Cramp - A Brief Explanation

Cramp - the great fear of all endurance athletes! Over the years, most people have probably experienced how the legs, arms, or stomach stop working with us when we need them the most. And we hear about all kinds of methods and things to do or eat to counteract this plague. But what does research actually say, and what can be done about cramps?  

First, we must understand what cramp is and why it occurs. One of the more plausible theories about why cramps occur is the fact that the interaction between the Golgi tendon organ and the muscle spindle goes haywire. Several studies have shown that during muscle fatigue, the activity in the muscle spindle increases. This is somewhat of a watchdog in the muscle, and the more tired you become, the more prepared the muscle spindle is for you to step awkwardly or do something else foolish. During exhaustion, the activity in the Golgi tendon organ is also inhibited. Your constant stretching of the muscle tendon tires it out and slows the activity in our dear Golgi. Essentially, muscle fatigue creates a small imbalance in the system. The muscle spindle becomes overactive and tenses the muscle, while Golgi is fatigued and cannot get the muscle to relax. This results in what you experience as cramp. This theory has been circulating in the research community for 20 years but hasn't reached us training individuals quite as quickly.

To solve the problem directly when you're out there on the track or trail and your legs are cramping, it's best to let the muscle rest and start stretching it out. Stretching means that you are manually restarting the Golgi tendon organ, which then activates again when the tension in the tendon increases. So you effectively reset the system and wake the Golgi tendon organ to life, allowing your cramping muscle to relax. It's somewhat like when you get help from another car and a pair of jumper cables when your own car has run out of battery.

One of the most common ideas that circulate around cramps is that they arise due to fluid and mineral losses from sweating. This notion has existed since the early 1900s, but when scientific experiments have actually been conducted on this, it has been hard to find anything that suggests it is true. And the levels of lost salts and minerals in sweat have not differed between those who cramp and those who do not during experiments. When it comes down to it, we do not know for sure why and how cramps occur, or how to best solve the problem. More research in this area is needed.    

Instead of adding a lot of salt tablets or magnesium, an idea might be to focus on following a well-structured energy plan. A well-nourished body means you can endure longer, and your muscles may be able to last longer without cramping sensations.  

The most common reason for cramps is most likely that the muscles have become overexerted. Simply put, you are not well trained enough and subjecting your body to a load that becomes too high. This is not uncommon when doing events like the Vasaloppet or the Vätternrundan.

Unfortunately, genetics also seems to play a role; we have different susceptibilities to cramps. But don't just blame your genetics if you cramp easily; a lot can, of course, be influenced by more training.