Thigh Cramp

[TMHeimer]

Bad advice other than for someone who's had a blood test to confirm hypokalemia and have had a doctor prescribe potassium. If you've got normal K⁺ levels an add potassium supplements on top of that you're asking for trouble.

The normal range for serum potassium is relatively narrow 3.5-5.0mEq/L. While low potassium might cause minor issues like cramping... HIGH potassium can have cardiac conductivity/contractility issues. (There's a reason why the penal system uses potassium chloride as the "lethal injection" in carrying out the death penalty.)

As Lynn mentioned above, anything close to a normal diet provides plenty of potassium.

Food for thought. I will ask my doctor about the potassium pills he recommended. I would assume he saw something in my blood tests that suggested taking them. My lineage is very good regarding any heart problems, so maybe I've been lucky. I do have a very healthy and normal diet (thanks to the last 20 years with my wife--don't ask about my diet as single up to age 40...), as mentioned by Lynne (except maybe once monthly at Burger King, my favourite food). I figure doc is correct in that those potassium pills work great for cramps.

 

[industrious95]

I get both thigh cramps and calf cramps, but not on a regular basis. Probably a combination of hydration, tiredness, maybe drugs (scapalomine, decongestants, Blood pressure pills), age, cold. I jog on a treadmill, but not as regularly as I should, and walk a lot of stairs at work, so I'm not in terrible shape, although I should be about 15 lbs lighter.

I do the standard stuff that everyone on the boats suggests, eat a bannana for breakfast (but not on the boat - a whole nother story) and drink gatorade for potassium replenishment. Try to drink a lot of water to keep hydrated.

When I do get the cramp, I find the best thing to do is relax, breathe calmly and let it pass. It's hit me during a surface swim, on the ladder up to the boat and on the bottom. Don't panic, it won't kill you, and above all else, don't tense up, try to relax. It will go away.

Getting old sucks, doesn't it? :blinking:

 

[Rooster59]

I'm not a doctor or a expert. I bike, use an eliptical (winter), run, and swim. Using fins in the pool works my hamstrings and everything in the back side of my leg more than anything else. I ride on steep hills clipped in and pedal full circle, and that doesn't give the same feel as fins in a pool. I don't think running does anything for your hams unless you are doing sets of full-out windsprints. If swiming w or w/o fins is making your leg cramp, I would say do more of that in practice. I don't think there's much crossover. And I like bananas if I'm stiff.

 

[scjoe]

Endurance and strength are movement and velocity specific. Running hills will strengthen your hamstrings, but the strength is specific to running. Good runners tend to be lousy swimmers and vice versa.

 

[TMHeimer]

Endurance and strength are movement and velocity specific. Running hills will strengthen your hamstrings, but the strength is specific to running. Good runners tend to be lousy swimmers and vice versa.

Absolutely. I found while training for the DM swim test that a lot of strenuous running (up & down hills) got me in good shape, but did little for my swim times. I would guess swimming regularly is best for cramps. Maybe diving very often is even better. I only dive once weekly and don't have affordable access to a pool regularly for doing laps. Perhaps diving only once weekly isn't enough to prevent cramping.

 

[dmaziuk]

Absolutely. I found while training for the DM swim test that a lot of strenuous running (up & down hills) got me in good shape, but did little for my swim times. I would guess swimming regularly is best for cramps. Maybe diving very often is even better. I only dive once weekly and don't have affordable access to a pool regularly for doing laps. Perhaps diving only once weekly isn't enough to prevent cramping.

Lap swimming comes with a very specific kind of cramp when you push off the wall. You won't get that cramp doing anything else so yeah: swimming is the best for it. Just not the way you mean. Seriously though, stretching should help with cramping but only up to a point. If you're cramping up because your muscles aren't conditioned for working in this particular way, there's only one fix for that...

PS. well, two actually, since there's always the "then stop doing it" option.

 

[TMHeimer]

Lap swimming comes with a very specific kind of cramp when you push off the wall. You won't get that cramp doing anything else so yeah: swimming is the best for it. Just not the way you mean. Seriously though, stretching should help with cramping but only up to a point. If you're cramping up because your muscles aren't conditioned for working in this particular way, there's only one fix for that...

PS. well, two actually, since there's always the "then stop doing it" option.

Well, I'm only speculating about my once weekly diving not being enough to ward off cramps. I haven't seen my doctor yet about the potassium pills he advised me to take 6-7 years ago. Since I've rarely cramped since then, for now I'll chalk it up to the potassium thing.