Pickleball Leg Cramps - Everything you need to know!

The clutching pain of leg cramp in the middle of the night can be a very horrible experience and based on medical studies I am not alone in the cramping category. At least 75% of all reported leg cramps occur at night and the older you are, the more likely you are to actually experience leg cramps.

Luckily for me, I usually wake up right before the initial clenching starts, so I get the full anticipation, right before the binding pain really kicks in. After a recent cramp, I had last week, I thought I’d do a little digging on the source and solution for leg cramps. What I found is that leg cramps are a very common occurrence for athletes, especially when playing under hot conditions and heavy exertion. See for yourself how Rafa Nadal handled them right after a tough match, at a US Open press conference.

So, what causes them and how can they be avoided, that’s what I want to impart to you in this article. So, sit back and grit your teeth and prepare for cramming on leg cramps.

Lastly, before we get too deep into the cramps, I want to state that I am not a doctor and I have never played one on TV, so if you have any serious medical questions, please consult a medical professional. If you happen to play with a doctor, I recommend you save the whole copay/office visit and just hit them up on the court.

What are Leg Cramps

According to the Cleveland Clinic, leg cramps are sudden involuntary, intense muscle pains in the calf, foot, or thigh muscles. They are likely caused by muscle fatigue or nerve issues and the risk of leg cramps increases with age. Although your cramps and mileage may vary, they typically feel like your muscles are contracting into a knot. The clenching and pain portion of the cramp lasts for a short time, but the lingering pain and soreness from the contraction may last for hours afterward.

Age plays a factor in leg cramps because, as we age, our tendons naturally shorten, which can cause these cramps. Exercise, dehydration, and stress can also cause or play a major factor in cramping.

How Do I Stop Leg Cramps?

So, you are peacefully “ZZing” away, dreaming of that amazing Bert setup that allows you to win the Gold Medal when a leg cramp strikes. What do you do? Well for me, it usually starts with some choice words that do nothing for the actual cramp but make me feel better mentally. Medically speaking, the best way to stop a leg cramp is to stretch the clenching muscle, by flexing your foot, toes or leg, during the cramp. If possible, forcing yourself to walk will also help the pain subside by helping to straighten and stretch out your leg muscles. Lastly, rubbing the cramping area to release the tension and relax the muscle, will also help relieve the symptoms.

Now, I have to be honest with you my reader, stretching a leg cramp is not going to provide instant relief and it will hurt more for a few moments, but it will stop the cramp. You should continue to stretch after the cramp to prevent it from happening again during the night. Once your cramp has subsided and you have stopped swearing, using a good muscle roller will help to roll out the muscle tension and lessen the lingering pain. Finally, massaging the muscle with your hands will help, as will applying either heat or cold compresses to the area.

 Leg Cramp Prevention

I value my sleep, so avoiding leg cramps is very important to me. Here is what I do as preventative measures for these swear inducing events:

Stay hydrated – I try to drink at least 100 ounces of water a day

Exercise – After drinking 100 ounces I also tend to walk to the restroom frequently and I also try to play pickleball 4 to 5 times per week. Probably could have skipped the first bit of information, but let’s carry on

Stretching – stretching your calves and legs before and after activity will help keep the muscles loose and help to remove tension

Vitamins – Vitamin B12 has been recommended by some experts, but the medical community has not made a definitive connection between it and the prevention of leg cramps.

Cramp This!

Personally, I have not found the silver bullet for night leg cramps, but luckily, I only suffer from them after hours of exertion and lack of proper hydration. I have found that properly hydrating (that means drinking before you are thirsty), stretching, and the use of a good muscle roller can prevent leg cramps. It is the days I forget these basic health tenets that I wake up in the middle of the night swearing.

Here to you and the hope that your nights are filled with sleep and not writhing leg cramps!