Walking or riding a bike can lead to soreness that results in leg cramps. According to Harvard Medical School, leg cramps usually only last a few minutes and typically affect your calf muscles or the soles of your feet. If you experience lingering soreness or persistent leg cramps, contact your physician for a physical examination.
Overuse
Overuse of your leg muscles is a very common reason for leg cramps. When your muscles become dehydrated, fatigued, strained or complete the same motion over and over again, you may experience leg cramps. These are even more prevalent if you participate in walking or bike riding in warm weather. Warm weather has a tendency to dehydrate your muscles more quickly.
Nutrition
Experiencing leg cramps while walking or bike riding may be the result of inadequate mineral levels in your body. When your body lacks potassium, calcium or magnesium, you may experience sudden cramping in your legs. Certain medications -- including those for high blood pressure -- can deplete your body of important minerals.
Nerve Compression
If you have a condition of the spine -- such as lumbar stenosis -- that causes a compression of your spinal nerves, you may experience cramping in your legs. These cramps often intensify when you walk for extended periods.
Other Medical Conditions
A number of medical conditions can lead to cramping as you walk or bike ride. Poor blood supply to your legs as the result of arteriosclerosis -- a narrowing of the arteries that delivery blood to your extremities -- can cause cramping in your legs and your feet as you participate in exercise. These cramps are likely to subside upon rest. Muscle cramps may also be an indicator of nerve, kidney, hormone and thyroid disorders. They can be an indicator of anemia, diabetes and hypoglycemia.
Treatment
A quick and simple means of treating leg cramps is immediate stretching of the irritated muscle. If your calf muscles are cramping, take a seat with your legs fully extended. Grab your toes and pull them toward your body. This exercise also helps if your feet are cramping. Other treatments include bearing weight on the affected leg, heat or massaging the affected muscles.
Prevention
To prevent muscle cramps in your legs, wear footwear that's appropriate for the type of physical activity you're performing. In order to avoid dehydration of your muscles, drink plenty of water as you walk or bike. It's also important that you stretch before exercising, so don't wait for the discomfort before doing this. Stretching can help loosen your muscles and prevent cramping.
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