What actually ARE muscle cramps?

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Everyone gets a muscle cramp from time to time. But do you know what actually causes them? Does anyone?!

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More Medlife Crisis:

References:

Muscle cramping in the marathon : aetiology and risk factors
Increased running speed and previous cramps rather than dehydration or serum sodium changes predict exercise-associated muscle cramping: a prospective cohort study in 210 Ironman triathletes
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I used to be quite a good swimmer and kept hearing about the danger of cramps for swimmers. I thought "how bad could it be?", all I ever got was minor cramps in my calf muscles, nothing serious.

Until one day, I had been swimming for at least 2 kilometers at quite a fast pace when suddenly my whole body cramped and completely locked up. I couldnt hold on to the edge or the pool (wich was right there) and sank to the bottom. My heart rate and oxygen consumption was quite high and tunnel vison started to set in quickly. Thank god we were supervised and they pulled me out.

I would have been dead right there if it wasnt for some quick action. I tell this to all the swimmers, don't ever go to your limits when you're alone at the pool!

stefanklass
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I got a cramp at a sports awards ceremony in my quad, shot up to stretch it, and proceeded to cramp EVERYWHERE in my legs. It was a blur to me, but according to the people at my table my face visibly drained of colour, I said "help", and proceeded to lose consciousness. Woke up on the ground surrounded by our physios. That was definitely dehydration, we had been playing in Malaysian heat all day.

To this day it's the most painful thing I have ever experienced. Absolutely hilarious. Have the photo of me passed out on the ground around somewhere 😂

RealEngineering
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I solved my morning calve cramp horrors permanently by doing this. For me they were always cause by a morning stretch in bed by pointing my toes. I trained myself to contract my shin muscles by pointing my toes toward my head instead. It’s very satisfying stretch and I haven’t had a calve cramp in about 2 years now.

michaelcrain
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The next question: what actually are headaches?

reneradojcic
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I have committed to getting proper subtitles done for all my videos for the last year or so, but I hit publish before they were ready this time, sorry! They're up now. I haven't had time to check through properly so excuse any errors. You see, I care about accessibility, but clearly not actually that much. What a virtue subtitler! (I'll get round to it soon)
Edit: singular “cramp” Is how we say it in the UK!

MedlifeCrisis
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For me there's clearly a correlation with drinking less than normal. I normally drink a lot (compared to others) during the day, but on days with lots of meetings, for example, or other reasons I drink less, I often have these night cramps. Sometimes when I have a bad case, I keep feeling it for several days.

_wicked
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As a woman, hearing someone asking about my cramp experience is not uncommon.
Aside from womanly cramp pain, I experience harrowing leg cramps, to the point I avoid sleeping in a certain position.
I have left my bed to crawl around like a victim bitten by a zombie, becoming increasingly rabid, frustrated soul hoping I could "walk it off". This is due to the fact, my leg has decided to "nah " it not and oh, here enjoy this distasteful cramps.
I have consulted doctors, they have no clue as to why, however, they have advice me to go to physio therapy.
Physio therapist, bless their heart, made the situation worse.
I am back to avoiding sleeping in a certain position and my puppy looks forward to following me crawling around in the middle of the night.
::sigh::

sunshinegurl
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It's SOOO cool to hear from a doctor about their own journey into finding out why they are suffering from a mysterious ailment. I wonder if more stories like this from more doctors would increase trust from patients.

colleenwilliams
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63 years old and an occasional nocturnal leg cramper myself. Recurrent since my teen years. The data point that I want to add is that I had a DVT as a post-surgical complication several years ago, and the pain in my leg felt *exactly* like the pain in the aftermath of a cramp. It was a familiar enough feeling that I initially ignored it. I had no memory of having had a cramp, but hey, this was after prostate surgery and I wasn't exactly sleeping normally so I thought maybe I slept through it. I normally only feel that aftermath pain for a few hours, so when this lasted a full day, I started to get suspicious. So, fellow crampers, if you are at risk of DVT due to surgery (or for any other reason), remember this and don't ignore post-cramp pain --- because it might not be post-cramp pain.

rhsatrhs
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This is going to sound cheesy, but I wish every academic communicate science like you: with some serious, rigorous examination and healthy skepticism about the state of the science while also dealing with it in a casual and easy-going way. As a uni student, I feel like the world of academia has been, most of the time, a letdown for me, and your videos are full of knowledge and joyous curiousity that I love. So, thank you.

Also, your sense of humor is totally right up my alley, so there you go.

frye-er
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I've experienced some pretty painful cramps, where the pain took a week plus, to receede fully. One day, a physiotherapist told me, not to try stretching the muscle immediately to fight the contraction. He suggested to put load on the muscle, but not stretch it immediately. Then, slowly stretch the muscle while keeping it loaded (about 1 minutes).
I tried it, and the pain receeded almost instantly when load was applied (standing on my toes, since it is pretty much isolated to my calves). Have applied this strategy ever since, and haven't had any of those "it lasted a bloody week" experiences.

StangspringDK
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Thanks for your work. I’m an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon with 40 years experience and I get this question everyday. I learned some things from your video and would love to learn more if you find out something relevant!

ghostdoc
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As a sufferer of regular calf cramps when waking up, the best method for me of stopping it in its tracks is to leap out of bed and stand upright. I'm now so conditioned to it, that it's now an automatic response. It works so well that the pain often only lasts a few seconds. I can also trigger a cramp at will, not that I do it for fun 😂

alansmith
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About a year ago I had this scary episode where I've half fallen asleep in the evening, woke up to a cramp in my calf. It quickly spread to my thigh, then my other leg both calf and thigh, then my arms, then my torso and even the face. It was absolutely agonizing pain, I could only squirm on the bed and scream. Felt like I'm about to die.
After several minutes that felt like hours it subsided, I could barely move with slurred speech. Was taken to A&E where they ran basic tests and literally the only thing they could find was a minor dehydration which to be honest was probably from the sweat during the episode.

Never happened since and I still don't have a faintest clue what caused it.6

carneus
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Whenever I watch your videos, you genuinely make me care a lot more about my fitness level. So I thank you for nagging on about it because it does help.

A year ago I spent most my days at the computer working or playing, now I've been going actively to the gym for 6 months and loving it. In the start I did do cardio but dropped it when I started focusing more on resistance training. Now after this video I'll once again integrate cardio into my routine. I won't say you're the reason I started exercising but honestly, you were a big part of why I started to care and wanted to care for my own health and not be negligent. So thank you!

felixisme
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Every time I try to explain to patients that no one actually knows what's up with cramps, they give me the side eye! I feel so validated by this video! I'm overall healthy and yet I get hellacious cramps--not all the time, but in runs, like my migraines. Seems like something periodically increases my "cramp tone."

kristophine
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As someone who sometimes gets severe calf cramps in the morning like you, I find that if I stand up within 1 to 2 seconds of the onset I can prevent the severe cramp from progressing

justinmiller
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0:18: 🤔 The video explores the mystery of muscle cramps and why they occur.
4:01: 🤔 The YouTuber discusses their experience with muscle cramps and the mystery of a tender lump in their calf.
7:41: 🤔 The video discusses the causes of muscle cramps and focuses on cramps affecting healthy skeletal muscle.
11:40: 🎥 The video discusses the process of muscle contraction and the proteins involved.
15:17: 🔍 The video discusses the contradictory studies and factors associated with muscle cramps.
19:04: 🥤 The video discusses the history and fascination with Pocari Sweat, a Japanese drink, and its attempt to advertise on the moon.
27:14: 🤔 The speaker discusses a unique case of muscle cramps and the lack of consistent remedies.
31:18: 💪 The video discusses the benefits of using a professional coach for personalized workout plans and accountability.
Recap by Tammy AI

aanchaallllllll
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Here is my story that I've never shared with anyone. In those half-awake half-asleep moments of the early morning, if I stretch my legs & FLEX MY TOES, a cramp is at high risk of happening. I always assumed that the days of lingering pain was from the muscle tissue literally tearing itself apart as it involuntarily pulled against itself with more force than I could ever voluntarily exert. I also thought that it was due to my alcohol consumption & subsequent dehydration. This video is making me rethink that point.
Here is the real reason I'm posting this. They say that pain is the best teacher & I have found a way to mitigate the effects of the cramp. Once your brain receives that 'MetalGearSolidAlert' you must act as quickly as possible by repeatedly flexing your leg at the knee as far as it will go as fast as you can. KEEP THOSE MUSCLES BUSY ON YOUR OWN TERMS. Expand, Contract, Expand, Contract, Expand, Contract, etc... don't stop until the cramp does. To h311 with your bed partner, they're on their own.
Cramps need a little time to build their full strength. As long as you start flexing BEFORE the cramp hits 100% power, it will stall at whenever you begin to flex. You only have 1.5 to 2 seconds to react. Stopping the cramp at 25%-50% is still going to hurt, but it's WAY preferable to letting it hit 100% and leaving you rolling around the floor moaning in agony for what feels like an eternity.
NEVER AGAIN I SAY!

Slybo
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Love that this man feeds our curiosity, specially when watching a 30min video is way better than spending hours looking up research on cramps before a pharmacology final.
This was posted just in time, Great job as always ❤️

mohammadkhater