It is a subject of some controversy because there are disparate voices, and to date little scientific evidence on the subject, but certainly answer:Why do we suffer from cramps when we go running? How can they be avoided? These are two recurring questions for all types of runners. In this Runnea post we aim to shed some light on cramps in popular runners.
Surely you will not need specific cases to exemplify this type of injury in runners. You will have stories of friends, relatives or acquaintances everywhere, in first person, and all of them coincide in that point that those muscle cramps have made him stop in dry during a training; reach the extreme point of having to abandon a half marathon, marathon, or long distance race; even not being able to walk even two steps in a row.
What are the main causes of running cramps?
The tricky thing about muscle cramps is that they generate that feeling of frustration, because they can appear suddenly and without warning. Moreover, at present, their causes are still unknown. Thus, the hypotheses in which work is being done on the causes of the appearance of cramps in athletes can be summarized as follows:
Those that assure that the direct cause of cramps comes from the hand of an imbalance of water and mineral salts, caused by body water loss through sweat.
Those who indicate that cramps are the result of an alteration both in the conduction and in the discharge of nervous impulses on the muscle fibers that hibernate. Such a circumstance causes the fibers to contract asynchronously.
"That is why it is important to be able to determine what type of cramp you are suffering from: whether it is due to muscle overload; or due to electrolyte imbalance, derived from excessive sweating and reduced sodium levels. This way we will be able to prevent them more effectively while running", says Iker Muñoz, sports director of Runnea Academy.
How to prevent muscle cramps while running?
On the other hand, the behavior of these muscle cramps is so different that in some cases, they resolve on their own; but in other cases, they persist, and the worst thing is that you can not establish specific strategies to alleviate them.
"A good warm-up is always a good thing, but it will not prevent possible future cramps, since the cause of these is always derived from an over-solicitation of the musculature or dehydration," Muñoz points out.
So if we talk about preventing muscle cramps, Runnea's qualified coach is clear: "There is no unanimity, nor conclusive scientific evidence, but the intake of a drink whose content is enriched with sodium, potassium (especially), calcium and magnesium can help delay or avoid these problems, if sweating is very large". Although it is not possible to establish a generalized relationship between hydration and cramps, this does not exclude "underlining the vital importance of hydration in both health and performance in training and competitions", reminds us Iker Muñoz.
However, applying common sense when it comes to establishing an effective strategy to prevent muscle cramps, as far as possible, they go through:
- Lowering the intensity and duration of training.
- Improving both conditioning and range of motion through specific exercises.
- Maintaining an adequate level of hydration, including proper replenishment of mineral salts.
What about stomach cramps in runners?
Don't forget that in the specific case that these muscle cramps persist over time, they can force you to make biomechanical adjustments to your stride. This is that a poor choice of Running shoes "can cause our legs to suffer overloads and these derive, during training in these small pinches in the calf, soleus or peroneal," says our coach Iker Muñoz.
Finally, although they are independent physical discomforts, they do have as a nexus of union those disabling consequences that prevent you from continuing to run one more kilometer. So, if we talk about stomach cramps, that sharp, stabbing pain in the side-transient abdominal pain(ETAP)-, what kind of strategy should we follow?
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"Stomach cramps have more to do with the diet done before or during exercise and the ability of our gut to absorb these nutrients. This is also trained so that our intestine is faster absorbing both water and food," says Muñoz, who also concludes that "the intensive use of certain products, and especially the contents of these, can irritate the intestine causing these discomforts".
Remember that in our individualized training platform Runnea Academy we help you find your right training plan, and thus achieve your sports goals with a roadmap tailored to your needs to train safely and confidently.
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