Skeletal Muscle Cramps During Exercise |
 The most commonly seen ailment at marathons
and triathlons is skeletal muscle cramps. The causes
and treatment of this physiological phenomenon has not been
completely defined. Many conditions can elicit muscle
cramps, such as congenital abnormalities or neuromuscular
diseases, but in athletes the condition is usually exercise-associated.
Establishing a thorough medical history is the most effective
way to determine if the cramps are exercise related or the
result of another medical condition.
Muscle cramping due to exercise is a spontaneous,
painful, and involuntary contraction during the course of,
or at the cessation of exercise. Exercise-associated
muscle cramping does not occur in resting skeletal muscle.
The concern with muscle cramping first
appeared in the early 1900’s with reports of persons
cramping in hot and humid conditions, such as coal and steamship
workers. This led to the current thought that bodily
hydration, or lack of, and the environment play a key role
in the occurrence in muscle cramping.
Recent theories suggest that exercise-associated
muscle cramping is due to a neurological short circuit. It
is posed that the "abnormality of sustained alpha motor
neuron activity, which stems from aberrant control at the spinal
level." Tired muscles cause the muscle spindle to
be continually stimulated therefore causing the inhibition
of the Golgi tendon organ to shut down the activity.
The muscles must commonly affected are
ones that cross two joints. During activity two- joint
muscles, such as the calf and hamstring, are in a shortened
position during contraction. "Contraction in this
state produces decreased tension in the tendons of the muscles
as well as decreased Golgi-tendon activity."
The best way to decrease muscle spindle
excitation is passive stretching. It helps to eliminate
to cramp and increase Golgi-tendon activity thereby inhibiting
the constant excitatory response. This treatment follows
the theory of abnormal spinal reflex activity.
This indicates that stretching is an important
factor in eliminating exercise-associated muscle cramps and
that endurance events such as running can quickly tire muscles,
which may lead to cramping.
Exercise-related cramps often present themselves
with significant discomfort and a muscle belly that is hard
to the touch from continuous contraction. Athletes do
not usually show any other signs of physiologic distress, either
dehydration or hyperthermia.
The most effective treatment for exercise-associated
muscle cramps is stretching of the pertinent muscle or muscle
group. It is best to hold the stretch until the cramp
subsides and is released. If the cramps continue or are
extremely severe then further medical treatment should be sought. It
should be explained to the athlete that if they experience
any other symptoms such as lack of urination or unusually colored
urine they must get medical attention immediately.
The best way to decrease the risk for muscle
cramping during intense exercise is good conditioning, proper
stretching, and proper nutrition and fluid intake. The
best offense is a good defense.
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