Persistent cramp

Ouch! This week I've been commuting on my touring bike, which is faster
than my normal commuter setup of MTB with slicks. So I decided it was time
to break double figures and average over 10 mph over the entire week. (Stop
laughing at the back, that's fast for me.) So on Saturday I was cycling
home from shopping in the city centre, and with the added incentive of a few
drops of rain, cycling faster than I normally do. This resulted in my right
calf starting to cramp up, so that the unstretched part of each stroke hurt.
Eventually I just had to stop to get off and stretch the leg for a minute,
before cycling the last 500 yards home.

Today I cycled slowly less than a mile to the supermarket, and the cramp
started to come back. Now my calf is cramping even off the bike. I've
never had cramp from cycling before, so I've no idea whether this happens to
everyone. A long soak in a warm bath hasn't alleviated it. I'd be grateful
for suggestions as to how to make it stop. And any tips on avoiding it
happening again would be handy too.
--
A bad day on the bike always beats a good day in the office!
Steph Peters delete invalid from lid
Tatting, lace & stitching page http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm

On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 21:58:01 +0100, Steph Peters
wrote in message
:

Now my calf is cramping even off the bike. I've
never had cramp from cycling before, so I've no idea whether this happens to
everyone. A long soak in a warm bath hasn't alleviated it. I'd be grateful
for suggestions as to how to make it stop. And any tips on avoiding it
happening again would be handy too.

It depends on cause, but the cure could be any of:

- Water, especially during the day (i.e. when not riding)
- Lower gears
- Bananas
- Salt
- Indian Tonic Water

Honest. I get terrible cramp sometimes. Especially since switching
cassettes, making bottom gear 30" instead of 23", which is seriously
punishing up that long hill out of Goring by Friday evening...

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

"Steph Peters" wrote in message
...
Ouch! This week I've been commuting on my touring bike, which is faster
than my normal commuter setup of MTB with slicks. So I decided it was
time
to break double figures and average over 10 mph over the entire week.
(Stop
laughing at the back, that's fast for me.) So on Saturday I was cycling
home from shopping in the city centre, and with the added incentive of a
few
drops of rain, cycling faster than I normally do. This resulted in my
right
calf starting to cramp up, so that the unstretched part of each stroke
hurt.
Eventually I just had to stop to get off and stretch the leg for a minute,
before cycling the last 500 yards home.

Today I cycled slowly less than a mile to the supermarket, and the cramp
started to come back. Now my calf is cramping even off the bike. I've
never had cramp from cycling before, so I've no idea whether this happens
to
everyone. A long soak in a warm bath hasn't alleviated it. I'd be
grateful
for suggestions as to how to make it stop. And any tips on avoiding it
happening again would be handy too.
--
A bad day on the bike always beats a good day in the office!
Steph Peters delete invalid from lid
Tatting, lace & stitching page
http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm


I get cramp occasionally - usually like you in the calf. In my case it's
usually down to dehydration - not enough so you would usually notice but in
the weather we have at the moment the couple of glasses of red wine the
night before will catch up with you unless you drink more water before you
start out; even better the night before. Once you've got it the best thing
is to get rid of the swelling which follows the initial cramp before you
resume activity. Usual method is to put your foot up and apply alternate hot
and cold 10 minutes at a time. For heat use one of those microwaveable hot
water bottles - not so hot that you'll burn!. For cold el cheapo frozen peas
kept for just such an occasion. Oh and curtail the exercise until the
soreness has gone.

HTH
Julia

"JBB" of BT Openworld wrote:
I get cramp occasionally - usually like you in the calf. In my case it's
usually down to dehydration - not enough so you would usually notice but in
the weather we have at the moment the couple of glasses of red wine the
night before will catch up with you unless you drink more water before you
start out; even better the night before.
Ah, that explains it. A modest amount of beer and wine the night before,
warm weather and maybe slightly less water intake on the day concerned.

Once you've got it the best thing
is to get rid of the swelling which follows the initial cramp before you
resume activity. Usual method is to put your foot up and apply alternate hot
and cold 10 minutes at a time. For heat use one of those microwaveable hot
water bottles - not so hot that you'll burn!. For cold el cheapo frozen peas
kept for just such an occasion. Oh and curtail the exercise until the
soreness has gone.
If the cramp is still around tomorrow, I'll dig the gel pack out of the
freezer. Managed to give myself housemaid's knee by falling off my MTB onto
the corner of a rock a few years back, and it's easier to take a gel pack to
stick in the freezer at work than a pack of frozen peas, so I bought one.
--
A bad day on the bike always beats a good day in the office!
Steph Peters delete invalid from lid
Tatting, lace & stitching page http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm

in message , Steph Peters
') wrote:

Ouch! This week I've been commuting on my touring bike, which is
faster
than my normal commuter setup of MTB with slicks. So I decided it was
time
to break double figures and average over 10 mph over the entire week.
(Stop
laughing at the back, that's fast for me.) So on Saturday I was
cycling home from shopping in the city centre, and with the added
incentive of a few
drops of rain, cycling faster than I normally do. This resulted in my
right calf starting to cramp up, so that the unstretched part of each
stroke hurt. Eventually I just had to stop to get off and stretch the
leg for a minute, before cycling the last 500 yards home.

Today I cycled slowly less than a mile to the supermarket, and the
cramp
started to come back. Now my calf is cramping even off the bike.
I've never had cramp from cycling before, so I've no idea whether this
happens to
everyone.

I think it probably does. Certainly the limit of my cycling is the
ability to clear lactic acid out of my calf muscles. I can usually feel
it building up before cramp actually sets in.

If you use clipless pedals, consider adjusting the position of your
cleats. I sorted out a problem for my SO who was getting quite severe
cramp just by changing the angle of her cleats a tiny bit.

A long soak in a warm bath hasn't alleviated it. I'd be
grateful
for suggestions as to how to make it stop. And any tips on avoiding
it happening again would be handy too.

It's circulation. There's a measure of blood thickness (IMR, if I recall
correctly). If you have low IMR (i.e. thick blood) as I do then the
circulation in your legs is sluggish and can't clear waste products out
efficiently. Talk to your doctor. A glass of red wine or an aspirin
every day may help, or if you're unlucky like me you may have to take
warfarin.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; lovely alternative to rice.

Simon Brooke of gradually deteriorating wrote:
If you use clipless pedals, consider adjusting the position of your
cleats. I sorted out a problem for my SO who was getting quite severe
cramp just by changing the angle of her cleats a tiny bit.

It's circulation. There's a measure of blood thickness (IMR, if I recall
correctly). If you have low IMR (i.e. thick blood) as I do then the
circulation in your legs is sluggish and can't clear waste products out
efficiently. Talk to your doctor. A glass of red wine or an aspirin
every day may help, or if you're unlucky like me you may have to take
warfarin.

Tips duly noted thanks. So far this is a complete one off - I've never had
cramp from cycling before, and it's years since I've had cramp at all. If
it happens again I'll talk to my doctor. I do use clipless pedals, so I'll
check that the cleats haven't moved, but I think that they are OK.
--
Government is an association of men who do violence
to the rest of us. - Leo Tolstoy
Steph Peters delete invalid from lid
Tatting, lace & stitching page http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm