Cramps are an unavoidable part of sports for young athletes, but these painful muscle spasms are more involved than you think. We spoke with Dennis Coonan, Program Manager of the Sports Medicine Center and athletic trainer, to understand more about cramps and what athletes and coaches can do to help.  

What are muscle cramps? 

Muscle cramps are caused by a neuromuscular (the connection between the brain and muscles) misfire where the muscle loses the ability to function. This could be due to fatigue in the muscle or imbalances in the body, but it isn’t always one or the other. Most commonly, young competitors feel cramps or “charley horses” in their calves, thighs and arches of their feet, but a cramp can occur in other extremities too, based on their sport. Males and older people are also more prone to getting cramps than females and younger people. 

As Coonan notes, some people are prone to muscle cramps when brushing their teeth in the morning, and some get them during exercise only. Either way, they can be painful and cause an athlete to stop their play suddenly. 

What are the symptoms of a muscle cramp? 

While everyone may feel cramps differently, typical symptoms include: 

• Sudden sharp pain 

• Involuntary muscle contraction 

• Muscle contraction that can be seen or felt 

• Stiffness or tenderness 

• Twitching or spasm 

What causes muscle cramps in sports? 

While there isn’t exact research to identify what causes young athletes to cramp, there are some myths. Such as hydration, or lack thereof. 

“Cramps are not related to dehydration,” Coonan says. “Although it could be a secondary factor, neuromuscular fatigue is likely the biggest culprit."  

While proper hydration is an important part of playing sports and contributes to performance, there isn’t a direct correlation to cramps. Interestingly, some genetic variations may influence an athlete's sensitivity to exercise-associated muscle cramps, meaning cramps may be inherited. But overall, cramps are muslce fibers that are not firing in the correct way caused by fatigure, lack of conditioning, imbalance in chemicals such as electrolytes or just plain overexertion. That tiredness can be caused by many factors such as weather, lack of conditioning, an imbalance of chemicals such as electrolytes or just plain overexertion. 

How are sports related muscle cramps treated? 

While it may look like an athlete is leaving the field due to an injury, it could also be a cramp. You’ll often see athletic trainers or coaches helping with the three research proven ways to treat a cramp on the sidelines: stretching the muscle, direct pressure and ice.  

“Stretching is the gold standard of how to treat a cramp,” Coonan says. “While stretching and applying ice at the same time can break up the spasm that’s happening and get the area to relax.” 

Many people believe that mustard packets, salt tablets, pickle juice or electrolyte drinks can treat a cramp. But unfortunately, these tactics aren’t proven to work. Eating mustard packets or drinking pickle juice is thought to disrupt the pathways and potentially override the signals causing the cramp while salt tablets or an electrolyte drink can correct an electrolyte imbalance. But those methods aren’t proven and as Coonan warns, a fast influx of salt can be dangerous, and a fluid can take around 40 minutes to affect an athlete’s system. However, it's not lost on professionals that some athletes believe in methods such as mustard or pickle juice to recover quickly. 

“I'm one of those people that I'm like, look, this didn't work, this didn't work, this didn't work; let's try mustard,” Coonan says. “Let's throw the book at it and after trying all the scientifically proven methods first, if that doesn’t work, we move forward.” 

Post cramp care and recovery tips 

Often, a cramp leaves as quickly as it came. But one debilitating cramp may become a routine, so it’s important to recover using these tips: 

• Stretch the area post-game or practice to ensure maximum cool down of the affected muscle 

• If a part of your equipment is causing a constriction, think about adjusting size and fit or removing altogether 

• Massage the area 

• Rest the muscle, if possible 

• Keep hydrated before, during and after activities 

How can athletes prevent muscle cramps? 

Even the best prevention efforts can’t guarantee an athlete won’t experience cramps, but it’s important to take the proper precautions to set up for success.  

As much as stretching is part of the treatment, regular stretching is important to keep muscles loose as a warm-up and cool-down. Alongside stretching, hydration gives muscles the much needed fuel to keep going through fatigue and can help alleviate pain. 

It’s important to prepare by conditioning for your sport. That can look like weight lifting, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility and mobility. Not only can conditioning improve performance, but it can also help prevent fatigue later in the game. 

While stretching, hydration and conditioning are fairly common ways to prepare for play,  acclimating to the weather is just as important.  

“If you've been in air conditioning for three months and then you decide to go out for the football team, you can have a problem,” Coonan says.  

Cramps can be helped by conditioning in the heat or cold. While they can be brought on by both hot and cold weather, cramps are most commonly seen during the warmer months due to excessive sweating and electrolyte loss. And while cramps can be an isolated experience in the heat, it may be a sign of a more serious condition such as heat illness and should be monitored.  

Cramps are a part of working hard, and whether you inherited them, you only get them on hot days or you’ve never had one, understanding what causes them and how to treat them may just help prevent them.