Charley Horse What causes it?

Electrolytes low or out of balance. Possible not enough warmup :cool:

I got the charlie horse problem too, at least three times in the water. The last time, was at the end of the workout and it hurt bad and I could not swim. I don't know what causes it. But I was doing about 6 dive practices and a lot of breastroke turns. so maybe that cause it.

Calf Cramps can also be caused do to over use. When I started swimming again, after about a 10 year absence, I had calf cramps about every third workout. I swim at a pool operated by our school system and discussed my problem with one of the high school coachs. The coach said it could be caused by dehydration and / or over use. So I started swimming with a bottle of water at the end of my lane and every 1/4 to 1/2 mile I'd take a few swigs. I also stretched well after a slow warm up (200 yd warm up). Finally, swallowing my pride, I backed off my 2 mile a day swims and only swam a mile or so for many weeks, slowly adding distance as the legs would allow. I have followed that plan for over 2 years now. I've had to stop swimming for extended time periods due to surgeries on my hand and foot, but each time I got back to swimming I started off with short distances, plenty of water and slowly built up the distances again. I can't remember the last cramp I had, has to have been at least a year or so ago. Good luck, hope this info is helpful.

I often get cramps of one sort or another at the end of a hard practice. Often these are in the arches of my feet, so I have to swim with my feet at right angles to my legs--think of this as a kind of anti-Zoomer drill. Anyhow, for what it's worth, I have learned on days when I have a hard practice that evening, NOT to go for long walks earlier, especially hill climbs/descents. We live in a very hilly region, and I used to go on hikes with my wife before practice till I discovered this was a recipe for swimming cramps. You might also try stretching a bit before practice. I find I get cramps most often when I switch from a long endurance set of freestyle to shorter butterfly sets. Also, when you get to the point where you suspect your legs are vulnerable to cramping, be gingerly about pushing off the wall. Sometimes a little less vehemence on the turns can prevent reaching the tipping point for leg cramps. Finally, the best way to relieve a cramp is to contract the opposing muscle, since antagonist muscles actively inhibit each other. That's why bending my foot at right angles to the legs seem to help with the arch and calf cramps. I used to automatically stop whenever I got one of these, but now I find that if I keep swimming in my contorted posture, and reduce the kicking, they sometimes go away while swimming...

However, when you do get a hint that you might get a cramp...chances are is that you are going to get it. It may seem like a pain, but I usually get out of the pool to stretch it out and walk around for a bit with my water bottle to make sure it goes away completely. It's much better to lose a 3 minutes of your workout to take care of your potential charlie horse than to take the risk and lose the rest of your workout to a reall charlie horse. ;)

I agree with Jim and the rest on the causes. However, there is another cause which we often overlook. A low calcium and/or potassium level will cause cramps, i.e., charlie horses. I make sure that I drink orange juice or eat bananas to keep up the potassium level. In addition, taking two Tums a day helps to maintain calcium levels. These simple things help me. My coach always tells me to keep Tums in my gear bag. Also when I get a nice cramp in the pool, I get out and walk around on the deck. Massaging it only seems to make it worse for me. Just my two cents' worth here from personal experience. Happy New Year to all! ;)

My understanding of cramps relates to most of the causes posted here. After my accident and the loss of my right buttocks and major thy muscles on my right side, I found through experience that the following as essential to preventing cramps: 1. Proper hydration 2. Eat bananas for potassium 3. Proper and extensive warm up 4. Never push it in the pool until your body is ready for the grind 5. Listen to you body. Your body will tell you what it can and cannot take. Kindest regards, Tom Ellison

Oh yeah, swimming in a freezing pool is a recipe for trouble. When I swam in high school (outdoor pool) in the winter (it's in southern california..my coaches weren't animals), almost 80% of the time, I would get a leg cramp, or a cramp in my hands and feet. The meaning of Charlie horse? well, I got this from wonderquest.com, there are alot of answers, but they all seem vague: ------------ Where Charley Horses come from Q: Why are those pains in your legs called "Charley Horses"? --Pam T, Peralta, NM A: I get different answers. The American Heritage Dictionary calls the term "baseball slang." Maybe a baseball player named Charley had leg cramps. Strike One! (Or how to get a Charley Horse) Morris' Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins says, "Nobody is quite sure where the expression originated, but the general theory is that the first victim was a lamed race horse named Charlie or Charley." Another dictionary of word origins suggests that the original night watchmen in London were named Charleys after Charles I, who organized the watch in 1640. Later the term "Charley" became slang for all police officers. Still later, the term "Charley horse" developed since the police were on foot and thus developed aching feet and legs. Maybe so, but seems far fetched. Moving on to The Dictionary of American Slang Based on Historical Principles we glean a bit of charley-horse history. A newspaper first printed the expression "Charley-horse" in 1903. The quote from H. Spencer is: "We are indebted to the turf when an attack of rheumatism is denominated a 'dose of the Charley-horse.'" I wonder if "turf" is a horse racetrack or a baseball field. It's hard to dope out what this quote is talking about. At any rate, the term "charley horse" has been around, in writing, about a hundred years. ------- it's just one of those things.

I'm in agreement with most other posters. Just for information, cramp occurs in muscles and, when affected, the initial first aid treatment is to 1. stretch the affected part and then 2. warm the affected part by quite vigorous massage. Hence, 'cold' can be one of the causes of cramp, along with, loss of salt through severe sweating, a sudden blow or injury to a muscle etc etc. I do have one question though - how on earth did this condition come to be known as 'Charlie Horse' - never heard it before in the UK. Alex

another question about cramps: why do I sometimes get a cramp in my calf after an "explosive" action like a dive start or a push off the wall?