Cycling is an aerobic sport that works the muscles in your calves and thighs. With this workout comes the risk for leg muscle cramps. Caused by an unruly muscle contraction that fails to relax as it should, muscle cramps bring along pain and stiffness. This could be due to overexertion, lack of oxygen or dehydration. Muscle cramps are more common in your legs and feet because those are muscles that take the brunt of the work when you are cycling.
Risk Factors
Cycling helps build endurance in conjunction with conditioning exercises to provide the body with enough strength to cycle regularly. Athletes who are not fully conditioned have a greater onset of muscle cramps than those who are fully prepared, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Others at higher risk for muscle cramps are older adults in middle age or elderly. As you age, your body loses muscle, making remaining muscle mass work that much harder.
Treatment Options
When cramping occurs, your first instinct is to stop cycling and let the cramp pass. This is good advice, but there are other things you should do to stop the muscle contraction, forcing it to relax. Stretching the muscle as well as massaging it will help work out the tightness. Your muscle might remain sore even after it has relaxed, so applying ice to the muscle will help alleviate the pain. Over-the-counter pain relievers will also provide you with relief and decrease swelling that might occur.
Prevention
Before you reach the point of treatment, prevention is your best option. Preventing leg cramps is simple and saves you time and your sanity. Stretch your leg muscles before getting on your bicycle. This warms the muscle fibers, increasing elasticity. Stay well hydrated by drinking eight to ten glasses of water per day. Heat depletes your body of water, causing your muscles to react by contracting. This is known as dehydration and can lead to heatstroke. Take water with you on your ride as well as drinking it throughout the day. Eat regularly to keep blood glucose up for energy. When your glucose levels drop, your body cannot convert the sugars in your body to energy. This causes muscle cramping and weakness. Foods that contain carbohydrates such as breads, pasta and wheat provide your body with the fuel it needs to go the distance.
Considerations
Muscle cramping sometimes has medical reasoning behind its onset. For instance, certain medications increase your risk of muscle cramps. Diseases such as Lou Gehrig's disease, hypothyroidism and cirrhosis of the liver are also to blame for chronic muscle cramping. If you have any of these medical conditions, you might require permission from your doctor before you begin cycling. Cramps that will not release with home treatment should be evaluated by your doctor, especially if there is no known medical condition or medication side effect.
