I just had a foot cramp for 10 minutes.... WTF

[aphex]

Ever get one of those that you cannot just work out? No matter what you try?

Arghhh, WTF... I've been drinking water all day and had a banana during breakfast, weird...

What causes em?

 

[Juno]

you need MOAR potassium..

 

[JohnCU]

or sodium

 

[aphex]

So put some salt on a banana?

 

[Juno]

fried plantations!

 

[Casawi]

umm I was ganna say drink watter, but since you already have. I would say drink more water and take some Ibuprofen ... that's is what the trainer told us when I played college tennis.
What part of your body is cramping ?

 

[Capt Caveman]

Amputation

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: aphex
So put some salt on a banana?

wash down with gatorade, repeat.

 

[Casawi]

Cramps are a bitch... they make a sissy out of any tough guy out there.

Are you sure you're cramping? sometime you can move and twist a muscle funny ... feels like a cramp, but it's not.

*try* to stretch.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: aphex
So put some salt on a banana?

wash down with gatorade, repeat.

<gargle>

 

[JohnCU]

Well god damn, I never knew cramps were so interesting:

There are six basic causes of cramping: hyperflexion; inadequate oxygenation; exposure to large changes in temperature; dehydration; low blood salt; or low blood calcium. Muscle cramps may also be a symptom/complication of pregnancy, kidney disease, thyroid disease, hypokalemia or hypocalcemia (as conditions), restless legs syndrome, and multiple sclerosis.[1]

Electrolyte disturbance may cause cramping and tetany of muscles, particularly hypokalemia (a low level of potassium) and hypocalcemia (a low level of calcium). This disturbance arises as the body loses large amounts of interstitial fluid through sweat. This interstitial fluid is composed mostly of water and table salt (NaCl). The loss of osmotically active particles outside muscle cells(NaCl) leads to a disturbance of the osmotic balance and swelling of muscle cells as these contain more osmotically active particles. This causes the calcium pump between the muscle lumen and sarcoplasmic reticulum to short circuit and the calcium ions remain bound to the tropomyosin and the muscle contraction is continued.

wiki

 

[Foxery]

Here's an odd trick I learned... In the future, grab about half of your upper lip between your thumb and fingers and hold it with some pressure. Something about the nerve bundle right under the nose causes muscle relaxation all over the body, including cramps.

Make sure you straighten out your leg and foot, and keep holding for a minute longer - otherwise the cramp will seize right back up when you let go.