{"id":5051,"date":"2021-03-06T14:47:29","date_gmt":"2021-03-06T13:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.physiotutors.com\/?p=5051"},"modified":"2023-05-05T15:42:23","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T13:42:23","slug":"bananas-or-barbells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.physiotutors.com\/bananas-or-barbells\/","title":{"rendered":"Bananas or Barbells – How to Prevent Cramps During Running"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Exercise Associated Muscle Cramps (EAMC) is one of the most common conditions that require medical attention during or immediately after sports events. EAMC is particularly common in endurance events such as marathons and the etiology is poorly understood. Studies have reported an EAMC prevalence of 18% during a road marathon and 41% during a 56-km ultramarathon. It\u2019s a key reason why inexperienced runners fail to finish their marathon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presentation and Proposed Aetiology<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

EAMC have a typical clinical presentation resulting from intense and prolonged physical exercise, and they usually occur in muscles subjected to high contractile demand during exercise exertion. The first and most popular hypothesis about the etiology of EAMC was the dehydration and electrolyte depletion theory, in fact, most runners still believe that sodium intake during endurance exercise prevents the occurrence of muscle cramps. It\u2019s based on the traditional view of exercise-associated muscle cramps, which attributes them to dehydration and the loss of electrolytes like sodium and potassium (which bananas contain in abundance) from prolonged sweating. A survey of 344 endurance athletes found that 75% believe that taking extra sodium can help to prevent muscle cramps (McCubbin et al, 2019<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, Is it True that Muscle Cramps are due to electrolyte imbalance?<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A recent study by Martinez-Navarro et al (2020)<\/a> compared dehydration variables, serum electrolytes, and muscle damage serum markers between runners who suffered EAMC and runners who did not suffer EAMC in a road marathon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

98 marathoners took part in the study. Before and after the race, blood and urine samples were collected and body mass was measured. In the study, 88 runners finished the marathon, and 20 of them developed EAMC (24%) during or immediately after the race. Body mass change, post-race urine specific gravity, and serum sodium and potassium concentrations were not different between crampers and non-crampers.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Body mass change, post-race urine specific gravity, and serum sodium and potassium concentrations were not different between crampers and non-crampers.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Conversely, runners who suffered EAMC exhibited significantly greater post-race creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). The difference in the percentage of runners who included strength conditioning in their race training approached statistical significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Therefore, runners who suffered EAMC did not exhibit a greater degree of dehydration and electrolyte depletion after the marathon but displayed significantly higher concentrations of muscle damage biomarkers. Further, 48 % of the non-crampers reported regular lower limb resistance training compared with 25 percent of the crampers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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