I'm so sick of cramps

thenags · 01-23-2008, 06:16 PM

Pretty much my whole life I've always got lots of cramps.. Nothing I do seems to help. I get them in my sides more than anything but also real bad in my abs and hamstrings. I could be driving and just look to the next lane to see if theres a car and get a huge pain in my side.

I drink at LEAST a gallon of water a day. I take multi vitamins. I eat at least 1 banana a day and also supplement with Potassium pills.

What can I do next? Nothing has seemed to help.

-nags

nickasher · 01-23-2008, 07:28 PM

i read somewhere that having to much potassium in your diet will cause craps also if you cant find info on the web ask you doctor

thenags · 01-23-2008, 07:30 PM

I've asked 2 doctors in the last few years and they've both shrugged it off.

I read that about the too much potassium also.. I used to eat none.. Then started with the banana a day.. No change.. then went to the pills :-/

mmmcookiesnmilk · 01-24-2008, 01:04 AM

do you get enough calcium? when I'm lacking I get charlie horses. sounds like you need to be a little more persistent with your doctor or get a new one.

jfiora1 · 01-24-2008, 01:24 AM

you may have some kind of imbalance between your sodium and your potassium. to much of either could have different results. if you drink a lot of water and dont have enough sodium then your cells will not soak that water up. if you dont have enough potassium your muscles will cramp up. i am sure you know that they are electrolytes and you need to have a certain balance of them to assure proper health. i have taken classes on all this a while ago but i have forgotten some. this probably will not help bu ti figured i would add my two cents. try taking in more salt. you will retain water but it may help.

thenags · 01-24-2008, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfiora1

you may have some kind of imbalance between your sodium and your potassium. to much of either could have different results. if you drink a lot of water and dont have enough sodium then your cells will not soak that water up. if you dont have enough potassium your muscles will cramp up. i am sure you know that they are electrolytes and you need to have a certain balance of them to assure proper health. i have taken classes on all this a while ago but i have forgotten some. this probably will not help bu ti figured i would add my two cents. try taking in more salt. you will retain water but it may help.

Hmmm, that does make sense.. However, I get more salt in my one cheat meal everyday than I probably need for the whole day

ben3133 · 01-24-2008, 05:43 AM

I noticed no one has mentioned magnesium - make sure you are getting enough.

How frequently do you get these cramps? It is interesting that you've gotten them your whole life and the doctors shrug them off...

thenags · 01-24-2008, 08:09 AM

Where do you get magnesium?

adirtygypsy · 01-25-2008, 11:03 PM

I think the answer is simple. (I have your problem too) Our muscles are made of mainly fast twitch (Muscle fiber type II b). We can transform our muscles to type II a if we train correctly and stay at it for long enough or we can transform it to Slow twitch but who wants to be that guy these days?... I learnt that no matter what people say there is no simple remedy for this and you have to do something about it or it's never gunna go away. I leave it up to you to do the research as I haven't even done mine yet. This is just a theory as to why I get cramps... (Lack of oxygen to the muscles)

Bad-Influence · 01-25-2008, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thenags

Where do you get magnesium?

in the vitamin isle

nahcm · 01-26-2008, 03:07 AM

Always in the calves. Back when I was active I would always wake up to a cramp turning into a spasm. My calf would turn rock hard and the pain would become extremely painful. I would just take the pain and do my best to massage it out. The spasm hit me so hard that my calf would be tender for the next couple of days. The only advice I ever received was to eat a banana or some celery. Now that I am getting back into shape I have been waiting for the spasm to make a comeback. Fortunately I have not experienced any major cramping due to all this great advice. Thank you!

thenags · 02-01-2008, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bad-Influence

in the vitamin isle

I meant what foods

thenags · 02-01-2008, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nahcm

Always in the calves. Back when I was active I would always wake up to a cramp turning into a spasm. My calf would turn rock hard and the pain would become extremely painful. I would just take the pain and do my best to massage it out. The spasm hit me so hard that my calf would be tender for the next couple of days. The only advice I ever received was to eat a banana or some celery. Now that I am getting back into shape I have been waiting for the spasm to make a comeback. Fortunately I have not experienced any major cramping due to all this great advice. Thank you!

Sounds like my hamstrings. I got 'em so bad at the gym the other day I had to basically stand completley still in one spot for about 5 minutes. Any slight movement would almost bring me to the floor!

Bad-Influence · 02-02-2008, 12:01 AM

http://www.algaecal.com/magnesium-foods.html

thenags · 02-02-2008, 12:08 AM

Well thats out the window. I eat 2 things on that list almost everyday...

Bad-Influence · 02-02-2008, 02:09 PM

google foods high in magnesium n see what you get, what i posted was just an example