The Eight Main Causes of Cramps: Causes 1 – 4 Part 2

Yellow Daffodils can relieve stress.

The Eight Main Causes of Cramps:  Causes 1 – 4   Part 2

So experience any cramps since my last blog post?  If you answered yes, did you remember to use my quick tip on how to alleviate cramps quickly?   I sincerely hope so! I frankfully admit to being compelled to use it on several occasions myself!  

One particularly painful episode hit me broadside out of the blue one evening traveling along the lower side of my right leg just below the knee.  It took me aback at first because I don’t usually suffer from cramps in that general area.   I immediately wondered if pulling my foot back towards my upper body would incorporate the muscles causing the pain and ultimately stop the spasm in its tracks.   With nothing to lose and everything to gain, I flexed my foot accordingly and felt the pain lessen substanstantially in an instant.  Yes! I released the foot and then flexed it once again….. it had vanished!

This story narrates that a muscle spasm can hit anytime, anywhere and always when you least expect it.  The tip works for various cramps no matter their precise location even when slightly modified.  Just remember to use it!

First Four Causes of Muscle Cramps in Dancers

The more we can avert these fun suckers from taking place, the better and more relaxed we can dance, rest and play.  Without further ado, let’s turn our full attention to discussing the first four main causes of muscle cramps suffered by dancer the most: 

1. Fatigued or overworked muscles.   Taking part in a long and/or strenuous dance or exercise session may trigger your muscles to tire at some point after completion Many times the effects of this “misuse” are not felt until hours after ceasing your activity.  You feel exceptional while falling asleep that night congratulating yourself for a job well done.  The next morning reality hits you like a ton of bricks (literally!) making it almost impossible to drag yourself out of bed as your muscles scream in full revolt! Then you immediately wonder, “Now what do I do?” Right? 

Per Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D., sports medicine practitioner of the Sports Medicine Institute in Silver Spring, Maryland, “Every time you exercise, your muscles are injured….It takes 48 hours for muscles to heal from exercise.  Soreness means damage, and you should stop exercising when you feel sore.”[i]  

Uh oh! So now what can you do?  Well he also advises that in order to start the healing process immediately, gentle stretching should be performed.  Stretching? Yes, stretching as it lengthens the muscles which have been “shortened” from the injury thus allowing for healing to commence and to make it less likely to be injured or torn in the future.[ii]  

Learn to take your body seriously and be savvy when it shows signs of fatigue.  Discontinue your activity as soon as possible.  If attending class or at a competition, it may not be plausible for you to stop immediately so keep going until you can.  Slowing down your pace and taking breaks can help tremendously to lesson the “damage.” 

Dr. Allan Levy, M.D., a director of the Department of Sports Medicine at Pascack Valley Hospital in New Jersey and team physician for the New York Giants football team and the New Jersey Nets basketball team, advises that to combat cramps and spasms, “gradually stretch the muscle out and you’ll get the muscle to relax.”  In regards to times when you drive yourself too hard, the amount of rest needed to get your muscles back to prime shape depends on the “severity of the injury and the situation.”  So a cramp may require a few minutes of rest while a severe strain make takes hours, days, or weeks to heel.[iii]  When you deem possible, let your body and its’ overtaxed muscles rest the next day at the very least.

One of the best remedies includes elevating your feet and legs for at least 5 to 10 minutes before retiring for the night.  Simply lie down with your back on the bed.  Place both feet flat on the wall in a resting position higher than the rest of your body.  Just lay still and relax everything for about 10 minutes.  Elevating your legs and feet jumpstarts your body to eliminate some of the toxins, such a lactic acid, that has accumulated in your muscles while dancing and improves your overall circulation. Repeat again in the morning if desired.[iv]

 

2. Weak muscles of the leg and foot.   “Feebleness” in the muscles transpires from a lack of exercise, improper use, illness, or injury.  Cramps specifically in the foot occur from possessing weak “intrinsic” and “extrinsic” muscles.  The extrinsic muscles are situated beginning in the lower leg and then connect to the bones of the foot.  In conjunction, four layers of intrinsic muscles run across the bottom and then attach at each end of its’ bones.  These vital muscles assist dancers to achieve three fundamental tasks: 

-          to rise up high on the toes

-          to move their toes while walking

-          to prevent their toes from curling under when pointing the feet.[v]

 

Now do you realize their true importance?  For a dancer…imperative!

The best remedy includes performing a great number of strengthening exercises designed specifically for a dancer’s feet, arches, and legs.  Also remember that engaging your “tripod foot” and maintaining equal weight distribution on each of those three points as you dance is crucial to preventing cramps and avoiding long term injury.  Start by completing all of the tripod foot exercises already discussed in the previous blogs paying special attention to number 5 the “dooming exercise.”  (Over the next few months, other exercises will be introduced to be added to your dance bag of knowledge to further augment your progress.) 

As your intrinsic and extrinsic muscles get stronger, the cramping should magically disappear usually within a few days or weeks depending on how often you workout. Aim to complete about 10 minutes of exercising at least 3 times a week.  Just keep in mind that if you stop for a prolonged length time, do not be surprised if the cramps return again.  Don’t be alarmed, just continue, employ your quick release tip and let them pass into oblivion. 

3.  Learned something new.  Anytime you learn a “new move”, it may necessitate using a new muscle group not previous engaged before and/or might require you to support the weight of the body differently.  Both scenarios often result in additional stress and strain.  

The problem is common among beginner dancers or exercisers whose muscles prove to be weak or just not yet quite strong enough to do the step properly.  Even professionals who have danced for years will still undergo the same muscular soreness.  In Irish dancing, different muscles must be engaged to master the more challenging steps.  So as you “move up ladder” from beginner to novice to prizewinner to champ, the steps get faster and more difficult necessitating the use of more and more of your muscles.  (It never stops!)  Some good advice is to keep repeating the dance step or exercise over and over allowing your body to become stronger and stronger.  Finally as it adapts, any cramps you may be experiencing will stop. 

4. Tight shoes.  Almost everyone will deal with “tight shoes” at some point in their dancing career but the problem rages rampantly among ballet and Irish dancers.  Irish dancers use two types of shoes: the soft pumps known as ghillies and the jig/hard shoes.  A breaking-in period exists every time new shoes are purchased.  For dancers over the age of eighteen whose feet have stopped growing, the shoes must fit skin-tight at first due to their extreme stretchibility.   The reverse is true for children.  Owning to their ever-growing feet, all dance shoes should be bought one-half size larger then their regular fit (and I mean ONLY one-half size!)  (The dangers of improper shoe sizing for Irish dancers will be discussed in greater detail in my book to be released in January 2014 entitled Irish Dance Shoes Decoded:  Tips, Tricks, and Tools Every Dancer Can Used to be published in two volumes.  Watch for it!)

To minimize this problem, buy used shoes which are already broken in by someone else.  Key fitting point:  Place them on their feet.  If the dancer’s toes try to curl under at all,  that signals that the shoes are too small and must get a larger size.  If the shoes are brand new and unworn, work on breaking them in everyday until they stretch and fit.   Once you do, the cramps (and blisters) should stop.  Wearing tight shoes for even a very short period time can create pains in the feet, legs, and even across the backs of any dancer.  In my case, the nails of my big toe become painful and sore to the touch for at least 24 hours AFTER I take off the painful offenders.  If your feet hurt during class, explain to your teacher your problem and ask to take the shoes off for the rest of the time.  

As soon as possible after class, take a few minutes to “massage” your feet and toes.  It can help release unwanted toxins and help boost your circulation.  It always feels great!

In Conclusion

Lots to digest, right?  I know but I really want you to be able to dance and live as pain-free as possible.  But before I go…

Another Quick Tip to Alleviate Cramps

This is extremely easy to do and can be learned in an instant.  It uses a simple acupressure technique called “aucupinch” and is found in Bottom Lines’ Healing Remedy book by Joan and Lydia Wilen.“As soon as you get a cramp, use your thumb and your index finger and pinch your philtrum – the skin between your upper lip and your nose.  Keep pinching for about 20 seconds.  The pain and cramp should disappear.” [vi]

 

Don’t you love!  Until next time when we will look at the last four main causes cramps.  Stay tune and enjoy the dance.  

Sharon

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[i]The Editors of Prevention Magazine, The Doctors book of Home Remedies, Rodale Press, Inc., Emmaus, Pennsylvania, 1990, p. 434.

[ii] The Editors of Prevention Magazine, The Doctors book of Home Remedies, Rodale Press, Inc., Emmaus, Pennsylvania, 1990, p. 437.

[iv] Wilen, Joan and Lydia, Bottom Line’s Healing Remedies –Over 1,000 Astounding Ways to Heal Arthritis, Asthma, High Blood Pressure, Varicose Veins, Warts and More! , Stamford, Connecticut, 2006, p.135.

[v] Watkins, Andrea and Priscilla M. Clarkson, Dancing Longer, Dancing Stronger: A Dancer’s Guide to Improving Technique and Preventing Injury, Princeton Book Company,  Princeton, New Jersey,  1990, p. 62.

[vi] Wilen, Joan and Lydia, Bottom Line’s Healing Remedies –Over 1,000 Astounding Ways to Heal Arthritis, Asthma, High Blood Pressure, Varicose Veins, Warts and More! , Stamford, Connecticut, 2006, p.136.