The Eight Main Causes of Cramps: Causes 5 - 8, Part 3

Anti-cramp food:  Bananas, Oranges, Carrots, Tomatoes, Grapes and water.

My Latest Cramp Attack

My life certainly has not been “pain free” over the last two weeks!  In fact, during class last night a multitude of foot cramps began attacking me one after the other alternating in both feet.  These unwelcome pains took place about an hour after doing a series of “point and flex” and other stretching exercises.  Wow!  I instinctually pulled back on my feet as each new spasm gripped me rapidly employing my “quick cramp release tip.”  Thankfully they “released” almost immediately! Luckily for me, the rest of the evening I remained cramp-free. 

Too Much Stress Is Hard for the Body

The ultimate cause?  Not sure but I had undergone a very hectic and disturbing hour immediately before heading for class.  By the time I walked to my car, my nerves were shattered!  I could feel “each minute” of that past hour literally weighing down my whole body but most noticeably in my neck and shoulders. I knew I only had twenty minutes during my drive to the studio to calm down and relax my body or my dancing would most certainly suffer.   

Employing a series of relaxation tricks learned from my days of taking Alexander Technique lessons and most recently from working with EFT (Electronic Freedom Technique  - a tapping protocol,)  I was able to threw off most of the excessive tension and relax my body by the time I parked my car.  I felt quite relieved by the time I entered the studio, yet I knew remnants of the tension remained deep inside. 

Carrying around multitudes of needless stress and anxiety is not healthy and can initiate any of your muscles to do funny things at any time!  This story illustrates superbly the fifth major cause of cramps…….performance and class anxiety.  Read on.

Last 4 Main Causes of Muscle Cramps in Dancers

5. Performance/class Anxiety.   Suffering from extreme “nervousness” or “apprehensiveness” during competitions, at important performances, or even while participating in your weekly dance or exercise classes often results in cramping.   Some dancers undergo fluttery “butterflies” in their stomachs before going out onto the stage.  Others find that all that tension just amasses directly in their shoulders “tying them up in knots” for hours or even several days.  

While for people like me, the nervousness heads straight down to our legs making them feel like heavy lead pipes! For a long time, I often cramped in my calves and arches as I danced through the first two competitions,  specifically after the added stress and strain of driving in the car the day before and all those weeks of extra practicing. I was so disheartened at first! Then I noticed that as I completed each subsequent dance competition, my anxiety began releasing little by little so that by the time I got to my last one, I felt great!  Amazing.

What can you do to combat this extreme nervousness?  Find a relaxing technique or food that works for you.  I have found great success using the Alexander Technique, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), Bach Flower Remedies, essential oils, aromatherapy, and color therapy just to name a few.  Experiment with different ones and find those that work best for you.  Release your anxiety then you can “release” your cramps into oblivion.

6. Vitamin or mineral deficiency and dehydration of the body.  Water, salt, potassium, calcium, and magnesium all play crucial roles in keeping you from cramping.  Your storehouse of these vital substances is depleted with physical exertion and through sweating. To achieve optimum results as a dancer, proper levels must be maintained in your body every day.

“Potassium is critical to life” writes Dr. Mark Stengler, N.D., in his book, The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies Proven Remedies that Medical Doctors Don’t Know About.   The superstar status for potassium will be discussed a future blog but right now just be aware of these basic star qualities: it is essential for the proper functioning of cells as well as to “prevent high blood pressure, muscle cramps, and for normal heart functions…muscle contractions; nerve conduction; glucose, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism; kidney and adrenal function; and water balance.”[i]  Now you understand its importance?  Good.  

It is important to “balance” your potassium with calcium and magnesium. Magnesium is the “second most abundant mineral” after potassium in the body but most children and adults do not get enough in their diets.   A deficiency will show up by producing “muscle cramps, spasms, and weakness fatigue; irritability and personality changes; confusion; loss of appetite; poor coordination; and cravings for sweets.”[ii] And that is just to name a few of the symptoms.  Oh my!  

You can easily replace deficiencies by eating the right kind of foods.  Those high in potassium include fruits and vegetable such as: bananas, oranges, potatoes, carrots, avocados, tomatoes, apples and dried peaches.  Foods that rank high in calcium:  low-fat milk products and cheese.  To get more magnesium, eat more whole grains, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, legumes, squash and pumpkin seeds, beans and lentils, avocados, dark chocolate, dried fruit, and bananas.

Proper Hydration is Key

If the body is poorly hydrated, it cannot function properly.   Dehydration results from not drinking enough water and other liquids or from drinking the wrong beverage such as alcohol or sodas in excess.  Combat this dehydration by sipping down plenty of fluids.  Plain old water works well but enjoying a bottle of any “electrolyte/carbohydrate replacement drinks such as Gatorade may work even better.    

A great example of their importance can be illustrated when the Florida Gators football team which began drinking a “special infusion” after each practice, each game and again at dinner.   By the end of the season, the players experienced less muscle soreness than the year before.  This sports drink, later called Gatorade, was “high in carbohydrates, which the body quickly turns into glycogen to be used as fuel for the muscles.”[iii]    

The best way for dancers to use these replacement liquids is to drink half a serving 30 minutes before class and then the remainder 30 minutes after class.  Try them and see what happens. A word of caution, drink Gatorade or its equal but are just water with vitamins added.  I had a bad reaction after drinking one just last month:  dizziness, fluttering eyelids, and racing heart to describe some of my symptoms within 10 minutes of my initial sip.  It wore off fairly quickly but I felt terrible.  Experiment with products and find what works best for you.

7. Circulatory problems.  If your body cannot properly circulate its oxygen-rich blood and other vital fluids, its fragile chemical balance will be upset and in consequence create muscles spasms.  Whenever you must sit or stand still for long periods of time, walk around slowly as often as possible to keep your blood flowing and the oxygen moving!  Also make sure that no piece of clothing or equipment, such as tight sleeves on a jacket or perhaps your shoes, is constricting you.  

Here’s another great tip from the Wilen’s book:  Rock in a rocking chair for about an hour before bed. This simple activity can provide therapeutic assistance to prevent varicose veins and blood clots by improving your circulation….and you guessed it, relieve you have many a cramp.[iv]  (Sine reading this tip, I have starting “rocking” after coming home each night.  It’s totally enjoyable and works as a stress reliever as well.)

8. Medications.  Any prescribed medications can rob the potassium, calcium and magnesium needed by your body to stay healthy especially in active people.  This is particularly true when taking any type of diuretic which jeopardizes your potassium levels.  In addition some medications are known to specifically reduce magnesium in the body which includes:  digoxin, corticosteroids, birth control pills, theophylline, and warfarin.[v]    Other depleting culprits include migraine medications and caffeine.  

Follow the same advice for number 6 as this too, is a symptom of a vitamin or mineral deficiency.  Eat one to two bananas or oranges in addition to drinking lots of water.  Find natural substitutes when possible.  For example, natural diuretics include eating cucumber, celery or lettuce. [vi]  Remember that these are common side effects of taking medications and as with any medical condition, always talk to your doctor first.

Conclusion of the Discussion on Cramps 

This concludes our first look at cramps.  I hope that you have found it extremely informative but, believe me; this only scratched the surface of the subject.  We will revisit it sometime in the future but if you have any tips or comments, type them in the comments section below this post.  Thank you.

In the next blog we will look at keeping a dancer’s journal and scrapbook, a very important component on dancer’s road to achieving their best.  Watch for it.

Until then….Stay pain free!   Have fun and enjoy the dance! 

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[i] Stengler, Dr. Mark, N.D., The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies: Proven Remedies that Medical Doctors Don’t Know About, Prentice Hall Press, 281 Tresser Blvd., Stamford, CT 06901, 2001, p. 369.

[ii] Ibid, p. 319- 320.

[iii] Kirchheimer, Sid and The Editors of Prevention Magazine, The Doctors book of Home Remedies II, Rodale Press, Inc., Emmaus, Pennsylvania, 1993, p. 360.

[iv] [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] Stengler, Dr. Mark, N.D., The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies: Proven Remedies that Medical Doctors Don’t Know About, Prentice Hall Press, 281 Tresser Blvd., Stamford, CT 06901, 2001, p. 320.

[vi] [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.134- 135.