A Pain in the Leg
Cramp Relief
By Lifan Hung, Bodywork Las Vegas
Licensed & Certified Massage Therapist
Cramps -- that involuntary muscle contraction that sends pain signals straight to our brain. I’m sure we’ve all experienced them at one time or another. With the onset of our hot summer days where hydration and electrolyte balance are teetering between too much and too little, cramps may well become a real concern for many athletes.
I remember a particular one of these “intrusions” from a few years ago. It was a horse that snuck up on me in the middle of a peaceful night. I was sleeping, of course. To make a long story short, I woke unexpectedly to distinct, sharp, involuntary spasms in the belly of my left calf muscle -- the fabled “Charlie Horse.”
Keep in mind I’m a practicing massage therapist, and have been for many years now. So my first instinct was to reach down and grab the entire calf area and apply direct pressure, hoping in the process to prevent the muscles from continuing to spasm. No luck of course. A common instinct is to free up the muscle by contracting the whole muscle group, which in this case involved bending at the knee, but this didn’t help because it just gave the muscle more ‘rope’ to tangle up. Next attempt -- straighten the leg. This is essentially stretching the muscle to prevent further contraction. Although there was some relief, the muscle continued to spasm and contract as if mocking my futile attempts to get out of pain quickly. Finally, in some groggy revelation, it dawned on me to actively contract my quadriceps while extending my leg straight, at the same time lifting my toes back toward my head. In a moment, I literally felt the cramped and spasmodic monster of a muscle melt back to normal. It was like the raging Incredible Hulk returning to a more calm and docile Bruce Banner.
What happened in the middle of my sleepy brilliance was to induce the principles of Reciprocal Inhibition. Commonly used in Sports Massage, Physical Therapy, and stretching routines -- Reciprocal Inhibition is defined as a muscle’s automatic relaxation response to accommodate the contraction of its opposing muscle. Basically, in order for one muscle group to contract, it’s opposite or opposing muscles must relax. During my personal midnight case study, I had actively contracted the opposing muscle groups to the cramping calf muscles, or gastrocnemius. As I actively extended my leg, I engaged the quadriceps on the front of the leg, but also the tibialis anterior (the muscles beside the shins). In order for these muscles on the front of the leg to contract, the opposite muscles had to relax. No delay; it all happened simultaneously.
It’s normal for these involuntary muscle contractions known as cramps to relax after a minute or so, however, in the past I’ve often experienced a residual ache… like a little Post-it left by the cramp saying “I was here.” The icing on the cake with using the Reciprocal Inhibition technique was that there wasn’t any residual aching from the cramp. I experienced my cramp, relief, and back to peaceful sleep, all within a few minutes.
Literature on the subject does not conclude with any definitive causes as to the reason for muscle cramps. Factors that may contribute to cramping include dehydration, low levels of potassium, sodium, or magnesium; low carbohydrate levels, and tight muscles (i.e. poor circulation). Although most cramps resolve themselves, it’s important to pay attention to all of these factors for the sake of prevention. Not only are muscle cramps generally unpleasant to go through and interrupt your routine, but severe cramps can cause tears in the muscle fiber due to the strength of contraction.
I always believe that prevention is the best solution. In the coming summer months, make sure you stay properly hydrated – this means neither under, NOR over hydrated. Keep an eye on your electrolyte levels. Eat bananas. Take Epsom salt baths (for the magnesium absorption). Warm up and cool down properly. Learn the best stretches for your sport. And my favorite, get a massage from time to time to keep the blood and lymphatic system flowing well and to keep your muscles loose and pliable.
Your comments and questions are welcome at: relax@bodyworklasvegas.com. For information about sports related massage therapy, visit BodyworkLasVegas.com.