Muscle cramps in individuals cause because of continuous, painful, involuntary and localized contraction of the complete muscle group, specific muscle or selected muscular fibers.1 In most of the cases, muscle cramps last from few minutes to few seconds based on idiopathic or any other related causes with healthy subjects. Moreover, in some cases, individuals experience muscle cramps because of any disease. Palpating of the muscle cramp area will highlight a knot.
Exercise related muscle cramps are frequent conditions, which require therapeutic or medical intervention while involve in any games or sports activity. However, the possible cause depends on pathological or physiological situations, in which muscle cramps take place. It is essential to note that any painful muscle contraction remains limited to a particular area and hence, it never implies that the exact cause behind the onset of muscle cramp is essentially a local one.
What Is The Prognosis For Muscle Cramps?
Until now, doctors have found that the prognosis for exercise related muscle cramps is of benign type and hence, such problems often remain free from any adverse effects. Furthermore, individuals may easily prevent the condition or overcome from cramps during exercises by following a few essential precautions.2
Prevention of Muscle Cramps During Any Activity
Doctors often recommend for stretching of muscles before and after sports or any other type of physical exercise in combination with warm-up and cool-down sessions to avoid cramps, which often take place due to any vigorous physical activity.
Furthermore, you have to make sure about enough hydration before, at the time of and after your physical activity, especially the duration of your physical exercise exceeds one hour.
Even you have to take steps to replace the electrolytes loss from your body. Major electrolytes are potassium and sodium, as both of them are primary components associated with perspiration.
Other than this, you should strictly avoid excessive fatigue in warm weather condition.
Prognosis On Your Followed Hydration Guidelines To Overcome Or Avoid Muscle Cramps
A few doctors also said that the prognosis associated with muscle cramps depend on the hydration guidelines you follow to avoid or overcome muscle cramps problems. Hydration guidelines are of individualized types for people. The main objective behind the guidelines is to avoid excessive weight loss. For this, fitness freak/athlete should weigh both before and after exercise to find out the exact amount of fluid lost through the sweat.
Pre-Exercise Hydration
- 0.5 liters of water in one hour for any 180-pound weighted person for many hours i.e. 3 to 4 hours before doing any physical exercise
- Consumption of food and beverages containing sodium or any type of salted snack in small amounts to stimulate your thirst and retain your fluid consumption
During Your Physical Exercise
If you are a marathon runner or involving in intensive physical activity, you should consume about 0.4 liters to 0.8 liters of water in an hour. However, the amount depends on the weight lost by one’s body.
Your chosen beverage should never contain carbohydrate more than 10 percent. Carbohydrate consumption is recommendable only after your exertion of about one hour.
Potassium and sodium i.e. electrolyte repletion may help in sustaining electrolyte balance during your physical exercise. This is particularly important when you do not have adequate access to meals or physical activity exceeds the duration of 4 hours.
Under the mentioned conditions, addition of salt in modest amount may offset your salt loss in the sweat and reduce your medical events related to electrolyte imbalance, including your problem of muscle cramps.
After Physical Exercise
You should drink about 0.5 liters of water for each pound you loss after your exercise. You should consume snacks and beverages containing sodium to help you in expediting rapid as well as complete recovery by simply stimulating your retention of fluid and thirst feelings.
Also Read:
- Muscle Cramps: Causes, Signs, Symptoms and Types of Muscle Cramps
- Causes of Muscle Cramps After Heavy Exercise & Ways to Get Rid of It
- How Do You Get Rid Of Muscle Cramps Fast?
- Does A Hot Bath Help Muscle Cramps?
- Is Hot Water Good For Muscle Cramps?
- Is Heat Or Cold Better For Muscle Cramps?
- Who Is At Risk For Muscle Cramps?
