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Avoiding Cramp while Swimming

There is nothing more debilitating than getting cramp during a swim! It's bad enough in a pool, but when you get it in open water it is frightening too.

I have suffered with cramp for a good few years now and I have scoured the internet looking for answers! My worst case was during a June evening and I was swimming alone in The Solent. I wasn't too far from shore, but I was out of my depth. I did make it to shore in the end, but it was the most frightening experience I have had in the sea. More about what to do in this event later.

I began researching the internet looking for answers to my cramp problem. There seems to be varying opinions on it. I have taken the most popular reasons and the most popular remedies and collated them here as a reference. I'm not medically qualified so not able to comment or verify if they work. As with all things medical, speak to your doctor if you have an ongoing problem.




What are Muscle Cramps?

In short a muscle cramp is a sudden and involuntary contraction of one or more of your muscles.


What Causes Cramp and their Possible Preventative Measures


1. Apparently as you get older you are more prone to cramping. This can be due to the reduction in muscle mass, which leads to greater stress on the remaining muscle. To help prevent your muscles cramping as you age, then do gentle exercises daily and also massage the affected areas daily. 

2. You may be at higher risk of muscle cramps if you have diabetes, or nerve, liver or thyroid disorders. Taking Magnesium can help with these, but speak to your Doctor first.

3. Dehydration is a big offender, make sure you are getting enough water into your body. An easy way to tell if you are dehydrated is to check the colour of your urine, the darker it is, the more dehydrated you are.

4, Lack of Salt and Minerals. Increasing salt and minerals through supplements and electrolytes is quite often the remedy chosen by athletes. However this should only be done with your Doctors approval, as some medications and conditions contribute to the lack of salt and minerals. It's always best to check with your Doctor first.

5. Some medications. Some examples are Furosemide (Lasix) and hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide), used to treat high blood pressure. Interestingly both of these are diuretics or "water tablets". These are used to remove salt by increasing the amount of urine in the body.  This ties in nicely with the thought that being dehydrated can cause cramps as can not enough salt. 

6. Muscles are not fully warmed up. Always warm up your muscles before you start swimming. You are less likely to get cramp, particularly if you are swimming in open water, where the water is colder.

7.  Swimming with unnecessary tension in your feet and ankles. This is something I am guilty of. I tend to keep my feet very rigid and inflexible because I don't kick. So a little flutter kick now and again, will keep that flexibility. Relax this area.

What to do if Cramp occurs during your Swim?

As you are swimming along, you may get an inkling that a cramp is going to occur. I have noticed in the past that I get a kind of gnawing sensation or a tingling sensation and I know that if I make a sudden movement with my leg that I will go headlong into a full blown cramp. At this stage, I do carry on swimming, but don't use my legs and instead try and stretch the muscle.  To do this, float on your front and stretch the offending leg, flexing the ankle so the foot is moving up and down. Do it very gently and very slowly. Doing it quickly may just exacerbate the cramp. Which you certainly want to avoid.

If you have gone into a full blown cramp, then try and massage the area. If you have a towfloat with you, this gives you something to hold onto. Don't panic! The worst thing to do is panic. Try stretching and massaging the area until the pain eases. In the worse case scenario of it not working then it may be time to give up your swim, accept help and return to shore.

Tips to Prevent the Onset of Cramp

Always make sure you are hydrated well before you start swimming. Start your hydration the day before. Use electrolytes if you have no medical conditions or eat a banana.  Warm up your muscles before your swim, paying particular attention to your legs, ankles and feet. Be acclimatised to the distance you intend to swim. Build up gradually. Overuse of the muscle can cause cramp. Relax your legs and ankles in the water, try not to be tense or rigid in that area. Try not to swim alone in open water, remain close to shore, swimming adjacent to the shore and in your depth if possible. If you swim alone, take a towfloat. 


©Solent Swim School 2022

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