Cramps, causes and prevention

[knotical]

I started to type a reply, but then remembered:

Although it’s supposedly “common knowledge” that low electrolytes or dehydration are culprits, it seems a lot less is known than previously thought. See for example: What causes leg cramps? - Scientific American
However, most folks seem to agree that conditioning does play a part.

Personally, for prevention of common calf cramps in scuba, my best regimen has been calf raises and, as 00wabbit suggested, finning.

Additionally, many of us have found that different fins help. For me, Force Fins work best.

And Dr. Lynne:

I'm so glad to see knotical's link, supporting the position I've held on these threads for years, which is that electrolyte imbalances are RARELY the cause of scuba-related cramping.

The first thing you always see on these threads is a whole bunch of people blaming dehydration and potassium deficiency, but it just isn't common to have significantly low potassium in an unmedicated adult eating a normal diet, without any vomiting or diarrhea.

The article confirms that stretching is one way both to alleviate cramping and to prevent it. Conditioning the muscles you are using is another. HERE is an excellent article on muscle cramps in divers.

 

[Cali_diver]

Having suffered from leg cramps for years while diving. Reading and trying everything...I can confirm that the only thing that has helped me is calf raises!

 

[danvolker]

Having suffered from leg cramps for years while diving. Reading and trying everything...I can confirm that the only thing that has helped me is calf raises!

Which makes perfect sense, because most people DO NOT use their calves in the angle we do for optimal fin swimming...( as discussed in my previous post). Good form in calf raises, will build muscle strength and better capillary beds in the muscles of the calf, responsible for the contractions you need in fin swimming. Super-sets would be the way to go with this, once you are fit from normal calf raises.

Tangent to this....many divers that get cramps with paddle fins, switch to split fins...and this reduces the cramping....And the reason is, the splits are such a tiny lever--they supply such small leverage when kicked, that the poorly trained muscles don't work so hard...and the diver is able to fin swim without cramping. The better the fins are at propulsion potential, the more most will require muscles to be conditioned in a range of motion most people are not trained for.

Best solution is training on a bike and at the gym...worst solution is buying small leverage fins, or going barefoot
** None the less, most divers go the route of the low leverage fins, rather than actually trying to fix the real problem....

 

[CamC]

"Additionally, many of us have found that different fins help. For me, Force Fins work best."

I used to get really bad calf cramps at the end of a dive but they more or less vanished after I moved up a size in the same fins, and at the same time switched to spring straps. I hadn't noticed the original pair being too tight, but with hindsight they were; the looser fit really made a difference.

 

[Centrals]

** None the less, most divers go the route of the low leverage fins, rather than actually trying to fix the real problem....

Most of us are plain LAZY eg. taking slimming pill than good diet and exercises!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Another factor which I KNOW to be important (for me anyway) is temperature. "I almost died"... LOL over 40 years ago freedive spearfishing solo and got dual hamstring cramps while trying to exit the surf zone. I was reduced to a ball, tumbling ashore and was barely able to get enough air.

In this situation, I was tired and working the muscles hard, but I was a strong kid and trained on the swim team much harder, rode bikes harder and even ran with more intensity without anything like this happening - ever. It was summer in NJ and I was wearing just a 7 mm jacket in water that was probably around 64 or 67 degrees. My legs were exposed and I was NOT COLD.

I was doing a ton of swimming back and forth to shore (dropping off speared fish) so I was fatigued but the cause was almost certainly the fact that my legs were cool. The muscles were COLD. It took me a few more lessons to confirm to my satisfaction that it is really important to keep your leg muscles warm if you want to avoid cramping under exertion.

Training the offending muscle in the gym with concentrated exercises definitely is a huge advantage, but I will very rarely dive without wearing some sort of wetsuit over my legs. Unless the water is very warm, like 83 or up, I will wear a full one piece suit and if the water is warm, then I will open the back zip and not wear a hood, but it is really important to address the warmth of the leg muscles themselves. Again, they will not FEEL cold at all, but forcing the muscles to work when they are chilled reduces flexibility and promotes cramping.

Shorty wetsuits are really pretty stupid unless the water is quite warm or you don't expect to do any swimming.

Even if you are not cold and the legs are working and generating heat, they generally have limited cutaneous fat, and you really are losing a lot of heat. If I am cool or cold before a dive, I will make it a point to do some deep knee bends and get the blood circulating before the dive. Pumping some blood into the muscles and generating some heat is probably at least as important as a pre-dive stretch. I mean this should be obvious, what physical trainer is going to tell you to stretch your muscles before a moderate warm up - especially if you are cool already.

Foot cramps are probably not going to be addressed effectively by this, but they are often caused by a fin pocket that is too narrow (or more commonly, a boot which has too wide of a sole or big rubber reinforcements on the sides) . Any sideways crushing on the foot will cause cramping rather quickly, our feet can withstand some moderate downward, crushing forces much easier than lateral compression.

Edit: Oh yeah.. for several years I commonly dove in cool water with a 7 mm FJ pants, a 7 mm hood and on my torso, a nylon wind breaker. I know the conventional wisdom is you must keep your core warm, but I found it very comfortable to have a full range of motion for my arms and chest and the combination with a warm hood - provided all the thermal protection I needed for temperatures down to about 72-74 degrees.

 

[TMHeimer]

Agree about cold leg muscles as I've read about this before and it certainly makes sense. For myself I'm not sure it matters. On occasions I've cramped in the tropics and not cramped in the NE states and Canada (both with exposed legs). But that is an anomaly--perhaps the heredity thing?.
One time I dived in my 7 mil farmer john Jan. 4 here in 38F water. Cramped in the thigh right away. Walked back to where I could stand to eliminate it. Then 30 min. dive with no problems.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Wow thanks for the links knotical great information!

Unfortunately I have to join TMHeimer on linking in hereditary factors. I have suffered from cramps as long as I can remember into my childhood. Others in the family with similar problems.

I was very involved in sports in my teens and twenties and was even fortunate enough to be in training with Olympic Athletes and coaches. I only mention that to indicate I had the top level people in the late '60's early 70's putting together my workout and training programs. Hydration and potassium levels were not issues. Fitness levels were not issues but cramps still were!

I certainly haven't been so fit in the last number of years but my hydration levels and blood work show no deficits. I even had a nerve conduction test and that was normal as well.

At work I would often get cramps in my calves and feet when I had to kneel down to Demonstrate CPR, Bandaging, splinting etc. That was something I was doing daily.

Diving I get cramps in my calves and feet. Water temperature, ambient temperature and exposure protection seem to make no difference. Pointing my toes seems to make it worse. Consistently kicking the same way seems to make it worse. In spite of walking 6 to 12 km a day I still got cramps. I can not ride a bike due to issues with my badly abused knees.

That leaves me with Split fins and varying my kick methods as the most effective way of being able to continue my diving. Sometimes it is justified to use a gear choice to solve a problem. I have also found a product in Australia called Crampeeze that helps.

 

[TMHeimer]

We're getting away from teaching OW skills to kneeling students. Interesting that when I was a student 10 years ago I found that kneeling on the pool bottom was a sure fire way to get thigh cramps. So I went to the one foot forward and the back knee down.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

I've never taught Scuba. I've been asked a few times but I didn't want to turn something I did for pleasure into work. I just retired from teach first aid up to from basic through Occupational, O2 and Analgesic Gasses.

The move towards teaching more mid-water and away from kneeling seems like a move in the right direction. I certainly couldn't kneel without cramping up for sure. You method does at least provide for the stretching of the muscles

Frustrating tho sometimes the cramps start early on in the dive no matter what I do. It does seem more likely towards the end of the dive at the 80 minute mark or thereafter. I don't think I would ever be able to solve the problem well enough to get into the long technical