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 weve assembled a checklist to help you determine if you may be more susceptible: Infants & Young Children (as they are more susceptible to heat) Over 65s (more susceptible to nutritional deficiencies, heat and after the mid 40s muscles generally begin to start breaking down more than theyre being built back up) Anyone who is ill and/or taking certain medications Overweight or Obese people If you suffer from arthritis, osteoporosis or cardiovascular disease Endurance Athletes Sports people involved in pre-season competition Physical fatigue If You Have a Poor diet Anyone whos dehydrated If you have poor or non-existing stretching habits Long history of running If you do a lot of hill running If you have poor fitting or worn-out/old running shoes Running frequently on a hard surface Running on a muddy or wet football field Running or exercising in a hot climate 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 arent 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. |
