Muscle cramps are really common in football and they get pretty annoying, too! we've all experienced them, especially in the last 10 to 20 minutes of a really competitive football match. It is in your control to prevent and/or minimize them. In this article, we are going to break down everything muscle cramp and football-related, in order to keep you “bullet-proof”.
MUSCLE CRAMPS IN FOOTBALL
Exercise Associated Muscle Cramps (EAMC) are sudden, involuntary, and painful muscle contractions that usually go away within seconds or minutes. They usually occur during high-intensity and long-lasting sporting activities, such as football.
There are many hypotheses in regards to the causes of muscle cramps, however, two are standing out. One says that muscle cramps are a result of an electrolytic imbalance in muscle cells and the other that they are caused by fatigue of the neuromuscular system.
To prevent muscle cramps in football, you basically have to avoid hot and humid environments, stay adequately hydrated, follow a healthy nutrition with appropriate amounts of vitamins and minerals, get match-fit, and optimize your game-day nutrition. Treatment can and should be immediate with the application of passive stretches and/or massage of the affected muscle group.
Over the last decades, there has been so much controversy in the scientific field about the cause of muscle cramps. Currently, there are two main hypotheses in regards to this topic.
#1 Electrolytic Imbalance
First off, we have the electrolytic imbalance hypothesis which is directly associated with dehydration. Electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, are minerals with an electric charge that are important for muscle contraction.
An imbalance between certain minerals aka electrolytes inside of muscle cells (and to be more specific/scientific, inside their extracurricular fluid) can stimulate “random” muscle contractions that are usually painful and sudden. This hypothesis, however, seems to be losing the scientific battle over the last few years.
#2Neuromuscular fatigue
The one that is increasingly “popular” and more evidence-based is the hypothesis of neuromuscular fatigue. Let me make this simple for you.
You are in the 75th minute of a really intense match, both physically and mentally. You are EXHAUSTED. Your decision-making starts to increase in time and decrease in “quality”. The combination of that physical and mental fatigue can lead to involuntary and sudden muscle contractions which are described as exercise-associated muscle cramps (EAMC).
Your neuromuscular system experiences a drop in its performance the closer you get to the end of the game. As a result, your motor neurons, which are basically receiving signals and commanding muscle contraction, are getting hypersensitive to those signals.
Due to that neuromuscular fatigue, any signal (important or not) can lead to an “excitement” of motor neurons, causing involuntary muscle contractions aka muscle cramps.
PREVENTING MUSCLE CRAMPS IN FOOTBALL
Now that we’ve got the two hypotheses/causes of muscle cramping out of the way, we can properly approach the topic of “prevention”.
As with any injury or an exercise-related physiological issue, we need to take a holistic approach. Injuries are multifactorial, therefore, we need to pay attention to every detail. According to the two hypotheses we analyzed above, muscle cramps are primarily a result of fluid and mineral depletion as well as neuromuscular fatigue. Here is a handful of ways you can prevent muscle cramps in football.
• Hydrate adequately
• Follow a healthy nutrition high in vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and proteins
• Supplementation (electrolyte tabs, sports drinks, minerals supplement)
• Optimize matchday nutrition(in and around matches)
• Limit regular Beverages with a diuretic/dehydrating effect( coffee, tea, carbonated beverages)
• Prioritize recovery in the training week
• Warm up and cool down appropriately
• Energy management during training and matches.
Reference
[1] Kantorowski et al., 1990, P.G. Kantorowski, W.D.B. Hiller, W.E. Garrett, P.S. Douglas, R.O.M. Smith, Cramping studies in 2600 endurance athletes, Med. Sci. Sport. Exerc., 22 (2) (1990), p. s104
[2] Gaia Giuriato, Anna Pedrinolla, Federico Schena, Massimo Venturelli, Muscle cramps: A comparison of the two-leading hypothesis, Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, Volume 41, 2018, Pages 89-95, ISSN 1050-6411, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2018.05.006. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1050641118300919)