Thigh Cramp

[videofly]

The adductor magnus gets me on the bike sometimes. Typically during a climb towards the end of anything in in the 100mi range... especially if it's hot/humid.

You know how painful it is; now imagine it hitting you while cleated into your pedals and climbing a nice hill!

100 miles on a bike? I have trouble driving that far!

 

[RJP]

100 miles on a bike? I have trouble driving that far!

It's not so bad with two AL 80s... but it's murder with steel doubles!

:d

 

[dumpsterDiver]

When I was starting out diving as a young teenager, i was prone to hamstring cramps. I was freedive spearfishing in NJ, solo and wearing a 7 mm jacket and no pants and no hood because the water was pretty warm. I did not feel cold, however the water was probably 65 or something and I was working hard swimming each fish I shot back to shore.

After several trips, as I was coming in through the surf, I was hit with a bad leg (hamstring) cramp, so I tried to swim through the surf with one leg. I guess the extra demand caused both legs to cramp. It turned me into a ball. I dropped the gun and fish and was rolling through the surf, with very little opportunity to breath. I was in terrible pain, terrified and i think I almost drowned. The surf spit me out near shore and I crawled out. I scared the hell out of me. I NEVER had such a cramp when playing football, or any sport or running or biking or even swimming on a swim team.

After that, I concentrated on leg curls in the gym, and built those hamstrings up and I very rarely get a hamstring cramp.

Personally, I think that chilling of the muscle, even if your over all body temperature is sufficient, makes the muscle much more prone to spasm. Even after 40 years from that incident, I will always wear wetsuit pants, unless the water is super warm. For years i commercially dove for lobster with 7 mm FJ pants, hood and just a nylon wind breaker for the top.

So train and stretch the specific muscle that is giving you trouble and keep it warm - is what I learned.

 

[cb5150]

+1 for the potassium supplements

 

[RJP]

+1 for the potassium supplements

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.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Lots of good advice, but I seized on the phrase " I inflated by BC and surfaced." That is a controlled buoyant ascent, and is a good skill to have. It is difficult to master to the level of controlling ascent rate. I assume ice chip had this skill. For new divers reading this thread, please note that you should, absent emergency, be deflating the bcd before ascent. As you ascend, air in the bcd will expand and accelerate your ascent. One at the suface, do inflate your BCD.
DivemasterDennis

 

[TMHeimer]

Lots of good advice, but I seized on the phrase " I inflated by BC and surfaced." That is a controlled buoyant ascent, and is a good skill to have. It is difficult to master to the level of controlling ascent rate. I assume ice chip had this skill. For new divers reading this thread, please note that you should, absent emergency, be deflating the bcd before ascent. As you ascend, air in the bcd will expand and accelerate your ascent. One at the suface, do inflate your BCD.
DivemasterDennis

Good advice for sure, as long as you are able to correctly release air during the ascent and/or able to do some skulling to slow the ascent down. I believe I did this once when in 8 feet of water. Both arms and both legs cramped at the same time. But being on the surface was not practical as I couldn't do anything with my limbs (fortunately, I had a lot of tank air left and wasn't too far from shore where I could stand). So I took a compass reading and descended again to the bottom where I pulled myself along the sand & rocks to safety. I think that's when the doc recommended the potassium pills. This would maybe be the only case where if careful, you can do the dreaded "use your BC as an elevator".

 

[peacock62]

Take a "Cuda" never cramp again[emoji108]🏻


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Wingy]

This may or may not help at all and I'm not a doctor - but - due to a small birth defect in the length of my tendons I walk on my tiptoes unless I'm forced by society to wear shoes. I think I've had two leg cramps in nearly 5 decades and never one diving. I have had toe cramps twice diving but walking on tiptoes all my life has given me pretty reasonable leg muscles...if OP is male id suggest maybe doing this at home..alone..

Ive often wondered if the walking on tiptoes has stopped me from suffering from cramps.

 

[icechip]

Lots of good advice, but I seized on the phrase " I inflated by BC and surfaced." That is a controlled buoyant ascent, and is a good skill to have. It is difficult to master to the level of controlling ascent rate. I assume ice chip had this skill. For new divers reading this thread, please note that you should, absent emergency, be deflating the bcd before ascent. As you ascend, air in the bcd will expand and accelerate your ascent. One at the suface, do inflate your BCD.
DivemasterDennis

Sorry, I should have put it a better way such as "I added some air to start me up and controlled the vent as I went." And that was actually something we practiced in my cert class.