Leg cramping- Cathe or any "expert"

[blkblt]

Cathe,
First let me thank you for the wonderful work you are doing and for the inspiration you are to thousands of devotees. Since I have started with your workouts about a year ago (coming from a different system)I have seen strenght gains and overall better fitness. I was also suffering from severe lower back pain and was a little reluctant to try the workouts as many of them are quite high impact. But to my surprise with a few modifications I can do about any workout and the pain in my back has diminished. I don't think it will ever go away but it's much more tolerable.
2 years ago I suffered from a very big herniation at L5-S1 wich resulted having the sciatica on the left leg for 12 excrutiating weeks. I have worked my way back to pre-injury if not even better thanks to YOU. But I have terrible leg cramping. It's the left leg, same as the sciatica. The doctor does not beleive there is any relationship between the 2. Sometimes it's my hamstring, very often it's the calf or the toes. It's not unusual to have both the toes and calf at the same time. Needless to say it comes without warning and is quite uncomfortable. Do you have any advice? Are there any exercises I can do to prevent this, any supplement I can take?
Thank you for considering my question and keep up the excellent work you are doing.

 

[gettingfitmom]

RE: Leg cramping- Cathe or any

this may sound reaaly weird, but try eating a banana everyday. I use to get calf cramps alot and this really seems to help who knows............

 

[wutherhi]

RE: Leg cramping- Cathe or any

I'm no expert, but I have to agree with the banana. I've heard that cramps are sometimes caused by a sodium/potassium imbalance, which would naturally be aggravated by excessive sweating -- and heaven knows Cathe vids lead to that! My football-player son eats a banana a day during the season, and it does seem to bring some relief from those horrible cramps.

Shari

 

[Teals]

RE: Leg cramping- Cathe or any

I'm no expert but this used to happen to me. So I'll share what I learned: Sounds like you might be suffering from what's called "true cramps". It works just as you mentioned, involving a single muscle group or ones that work together, like your hamstring, calf and toes. It's common and i have no clue why it's called true cramps. My doctor told me about it because I was having cramping issues like yours. It has lots of causes including strenuous exercise but even a prolonged sedentary lifestyle can cause it. This is usually the case with the elderly.

As the others have said, it could be caused by deficient potassium levels. However, it could also by deficient Magesium levels or even a combination.

It could also be that your electrolyte levels may be off due to sweating or other issues. If you're dehydrated, that could be the case. I thought that might be my problem so I started drinking "smart water" (it's electrolyte enhanced water). It worked for me. I thought maybe it was a placebo effect so I did a double blind study with my husband and a few friends. The smart water actually did help me not to cramp even after being on my feet all day in high heels.

The leg cramps started up again after I was sidelined for a while from working out. I started back and within a month my hamstrings knotted up and my toes would curl or move to one side involuntarily. So I started drinking the smart water during and after work outs to replace the electrolytes (and water) I lose doing a Cathe "sweat fest".

I am not suggesting smart water for you. It may work but I think it would be wise for you to check with your doctor to check your electrolyte balance and to see if you are dehydrated first. I say this because you may have an underlying issue. But even if you don't, it's still a good idea to consult your doctor. Certainly, eating a banana won't hurt you and it might just solve your problem. But before you go and consume large amounts of magesium supplements or drinks to increase your electrolytes, you should make sure that you need to. Too much of these things is just as bad (if not worse) than too little.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you get relief soon.

Take care,

Teals

PS: Just one more thing on dehydration. When my doctor told me that I was dehydrated, he suggested that I do the following: I weighed myself right before working out and then weighed myself afterward. I had lost 5 pounds during the workout. He told me to drink enough to get back to the weight I was before the workout. That did help. I don't weigh myself nowadays in that manner but I do try and drink 25 oz. of water during the workout (the size of the bottle)and finish off what is left after the workout. If I'm still thirsty, I have a little more.

 

[taprice]

RE: Leg cramping- Cathe or any

Not Cathe but my Dh works outside in the heat and used to always end up with severe leg cramps. He's tried the bananna, the gatorade, and even white potatoes have a lot of potassium. Recently, his brother, who cycles many miles, suggested TUMS. I have to ask him how many he is taking, a couple I think, but he has not had any cramps since.

Interesting, I understand that your doctor says that there is not connection between the back injury and the cramping, but I herniated L5, S1 and had bulging L4,L5 not too long ago. Although I have gotten rid of almost all of the sciatic pain, numbness, etc, I have experienced a little cramping in my calf. It too was impacted at the beginning of the injury. I'm still relating mine to the injury and some sort of wierd muscle memory that developed during the weeks that the leg really wasn't functioning properly due to improper nerve signals. I orignially lost a significant amount of strength in my calf, which I have regained. JMO, I haven't asked the DR, some have a difficult time stepping out of the medical model into the real world.

Tracy

 

[blkblt]

RE: Leg cramping- Cathe or any

Teals and all others,
Thank you so much for the information. I also heard from one of my trainer (specialized in Pilates and other therapeutic exercises) that certaian mineral fortified water could be beneficial. I will call my dictor to get my potassium and magnesium levels as I just got some blood work done.
Thanks again. ;-)

 

[tneah]

RE: Leg cramping- Cathe or any

My answer may have come too late, but this used to happen to me.
My cure? Two words: Smart Water!

I drink 3 quarts of this wonderful water each day, great stuff, stopped the cramping.