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Why do muscle cramps occur?
The hut, the destination for this afternoon, can already be seen - finally! Just a few more metres in altitude, then this stage of the Transalp is done. The narrow path winds its way up the mountain between rocks and bushes, the view is magnificent. But after six hours in the saddle, the cheese spaetzle and wheat beer in front of you are more tempting than the mountain panorama. My neck hurts, my bum anyway, my legs are burning. Arriving would be good now. But suddenly nothing works any more - a cramp shoots through your thigh, which was still pedalling reliably. Ouch!
In a muscle cramp, known as a "spasm" in medical terminology, a muscle or part of a muscle suddenly contracts strongly and with severe pain. It feels as hard as a rock and contracts seemingly for no reason and without any voluntary control. Theoretically, any skeletal muscle in the body can cramp. Almost everyone has experienced calf cramps at night or a cramp in the foot while swimming, for example. 90 per cent of adults have experienced muscle cramps. The risk seems to increase with age: Around one in two people over the age of 65 have a cramp at least once a week¹. It also appears to be genetically determined whether someone is prone to cramps or not².
While it used to be assumed that magnesium deficiency caused cramps, it is now clear that cramps mainly occur when a muscle is overstrained. When it has to do more than usual, when the strain is unusual and the reserves are exhausted. When the muscle has been strained to its limit and beyond. Then the front thigh muscles cramp after hundreds of metres of altitude. Or the triceps during a demanding descent. Or after unrhythmic ups and downs, tiny muscles in the upper body that have been doing the holding work for hours go on strike.
Scientists investigating why muscle cramps occur now agree that the nervous system plays a decisive role (see interview with Prof Dr Behringer). A muscle does not contract just like that. Whenever it tenses or relaxes again, it receives the command to do so from nerve fibres. This ensures that we can control movements in a targeted manner and that muscles do not twitch uncontrollably. The control centre for the muscles is the central nervous system, which consists of the brain and spinal cord.
If a muscle is fatigued but is still being asked to work, something can go wrong with this control system. Nerve cells then activate the muscle excessively and it reacts with maximum contraction: a cramp. Scientific studies using local anaesthesia prove that the nerve cells are the trigger: when researchers blocked the nerve fibres from the muscles to the spinal cord in their test subjects, only significantly weaker cramps could be triggered.
Treatment options for muscle cramp
A cramp in training is primarily unpleasant, but not dangerous - as long as you keep control of the bike. It's a different story in the race, as a cramp on the track can make the difference between winning and losing, placing or dropping out. Releasing the out-of-control tension as quickly as possible and loosening the affected muscle is advisable, if only because of the severe pain.
If you have calf cramp, you don't even have to get off your bike. It is possible to stretch the calf while riding: simply press the heel down with the pedal down until the pain subsides. A stronger stretch is achieved if you briefly get out of the saddle with the pedals in a horizontal position - with the affected leg behind - and stretch the calf while standing.
A cramp in the front thigh is relieved by pulling the heel upwards towards the buttocks while standing, while a cramp in the back thigh is relieved by bending the upper body forwards with the leg stretched out while standing. Cramps in the feet are particularly nasty on the bike - they often only disappear if you remove your foot from the cycling shoe and stretch your toes or massage the sole of your foot. Relaxing massages and warmth are good after a cramp.
Of course, it would be better - and less painful - not to have to do stretching exercises at the edge of the forest in the first place, but to cycle without cramps and prevent uncontrolled muscle contractions. After all, it is no coincidence when a muscle cramps. In this interview, Frankfurt sports physician Prof Dr Michael Behringer explains how cramps can be prevented. This much can already be revealed: Although the nervous system is the main cause of annoying cramps, hydration and, in combination with water, salt intake also play an important role: salt binds water in the body. It is therefore more than legitimate to order a cool drink first thing on arrival at a mountain hut in the Alps after a cramp.
¹Source: Lifeline - the health portal | ²Source: Sports + Medicine
Testimonials
The racer: Maik Fiedler, 39, Team Krampf Zschopau
"I've been on a mountain bike since I was a child. For the last five or six years, I've been very performance-orientated. Since then, the cramps, which I never used to have problems with, have also got worse. I ride 9,000 to 10,000 kilometres a year, often long distances. The cramps in my thighs usually come at the end of a race. For example, when I want to give it everything I've got five kilometres before the finish and ride up the last hill in a pedal stroke. If I have eaten and drunk very little, the risk of cramp seems greater. The same applies in the heat - I sweat a lot and always have salt crusts on my clothes. I even get cramps after strenuous exercise when I've been relaxing on the sofa for a long time. To combat this, I bought myself a massage gun, which I then use to loosen up the muscle. I sometimes manage to get rid of cramps on the bike by pedalling in the saddle. But it often helps if I just get off the bike and walk a hundred metres. Stretching, which everyone advises, is counterproductive for me, the cramp tends to get worse. Since I've been putting three pinches of salt in my water bottle alongside electrolyte tablets, especially before long rides, it's got a bit better."
The trail lover: Michael Zenk, 54, from Unterammergau in the foothills of the Alps
"I don't race, I just ride for fun. My home circuit takes me up the Pürschling here in the Ammergebirge, 850 metres in altitude. I also go on long tours and do between 50,000 and 70,000 metres of descending per year. Whether it's calf cramps at night or thigh cramps during sport - I've always had problems with cramps. I always get them when the strain exceeds a certain level. It seems to be a predisposition, my mum often has calf cramps too. During sport, it's mainly the inner thighs that cramp. Stretching helps immediately. I have tried various types of magnesium as a preventative measure, but to no avail. It got much better when I changed my hydration regime. Because I don't like bottles on my bike, I used to carry my drink in my rucksack, from which I had to laboriously dig it out. Now I use a 2.5-litre hydration bladder and can drink at any time. I always add a teaspoon of salt. It tastes okay and seems to help. Two years ago, I also got into the habit of a daily stretching routine for my legs and upper body, which has had a positive effect."
David Voll, sports scientist and BIKE author
"I sweat a lot and my jersey is always covered in salt. Since I've been taking better care of myself with salt and fluids, I rarely have cramps. I rode the last Transalp with 1.5 litres of salt water in my hydration pack. It tastes disgusting because there's probably
because there's probably a tablespoon of salt in it, but if I take a sip every 15 minutes, I get through it fine. For shorter distances, I always have a salt shaker in my jersey pocket. If I feel a thigh closing up, I sprinkle salt on my tongue and after a quarter of an hour the muscle calms down."
True, or not true?
Magnesium has always been regarded as a miracle cure for muscle cramps during sport. And rightly so?
No. Even though adverts tout dietary supplements as an effective weapon and magnesium is important for muscle function, there is no scientific evidence that the mineral prevents cramps. With a balanced diet, a magnesium deficiency is extremely unlikely. Those who take high doses of magnesium risk diarrhoea as a side effect.
Cucumber water from the preserving jar is supposed to prevent cramps. Can this really be true?
Water, brandy vinegar, glucose-fructose syrup, spices, salt, sugar, flavouring - all this is in a pickle jar when you have finished eating the pickled cucumbers. Studies have shown that this vinegar decoction actually prevents cramps. The Frankfurt sports physician explains how this works Interview with Prof Dr Michael Behringer.
Checklist for cramps
Ensure fluid supply
Have I drunk enough before and on the way? Start well hydrated so that muscles and nerves work together smoothly. Caution: Alcohol and coffee dehydrate the body.
Scrutinise training
Did I overstrain my body when the cramp came on? How can I train sensibly in the future? The more thoroughly you prepare for extreme exertion such as a crossing of the Alps, the less likely you are to get a cramp.
Check seating position
Are the cleats in the right place? Do my shoes and bike suit me? Are the saddle and handlebars adjusted to me? An incorrect posture can favour cramps; a professional bike fitting may help.
See a doctor
If there is no explanation for cramps, illnesses should be ruled out as the cause. In a GP's surgery or with a sports physician. Sometimes cramps are side effects of medication.
Always well hydrated
Before the exit
- Ingredients: 1-2 large pinches of salt, lemon concentrate, 6 tbsp mint syrup, water
- Preparation Pour the mint syrup into a 0.7 litre wheel bottle, add salt and a dash of lemon and fill up with water.
During the tour
- Ingredients: 1-2 large pinches of salt, 3 tbsp cranberry syrup, passion fruit nectar, water
- Preparation Pour the cranberry syrup and salt into a 0.7-litre wheel bottle, fill it half full with passion fruit nectar and then with water.
Interview with Prof Dr Michael Behringer: "Stretching helps!"
BIKE: Prof Dr Behringer, in which muscles do cramps occur particularly frequently when cycling?
PROF. DR. MICHAEL BEHRINGER: In general, the calf muscles are the muscles most frequently affected by cramps. However, other muscles can also be affected when cycling, for example the foot muscles or the thigh muscles. A joint position in which the muscles are shortened seems to favour cramps. And we know that muscle fatigue plays an important role.
It's almost paradoxical that a muscle that is actually tired suddenly contracts with all its might ...
This is due to the nerves that cause it to contract. The spinal cord, which controls the muscles, receives inhibitory and activating information. Normally, these are in balance so that the muscles can work. In the course of muscular fatigue during exercise, however, there is an imbalance between the inhibitory and activating information - in favour of the latter. And this leads to cramp.
What to do if a muscle suddenly spasms?
Stretching is the best immediate measure. This brings the imbalance between the inhibitory and activating signals to the spinal cord back into balance, towards more inhibition, i.e. relaxation of the muscle.
They have been researching cramps for years and have developed a fairly effective treatment for them at the German Sport University Cologne and the University of Frankfurt ...
... which I would only recommend to people who are suffering a lot, as it is quite painful. In electrotherapy, we trigger cramps in our test subjects using external electrical impulses. If you do this regularly, the muscle's cramp threshold shifts so that a cramp can no longer be triggered so quickly. The method appears to be very effective and produces long-term effects. However, due to the pain, it is only suitable for people who, for example, can no longer sleep at night because of cramps. Or for top athletes who want to avoid a cramp during a competition.
What can hobby bikers do if they don't fancy annoying cramps?
Even if the nervous system is the trigger, people suffering from cramps should always make sure they drink enough fluids. This is especially true in the heat. Interestingly, according to an international study, it is mainly in the summer months that people search the internet for solutions to their cramp problems. So there seems to be a connection between the occurrence of cramps and the supply of fluids or the loss of sweat.
So if you drink enough, you are safe from cramps?
Unfortunately, it's not that simple. But you can do something. Because cramps mainly occur in tired muscles, all measures that improve fatigue resistance on the bike are advisable.
What are they?
An adequate supply of carbohydrates before and during exercise and a sensible training programme. The riding position can also favour cramps. If the joint angles are adjusted during a bike fitting so that the muscle shortening is reduced, this can help.
Some swear by magnesium, which doesn't really help. Now everyone is suddenly talking about water from pickle jars. What's it all about?
The scientific evidence in favour of taking magnesium against muscle cramps is actually not very convincing. However, other studies have shown that cucumber water has an effect on muscle cramps. For a long time it was assumed that this was due to the electrolytes it contains. However, it seems more likely that the vinegar content activates certain receptors in the mouth and throat and thus has an antispasmodic effect on the nervous system. Nobel Prize winner Rod MacKinnon and Harvard professor Bruce Bean investigated this connection and developed a preparation made from ginger, jalapeños and cinnamon. However, our studies were only able to show a relatively short effect of this product.
When should you see a doctor if you have recurring cramps?
I would recommend all people with recurring cramps to see a doctor. This is because muscle cramps can also be a symptom of various illnesses.
You ride a mountain bike yourself. Have you ever had cramps on the road?
I did indeed have calf cramps on the last longer tour. I guess the preparation wasn't quite optimal ...
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