Treating running cramps, muscle cramps, night cramps, side stitches or any form of cramping first involves identifying whether you are in a higher than normal risk category than others.
Good friend, TV presenter, helicopter rescue doctor and medical director for EcoChallenge and Survivor, Dr Adrian Cohen, has seen his fair share of cramps associated with exercise and health problems.
Together we've assembled a checklist to help you determine if you may be more susceptible:
o Infants & Young Children (as they are more susceptible to heat)
o Over 65's (more susceptible to nutritional deficiencies, heat and after the mid 40's muscles generally begin to start breaking down more than they're being built back up)
o Anyone who is ill and/or taking certain medications
o Overweight or Obese people
o If you suffer from arthritis, osteoporosis or cardiovascular disease
o Endurance Athletes
o Sports people involved in pre-season competition
o Physical fatigue
o If You Have a Poor diet
o Anyone who's dehydrated
o If you have poor or non-existing stretching habits
o Long history of running
o If you do a lot of hill running
o If you have poor fitting or worn-out/old running shoes
o Running frequently on a hard surface
o Running on a muddy or wet football field
o Running or exercising in a hot climate
o If you are inactive for long periods of time
Now you have to agree that this is a pretty general list and can apply to practically everyone - but the truth is 'practically everyone' does suffer a cramp from time to time.
The question then becomes a matter of how frequent and what you need and are prepared to do to stop and prevent them from happening ever again.
Sometimes by simply recognizing that you have a higher risk helps with the treatment and prevention.
For example - if you do a lot of hill training, you might break it up a little with more flat courses or take a break from the hills. And if you do a lot of running on a hard surface such as concrete, consider switching some of your training sessions to grass or sand. Even a road surface may be a little 'softer' than a concrete footpath. And if you're not very active, it' easy to get active.
If you take any type of regular medication, read the inside of the packaging that lists contra-indications and you may find cramp as something your doctor may not have told you about.
"For some who eats a poor diet and tries to compensate by training regularly, simply improving the diet - and that means drinking a whole lot more water, eating more fresh fruit and vegetables and avoiding fast and processed food - is enough to break the cycle and stop the cramps", says Cohen.
If you do suffer cramps regularly and they affect your sporting performance then you will definitely need to take 'steps' to fix the problem before it gets worse and starts affecting your health.
For many athletes, cramps are early warning signs for a range of more serious health issues . . . elite athletes suffer many health challenges like diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, gut problems and even cancer because they ignored the warning signs during their career.
Last time I checked the records for the longest lived and most healthful people on the planet aren't those who trained the hardest or were the fittest. James Fixx - the legend runner who wrote the hugely popular 'The Complete Book of Running' which popularised the sport - died at the age of 52 from a massive heart attack.
Paul Newland is a health and nutrition consultant, trainer, martial arts instructor, commercial helicopter pilot and author. His Ultimate Cramp Busting Guide [http://www.running-cramp-relief.com] is one of the internet's leading health information books and is the definitive guide to preventing, treating and curing cramps associated with exercise. In the Ultimate Cramp Busting Guide [http://www.running-cramp-relief.com] Newland speaks with 6 health, sports, nutrition, medical and complimentary health care professionals and explains why you get cramps, the best ways to treat them and how to prevent them from happening again.
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