What to do when getting cramps on your feet?

for me it depends on where the cramp is, how much I feel like fighting it, and how far along I am in practice. most of the time I get cramps it's after a pulling set, then going into a kicking set. if I get a cramp that prevents me from only doing breaststroke, then I kick free or fly, but if the cramp prevents me from doing anything I get out. I have swum 20-30 with calf and toe cramps. it's not easy swimming with your foot 90 deg, but it can be done. it's hamstring cramps that usually stop me for the day. if I get a cramp in the beginning of a practice I usually ask myself why. and start drinking more water and eating more bananas before the next practice or two.

As I age, I notice that I get foot (arch) cramps more. Part of this is I have very small feet (size 8.5) for a tall (5'11") and athletic (188 lbs.) guy. So what do I do about it? I have always consumed bananas and water. But that is not enough. When the cramps get really bad I do one or more of the following: *Bio Freeze gel *Freeze a wine bottle and roll it with my arches *Drink more electrolytes All of these help but I still sometimes get them.

I used to get this quite often when I started up swimming again last year. It was particularly bad in the arch of my foot and seemed to happen most often when I was pushing off strongly from the wall with my toes pointed. Typically it would happen towards the end of a practice when I was fatigued. I tried all sorts of sports drinks etc but nothing really worked. I just 'grew out' of it as my fitness improved. I still get it every now and then but nothing like I used to. It never debilitated me to the point where I had to get out of the pool. I would just stop, bend my toes backward and forward, massage the arch of my foot and continue without pushing off so hard the next time. Usually it would just go away.

I wonder if there are people who never get cramps during swimming? I've never gotten cramps when swimming, although I've faked a few to get out of a set when I was a youth swimmer. :)

Bananas, water, lots of warm-up....definitely agree not to get out of the pool unless it is a hamstring cramp and it is debilitating.

I'm with Syd. Mine have pretty much away unless I do a lot of kicking with fins. Then I massage the foot and also stretch the toes against the pool wall.

I have found stretching my arch before I swim helps.I usually swim through foot cramps if I get them by stretching my toes up as I swim.I got a cramp in my R foot as I dove in in the 50 BR at 06 worlds,that was distracting at a time I REALLY didn't need to be distracted.:censor:

I used to be sure that I took calcium to ward off cramps. I used to go to my drugstore and purchase a liquid calcium. Have look here for treatment of cramps www.medicinenet.com/.../art.asp

I use both of what Alison and Jin said: 1. stretch prior to workout 2. if a cramp happens, stretch and massage it ... but I never get out, once I have the cramp under relative control, I will continue to swim, using an exagerated kick with alot of flipper-like motion until the muscle loosens up. Then it's back at it! If I get out, the muscle will be sore alot longer.

I, too, used to get them all the time, maybe a little more in cold weather. They seem to come and go. You can kick through them by making your feet go at right angles to your legs. It does slow you down, though. At meets, I make sure to take something to keep my feet warm, and I sometimes put my feet in hot water before a race. Don't know if there is any real raionale for this, but no cramps yet during a race, knock on wood...