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Serious Cramp

Can anybody give me some advice, everytime I go OWS after about 1500m I get cramp in my legs, very painfull [:@] and very annoying as I am not tired and want to swim further. I never get cramp when riding or running!!



Any suggestions, advice and general comments will be well received



Cheers



Leigh

Comments

  • JasonBJasonB Posts: 303
    I used to get his, and it is annoying, especially when trying to get out of the water and get the wetsuit off.



    Cramp is all down to dehydration and body fluids not getting to bits of the body. I make sure I have had plenty fluids prior to swimming, and also give my legs a good kick every hundred or metres or so, for maybe two to three seconds. This gets it all running again.

    Another thing I have started doing is streatching the calves prior to getting in the water. People dont realy stretch when they think it is just a water swim.



    I guess you maybe like me, and dont kick your legs to much.



    Hope this helps.





  • leigh35leigh35 Posts: 28
    Jason



    Cheers for that, and you are right I do not kick with my legs that much, I take a lot of fluids in through the day so I didn't think it was dehydration , will try kicking more on Saturday at my next OWS.



    Good luck for the rest of the season



    Cheers



    Leigh
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    See previuos cramp thread...see if a different theory fits.
  • JasonBJasonB Posts: 303
    I agree actually. There are many other theories. ie Low Magnesium or Potassium.



    So if my advice doesnt help, then as Britspin says, you should have a peek at other forums.



    Dont look at medical ones though, or you could end up scaring yourself for no reason lol.

  • bennybenny Posts: 1,314
    I almost never get cramps. But when I do wetsuit open water swims I do get them from time to time(lets say 20%of the times I do it, so thats quite a lot I guess).

    Maybe it has something to do with the changed body position due to bouyancy???

  • FiFi Posts: 31
    Hi Leigh, I can sympathise with you - there's another thread on this with theories. I had cramp again last night 3-time times in a row whilst swimming, my middle toe went rigid so in the end so I had to finish early, which blows. Britspin seems up on all the theories so it's worth checking out what he/she has to say. I'm not much help as I don't have an answer but you have my sympathy.

  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    Just an observation... if you are OW swimming then the water is usually colder thn the pool, so whatever the cause there will simply be less blood in your tootsies, so more chance of cramp.



    One other thought.. I always notice that I am more susceptible to cramp in my calfs and the front of my thighs when swimming in the sea. Also, the day after a big rough sea swim the fronts of my thighs will be sore. I think this is down to the very sudden adjustments to your kick that you make automatically to keep your body level. I think my legs jitter a lot in open water to maintain that position.



    Maybe it is just because I have been swimming for so many years my body position is automatic, and I can't stop my legs from correcting it.
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