result of dehydration during exercise caused either by excessive sweating or during very hot weather.  Water in the body is connected very closely to the electrolyte and salt balance.  To prevent dehydration drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise.  Or if cramps are severe, drink lots of water with Dioralyte, (a mix containing minerals and salts that can be added to water and then drunk, available from a chemist).  This may be especially necessary if cramping (or dehydration) occurs in the tropics.

The best way to alleviate an immediate pain is to massage and stretch the area well or by taking a hot shower, spraying the showerhead directly onto the affected area.  But to prevent a re-occurrence make sure you are eating both a good balance and plenty of foods rich in calcium and magnesium.