Stretching is an ideal way to treat a cramp . . . BUT NOT ON ITS OWN.
If you try and stretch a cramp a soon as you get one you seriously risk damaging the muscle - and that means longer recovery times and weaker muscles that are more likely to fatigue and cramp in the future.
Basically, when a muscle goes into a cramp, it’s an all or nothing thing, which means that once the cramp has started, the muscle will continue with the contraction until it is finished. If you try and stretch it out while it is trying to contract you could very easily tear muscle fibres and set yourself up for more injury.
This is exactly what happened to me - I’d get a calf cramp while I was running, I’d stretch it out and limp home, rest up a few days and go out and do it all over again.
Once I figured out how to stop the cramping - and you’d be amazed how easy it really is - I discovered I had eliminated one problem and created a new one.
In my case it was calf strain and every time I tried to increase the pace beyond 60% I’d get a pain in the calf that force me to a walk.
And fixing the calf strain and getting the calf muscle back to 100% took longer to fix than the calf cramps.
If you suffer a calf cramp running, what you need to do first is help the muscle finish its contraction and re-establish the blood flow . . . and that means squeezing and pumping the muscle with your hands - in much the same way as you would squeeze a ball of dough.
This is actually quite painful!
Next, you start with the Gastrocnemius and Soleus stretches being very careful to avoid overstretching.
Of course, squeezing followed by stretching are good techniques to use once you suffer a leg or muscle cramp, however if you do suffer cramps regularly, if they affect your performance or if they wake you up at night, there are more permanent solutions you need to consider.
Copyright - www.Running-Cramp-Relief.com
Paul Newland is a health and nutrition consultant, trainer, martial arts instructor, commercial helicopter pilot and author. His Ultimate Cramp Busting Guide is the definitive guide to preventing, treating and curing cramps associated with exercise. In the Ultimate Cramp Busting Guide 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.
