Swimming Muscle Cramps
In this article, we’ll provide advice, hacks and tips on the causes, prevention and treatment of swimming muscle cramps.
What are muscle cramps?
Muscle cramps occur when one or more muscles involuntarily contracts and does not relax.
- This can cause the swimmer and varying degree of pain.
- This can range from mild discomfort to occasionally causing enough pain for some swimmers to stop swimming.
- The pain can persist for a few seconds to several minutes.
- It can reoccur until it is treated.
- The most common swimming muscle cramps are those that occur in the calves, feet or toes.
- Although muscle cramps in the hamstrings, arms and stomach can occasionally occur.
- Most swimmers experience muscle cramps in their lifetime.
Symptoms of muscle cramps
The main symptoms of muscle cramps are,
- Stiff and tight muscles.
- The muscles concerned are often painful.
- It can often restrict their range of movement.
Causes & prevention of muscle cramps
Undigested food
Swimming before a swimmer has fully digested their food is a common cause of muscle cramps.
- When digesting food, the body diverts some of its blood flow away from the muscles to their stomach.
- Swimming when digesting food can inhibit the blood flow to the stomach, which can result in muscle cramps.
- Swimmers should therefore ensure that their food is well digested before entering the water.
Related article on swimming nutrition
We have produced a related article on swimming nutrition. Which you can view by clicking this link: swimming nutrition: an introduction.
Lack of fitness
A lack of fitness and conditioning is another common cause of muscle cramp.
- Swimmers should therefore ensure that they gradually increase the volume and intensity of their training.
Fatigue and overuse
Fatigue and overuse are other causes of muscle cramps.
- This can be especially the case when undertaking kicking sets with swim fins for an extended period.
- Swimmers should ensure that they gradually increase the volume and intensity of their training.
- They should also ensure that they recover correctly during and after training and competition.
Ankle and feet tension
Some swimmers swim with too much tension in their feet and ankles.
- This often leads to tight calf muscles, which can result in muscle cramps.
- The swimmer should practice regular dryland ankle flexibility exercises to help prevent this.
Related article on swimming ankle strength and flexibility
We have produced a related article on swimming ankle strength and flexibility. Which you can view by clicking this link: swimming ankle strength and flexibility.
Age
As swimmers get older, they lose the strength and elasticity in their muscles.
- This can make older swimmers more susceptible to muscle cramps.
- Therefore, they should ensure that they warm-up and cooldown correctly before and after each swim.
Related article on recovery swims
We have produced a related article on recovery swims. Which you can view by clicking this link: recovery swims: an introduction.
Swimming in cold water
Swimming in cool water increases the risk of the swimmer’s muscles contracting, which can result in muscle cramps.
- This can occur not only in open water but also in pools, which can often vary in temperatures.
- Swimmers need to ensure that when swimming in cold water they take time to acclimatise their body to the water temperature by conducting a proper warm-up.
Warm-Up and cooldown
A proper poolside/deck and pool warm-up should be undertaken before every training and competitive session.
- This can significantly reduce the risk of muscle cramps.
- The swimmer should ensure that they perform specific lower limb poolside/deck warm-up exercises such as ankle rotations and leg swings.
A proper cooldown is an often-overlooked aspect of a swimmer’s recovery and injury prevention routine.
- The swimmer should ensure that they perform specific lower limb cooldown exercises such as calf, hamstring and quad stretches.
Related article on a competitive swimming warm-up
We have produced a related article on a competitive swimming warm-up. Which you can view by clicking this link: a competitive swimming warm-up.
Related article the swimming cool-down guide
We have produced a related article, the swimming cool-down guide. Which you can view by clicking this link: the swimming cool-down guide.
Dehydration
Another common cause of muscle cramp is dehydration.
- Although most of a swimmer’s training is conducted in the water, they still lose a great deal of body fluid through physical exertion.
- Therefore, swimmers should ensure that they remain fully hydrated.
- Swimmer’s should regularly drink during swimming to fuel their body and replace lost electrolytes.
- Electrolytes can be found in many sports drinks which often contains minerals, such as potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium.
- These can keep the swimmer’s body balance of fluids at the proper level, which can be lost through sweat.
- However, swimmers should be aware that these tend to have a high sugar content so should be limited to training and competition.
Related article on swimming hydration
We have produced a related article on swimming hydration for optimum performance. Which you can view by clicking this link: swimming hydration for optimum performance.
Vitamin deficiency
Another cause is that the swimmer can have low blood levels of calcium, magnesium, or potassium.
- This can especially be the case after an illness or injury.
- Many swimmers consume sports drinks which often contain minerals, such as potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium, to fuel their body and replace lost electrolytes.
- Some swimmers find that eating a banana each day, which are a great source of potassium, magnesium and other minerals, is an effective way of preventing muscle cramps.
- A mineral supplement from any health food store or pharmacy may also remedy any vitamin deficiency.
- Your local chemist should be able to provide the correct advice.
Medication
Swimmers should be aware that some medications can make them more susceptible to muscle cramps.
- These include medication for high blood pressure, lowering cholesterol and diabetes.
- For further advice, the swimmer should contact their healthcare professional.
Treatment of muscle cramps
Most forms of mild muscle cramps usually resolve themselves with a little stretch and a massage, to help get the blood flowing.
- For muscle cramps in the legs or feet, some swimmers stretch themselves out in the water, on the pool wall with their arms fully extended.
- If the swimmer begins to suffer from server muscle cramps, the swimmer should exit the water as soon as possible.
- The application of heat or cold can help to alleviate muscle cramp pain.
- Many swimmers find a warm shower on the effected parts an effective remedy.
- Some swimmers find a warm bath useful.
- Others find that a short walk can also help to get the blood flowing to the affected muscles.
- Some swimmers apply heat or ice packs to help alleviate the pain.
- These are usually applied for periods of 15 to 20minutes.
- Swimmer’s should not re-enter the water until the muscle cramp pain has completely subsided.
- If muscle cramps continually occur then the swimmer should speak to their coach, for help and advice.
- Some swimmers may seek help and advice from a sports physiotherapist.
- However, if muscle cramps continually occur the swimmers should seek further advice from their medical professional.
Takeaways
In this article, we’ll provide advice, hacks and tips on the causes, prevention and treatment of swimming muscle cramps.
What are muscle cramps?
Muscle cramps occur when one or more muscles involuntarily contracts and does not relax.
- This can occasionally cause enough pain for some swimmers to stop swimming.
- The pain can persist for a few seconds to several minutes.
- It can reoccur until it is treated.
- The most common swimming muscle cramps are those that occur in the hamstrings, calves, feet or toes.
- Although muscle cramps in the arms and stomach can occasionally occur.
- Most swimmers experience muscle cramps in their lifetime.
Related swimmer’s health articles
We have produced a series of swimmer’s health articles on the causes, prevention and treatment of swimmer’s shoulder | breaststroker’s knee | swimming back pain and swimmer’s ear
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