Ever been awakened in the night or stopped in your tracks by a sudden charley horse? Yep — we know the feeling.
Long periods of exercise or physical labor, particularly in hot weather, lead to muscle cramps. Though generally harmless, muscle cramps can make it temporarily impossible to use the affected muscle.
We're breaking it all down...
WHAT CAUSES MUSCLE CRAMPING?
The most common causes of muscle cramping are excessive use of a muscle, dehydration, muscle strain and simply holding a position for a prolonged period. But the cause many times isn't known.
What else causes muscle cramps?
Inadequate Blood Supply
Narrowing of the arteries that deliver blood to muscles can produce cramp-like pain. These cramps usually go away after resting the muscle.
Nerve Compression
Compression of nerves in your spine can also ignite cramp-like pain, especially in the legs. Walking in a slightly flexed position — such as you would use when pushing a shopping cart ahead of you — may improve or delay the onset of your symptoms.
Electrolyte Imbalances
Too little potassium, calcium and/or magnesium in your diet can cause cramps. Replenish your electrolytes after exercise to avoid depletion of these vital minerals.
Hydrate Intelligently
We all know that staying hydrated is important but when we consume water, it causes us to excrete fluids and lose many vitamins and minerals. Eating foods and drinking fluids high in quality vitamins and minerals is very effective in helping your body maintain an electrolyte balance.
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Add a pinch of pink Himalayan salt to your water a couple hours prior to exercising or first thing when you wake up! The sodium will help your body maintain proper fluid balance and aid in preventing low blood pressure and muscle contractions.
Eliminate Inflammation
Excess inflammation can interfere with our body’s ability to provide proper blood supply and may contribute to nerve compression.
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Wear STAMINAPRO patches to reduce inflammation, promote increased blood flow, and reduce cramping in a given area. Place 1-2 patches on or adjacent to the areas where you commonly experience cramps and let us do the rest!
Warm Up Before Exercising
Dynamic warm ups increase your heart rate and increase blood flow to extremities. A good warm up will help dilate both blood vessels and arteries and get your body primed for action.
