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Don't Let A Cramp Cut Your Run Short!
By Julie Donnelly, LMT
You're in the middle of your long run for the week. You feel strong, your time is right on target, you're breathing easily and you feel confident. Then your calf muscle cramps, and it is so painful that you almost fall in your tracks. Limping to the side of the road, you collapse onto the grass. Your leg is throbbing so severely that you can't even think. When you try to stretch it out...it gets worse! What do you do now?
This is a runner's nightmare, one that any serious runner has either experienced personally or has watched another runner suffering.
Before we get into self-treatment for this painful situation, let's take a look at some basics. We assume that you know about keeping yourself hydrated and replacing lost electrolytes. You have read about carbohydrates and protein. You know that a calcium/magnesium imbalance can cause cramps, so you are faithful in taking your supplements, and you eat properly. If you'd like to look into nutritional replacement products that have been used by Gold Metal Olympic athletes, go to www.shaklee.net/julstro, the research behind the sports nutrition products will prove to you that Shaklee is the best in the field.
But here you are on the side of the road, ready to scream out in pain. What to do now?
To begin with, DO NOT stretch until you help the muscle complete its contraction. This may seem like the exact opposite thing to do, but let's talk about how the muscle works.
When your muscle goes into a severe cramp, the muscle is severely contracting. Muscles have an "all or nothing" system and will never stop a contraction in the middle. A muscle fiber contracts fully, or not at all. If you try to stretch while the muscle is trying to contract, you are pulling the muscle one way, and it is contracting in the other direction, with the end result of tearing the muscle fibers. You need to assist the muscle to finish its contraction BEFORE you can stretch it without injury.
(A)When the muscle cramps, (A) tightly grab your calf with your hands: one hand at the top of the calf, just below the knee; and the other hand at the bottom of the muscle, just above the ankle. Now, help the muscle complete its contraction by pushing your hands together. This will be extremely painful, but only for a few seconds. Next, release your hands, and then replace them in the same positions. Push your hands together again. This time, it won't hurt nearly as much. You are now helping muscle fibers finish their contraction. Take a few breaths to get back your oxygen that was lost while you were breathing heavily during the pain.
Now you can safely treat and stretch the muscle. Begin by rubbing the muscle with arnica gel. Arnica gel, a homeopathic remedy for bruised muscles, can be bought in any good health food store. It is amazing how quickly arnica gel will help muscles heal. I recommend always keeping a tube of arnica gel in your pouch while running. After you have massaged in the arnica gel, begin squeezing your calf, like you were squeezing bread dough. This brings blood into the area and helps heal the muscle. Finally, do the following gastroc and soleus stretches.
But do you know about stretching and working out muscle spasms as they develop?
Even knowledgeable athletes finish up a long run, stretch for a few minutes, and leave. This is a big mistake! You need to take the time to stretch all the muscles of your legs and hips after you finish your training run. It takes one full minute for a muscle to have a permanent stretch. That's 60 seconds per muscle group, not for the entire stretching process. Do your stretch slowly; allow the muscle to lengthen gradually. Don't bounce!
There are specific self-treatments you can do for each muscle of your leg, and they are all taught in my books and eBooks The Pain Free Triathlete, The Pain Free Runner, and Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living. Discover the Secret of Why You Hurt and How to Stop It. All of the books/eBooks are available at: www.julstro.com. However, this article will address only the calf muscles.
In your calf, you have two primary muscles; the gastrocnemius ("gastroc" for short) and the soleus. Most runners faithfully stretch the gastroc by either keeping their foot flat and then bending their body forward and keeping their leg straight, or by standing on the curb and dropping their heels toward the street, while keeping their legs straight. I always advise against this second method of stretching, unless done very slowly and deliberately, it is too severe. Stretching should be done gradually, increasing the stretch every 15 seconds until you are stretching as far forward as you can bend your ankle, then hold the stretch for 60 full seconds.
(B) 
(C)(B) People bend forward, leaning up against cars, fences, and trees, but it isn't necessary to bend from the hips; that isn't doing anything for your legs. Keep your body upright, put one leg out in front of you, with the knee bent; and the other leg back, with the knee straight. It's the exact same leg position as when you are leaning against something; you just keep your body straight. It's actually a lot easier to do, and more convenient because you don't need to find a tree!
The stretch that most athletes miss is the soleus stretch. Both the gastroc and the soleus insert into the Achilles Tendon, and either one can cause the tendon to tear if severely contracted. To add the soleus stretch is very easy. Assume the same flat foot position as you had for the gastroc stretch, then move forward (bending the ankle). Now move your body back (C) so you are also bending your knee, keeping your back straight. You will feel a totally different stretch. Increase the stretch every 15 seconds until your knee and ankle bend as far as they can go, and again hold it for 60 seconds.
It has been my experience, while working with hundreds of athletes, that the soleus that will cause the greatest amount of trouble. This happens because everyone stretches the gastroc, not the soleus. Proper nutrition and stretching, along with eliminating the spasms that shorten the muscles in the first place, can help you to prevent the painful experience of a cramp while you are running.
A muscle cramp can stop you in your tracks. Treating it improperly will mean limping for the remainder of the race, having a negative impact on your time and on your muscle's health, and being in pain for several days. The few minutes you will lose in your training time, or in the race, to do these treatments will be rewarded by the prevention of damage to your muscles.
© 2004
Julie Donnelly is a licensed massage therapist specializing in the treatment of chronic pain and sports injuries. She has co–authored several self–treatment books, including "The Pain–Free Triathlete" and "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome–What You Don′t Know CAN Hurt You." She teaches Julstro self–treatment workshops nationwide and is a frequent presenter at Conventions and Seminars. Julie may be contacted through her website: www.julstro.com.
