Muscle spasm while swimming is one of the most common causes of drowning. Sudden, involuntary, painful and several minutes or several minutes of muscle tension effectively prevents any movement in the water. Find out what causes contractures and how to prevent muscle cramps while swimming.
Muscle contraction while swimmingis a sudden, involuntary, painful and short-lived (several or several minutes) tension in a muscle or group of muscles that limits or prevents movement in the water. When swimming, the muscles of the lower limbs, especially the calves, cramp most often. Less often, there is a painful increase in tension in the muscles of the thighs and buttocks or in the knee joints and the muscles of the upper limbs.
Muscle spasm while swimming - causes
- Disturbed water and electrolyte balance of the body
Deficiency of electrolytes, and hence - dehydration of the body, is a frequent cause of muscle cramps. Magnesium deficiency is especially dangerous as it affects the muscle and nervous excitability. This element regulates the process of transmitting signals that are sent to nerve cells in the muscles. Therefore, magnesium is essential for the smooth functioning of the muscles.
The imbalance in water and electrolytes is usually the result of an incomplete diet, i.e. a diet poor in magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium and potassium.
- Coffee and alcohol
Alcohol and strong coffee in excess "flush" magnesium and other valuable elements from the body. In turn, a deficiency of magnesium hinders the absorption of micro and macro elements necessary for the proper functioning of the body from food.
- Circulatory system disorders
If you experience sudden calf cramps with swollen feet or ankles, you may be suffering from phlebitis or thromboembolism.
- Overtraining
A sudden contraction while swimming may be the body's reaction to overtraining - fatigue caused by excessive effort, which in turn is a result of impaired neuromuscular control.
- Sudden temperature change
The body is veryit often responds with muscle contractions to sudden changes in temperature. Remember that the water in the seas and lakes has a much lower temperature than a warm body. If you suddenly step into cool water from a hot beach, you may experience thermal shock. In such a situation, the body may respond by contracting the muscles.
- Swimming immediately after a heavy meal
If you enter water - sea, pool or lake, immediately after a heavy meal, you may be "caught" by colic, which is a sharp pain caused by contraction of the smooth muscles of the intestine. According to doctors, the cause of colic can be both eating a heavy meal and strenuous exercise, such as swimming. Therefore, for an hour after eating, for example, lunch, refrain from swimming in the sea.
How to prevent muscle cramps while swimming?
- Warm-up
Before any intense effort, such as swimming in the sea or lake, be sure to warm up to stretch your muscles. Are you going to spend more than an hour in the water? Remember to go ashore every 30 minutes and take a five-minute break, during which you perform muscle-relaxing massages. It is worth knowing that muscles should also be stretched after bathing in the sea.
- Adequate diet
To help prevent muscle cramps, eat a diet high in magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, and potassium. Therefore, eat, for example, green vegetables every day. In your daily menu, also include fresh fruit juices, dairy products and groats.
One of the causes of sudden muscle cramps is a deficiency or excess of s alt in the body, therefore its consumption should be limited to one level teaspoon a day.
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What to do when I "catch" a cramp in the water?
If you experience sudden and sharp muscle pain while swimming, get out of the water as soon as possible. It's best to ask someone nearby to help you swim to the shore. Then sit down and massage the limb with circular movements, gently pressing against the stiff muscle. You can also do the so-called tapping, i.e. strokes made with the side of the hand.
Remember that in the event of a contracture, you should not tense your muscles and tendons, so do not try to move the aching leg or shake your stiff arm.