How Many of you Experience Exercise Cramps from Skating?

[AgnesNitt]

I've cramped up while running, or aerobics, or even  weight lifting, but never while skating even though I'm sometimes out of breath. I'm not jumping or doing power stroking, so maybe I"m not getting challenged enough. Still I've never even heard any one mention it. Any stories or discussion? Maybe it's not a skating thing.

[skategeek]

I don't ever get side cramps, like with running, if that's what you mean.  But I'm also not skating that intensely.  I'm somewhat prone to foot and leg cramps, and for a while was getting occasional foot cramps (in the arch) just after skating.  Superfeet in the new skates helped.  Lately the top of my left foot has tried to cramp after about an hour of skating; I'm playing with my lacing technique to see if that helps.  Last year we found out I was vitamin D deficient; D and calcium supplements have cut way down on the cramps overall. 

[Jenna]

I get cramps in my feet a lot and sometimes in my hips doing spirals.  I get them the most whole I'm stretching, which is really frustrating! 

Maybe, I'll add a vitamin D supplement to my vitamin regiment, i get a lot of cramps in general and they're not always easy to get rid of.

[riley876]

If I'm short of magnesium, I get leg cramps, though not necessarily related to exercise - mainly when in bed.  Also get a darty anxious feeling.   From experience, I've worked out there is no way I can get enough via my diet, so I supplement this.  250mg (elemental) every few days.    (Work up to this dose, or you can have, um, intestinal chaos).

I've heard potassium is problematic for some people too.   Particularly those who eat lots of salty stuff, and not much fruit.  (Be careful about supplementing potassium BTW,  potassium is used as a lethal injection, as too much of it will stop your heart).

But I used to have foot arch cramps in the evening after skating (despite supplementing both Mg and K).  I don't know why I don't anymore.    Might just be scrunching my feet less these days.

[nicklaszlo]

I think I got them a few times as a beginner.  Not at all in recent years.

The idea that dehydration causes cramps is apparently very controversial.  It seems skaters would be less likely to get dehydrated since they are in a cool environment, which leads to reduced sweating.

My impression is that people who are new to exercise are much more likely to cramp than those who are experienced.

[axelwylie]

I get foot cramps right before I take off my skates sometimes. This happens about once a month. I skate a lot and get plenty of vitamins and water so maybe I am just prone to cramping!

[Cush]

If I do a spiral before properly warming up I'm likely to get a cramp in my leg somewhere.  Can also happen trying shoot the duck.

[Bill_S]

I get foot cramps if I've been off the ice for a couple months (that's almost every summer). They cease to be a problem after the first few practices of the season.

Stomach cramps? Never had them if I've been healthy enough to skate.

[emitche]

I'm currently sore in my lower back from dance two days ago and my legs are in pain from skating yesterday. I usually get cramps from exercise, especially if working out a different muscle group than usual. I've been skating at least a couple times a week pretty regularly lately. But yesterday's class resulted in pain (maybe it was the consecutive lunges). It may be vitamin D related.

I also get arch cramps during skating, but that's an issue with my boot's soles and my feet.

[emitche]

I realize now that cramps are different from being sore. I do get foot pain while skating, but the body pain are not cramps, just soreness after exercise.

[Query]

When I tried to cook without any processed foods, and added no salt, I had cramps and dizziness. Eventually I realized that plain chicken, along with fruits and vegetables, simply didn't have enough salt - that there is a good reason for salt to taste good to us.

For a while, one of my relatives became convinced she had too little magnesium, and so was taking extra, and ran into severe problems.

If I understand right, too much or too little of any of the electrolytes - including sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, etc., can cause cramps, because all are involved in muscle or nerve control.

So maybe people who cramp while exercising, and can't attribute it to feminine time-of-month issues, or something else, can look into their diet. But as I and my relative demonstrated, self-diagnosing that sort of thing without an objective test can be quite dangerous, especially if you go overboard. You can get a fairly comprehensive blood test that looks for that sorts of thing.

Of course, any serious exercise alters your electrolyte balance. E.g., you sweat out your electrolytes, and maybe you go to the bathroom more. Maybe you don't sweat as much while ice skating as while running, or aerobics, or weight lifting?

[Clarice]

I used to get really bad foot cramps - the pain was so bad I couldn't unlace my skates and had to have my coach do it for me.  It only happened when I competed, though, never at practice.  We decided it had something to do with holding my breath during my program at competitions.  Whatever the cause, it hasn't happened to me in years.

[Doubletoe]

I sometimes get arch cramps if I start skating too hard (jumping, etc) too soon instead of warming up with edges and stroking first.  I wonder if this is why the poster above used to get cramps at competitions, where you only have 5-6 minutes to warm up everything in your program before skating it.

[mamabear]

We are doing a new exercise in power class-you are in a squatting position (like doing a wall sit) but doing half pumps around each circle.  We rotate through the 5 hockey circles so you are alternating legs.  By the time we hit the last circle-I had this cramp in my left glute that had me wondering if I would just fall down from pain.  It's my first week doing them so we'll see how next week goes!

[skategeek]

Cramps in both arches today as I took off my skates... very cold in the rink and I didn't skate very hard, plus I hadn't had lunch and was probably slightly dehydrated.  Ugh.  Up in my office now with the space heater under my desk blasting my feet.