any quick fix for leg muscles cramps?
 

Do you know any? I know in long run we need more magnesium, potassium etc
but let say you're riding long on the desert, it's getting dark and you got leg cramp. You're thirsty and to nearest civilization is about 100 miles. What do you do? Any fast working remedy?

Happened to me some time ago in the mountains to one of my leg, fortunately it was not far to the village,
but it was very hard to ride off-road with this. Had to keep leg straighten out every minute.

Standard quick solutions include drinking small quantities of cider vinegar (only for the brave), eating pickles or drinking the juice, and/or eating a bit of mustard. There are also lots of commercial preparations marketed to sports enthusiasts in liquid, semi-liquid, or dissolvable solid forms.

In my somewhat-limited experience, mustard or pickles seem to have a moderate effect. However, it's hard to know what might have happened without--in other words, I can't serve both as control and as subject at the same time.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

I got terrible leg cramps when I raced AMA Enduro (Dist. 36) I saw many of the pros eating Bananas at lunch break ... but these AA Pro riders were all super human and I'm sure they did far more before the event to avoid cramps.

I never tried the home remedies listed above, but I'm sure most would help. But the thing to do is eat and drink the things you need to avoid cramps before the event so no cramps happen in the first place. Once they start ... really hard to get an instant fix (in my experience)

Hydration is key (for me) as well as dosing with Potassium supplements ahead of time (or what ever experts recommend now)

When I got cramps I had to SIT down on the bike ... could not stand. Very painful. Cramps never caused a DNF ... but damn close and I for sure lost time due to cramps. (Enduro's are based on TIME)

The Pros mostly don't get leg cramps ... but many still suffer from Arm Pump ... which I got too until I discovered the fix:

BREATH deep and relax your grip on the bars! :D

Breathing can help leg cramps too but getting your metabolism right before the event works best. For me, it was mostly seriously hydrating the day and night before event and taking a few key supplements. Seemed to work OK.

Also really helps to be in KILLER SHAPE ... (that would not be me now :()

:scooter:

Leg cramp type pain for motorcyclists is also commonly caused by nerve compression in the lower back, ( lumbar region). Staying in the saddle for too long, and not getting off to exercise a bit ( every 2 hrs or so) can really exacerbate any existing dehydration or mineral issues. Top tip- get off your bike frequently stretch your back with arm up exercises and drink a lot of water/rehydration salts.

Water. They say bananas have minerals that prevent muscle cramps.

I used to get them quite severely in my 20s and 30s, but they seemed to stop once I hit 40 or so. I guess there are some benefits to getting old...

I suppose I could clarify my earlier post. I've found that salt tablets are fine as a preventative, and hydration is certainly crucial. Bananas are the standard source of minor amounts of potassium, in part because they're easily tolerated. And stretching is always recommended for a variety of reasons.

The deal with pickle juice, vinegar and mustard is that they seem to be somewhat effective at fixing acute cramping; you get a series of ferocious leg cramps, eat a bit of mustard, and the cramping stops. Salt, stretches, hydration and bananas don't do that for me.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Salt usually helps fast, so do magnesium tablets to chew, or magnesium powder. Hydration is important, but I always carry magnesium tablets when mountaineering as well as when motorcycling.

like Pongo said, most of the times isnt dehydration , its due to nerve compressions, change seat helps as well and make frequent brakes to strech and relax

I run marathons, ultras etc for 'fun' and cramp is an issue with those events. I've had to try and deal with it as best I can as just packing up in the middle of nowhere isn't really an option. In terms of what brings it on for me the most common reason is overuse - for leg muscles anyway. After that it's dehydration and thirdly it's electrolyte imbalance.

It's not that difficult to get overuse cramp on a motorcycle, especially if you suddenly up your time in the saddle. Long days sat in an awkward posture can create leg strain without you being aware of it. Add in a bit of dehydration and the two together will bring on cramp. Dehydration (a small amount anyway) is something that responds to training. Your body will adapt to it but if you're not used to it - you live in a cold climate and suddenly go somewhere hot - it will have consequences.

I'm not so certain about electrolytes. I've tried all sorts of fixes with this - more/ less sodium, potassium, magnesium etc, just about every commercial fix I can find, and the jury is still out for me. Even professionals I've spoken to give me mixed messages. By default I use dioralyte, mainly because it's cheap and it doesn't seem to make things worse. It works like magic if you're really dehydrated but for cramp, well, it doesn't hurt as long as you don't overdo it.

That's cramp, but as other have said there's other stuff - like nerve pinch pain - that has a different source. It's not that difficult to tell the difference once you've had both but I suppose muscle fatigue could feel a little like cramp at the end of a long ride.

When I talk about a "cramp," I'm referring to a muscle or muscle group suddenly contracting involuntarily and not releasing. They're most common in the legs, but can occur elsewhere, too--arms, shoulders, neck, feet, hands, you name it. I've had them immediately after a long hike while driving my car home, almost causing a crash because I couldn't operate brakes or clutch, as well as while asleep and, sadly, during sex (again following a long hike or similar exertion).

Staying hydrated certainly helps prevent cramps. Deliberately addressing electrolyte imbalances also helps, whether by eating bananas for their potassium or by drinking foul-tasting electrolyte-replacement solutions. Stretching before, during and after intensive exercise helps a lot. Ingesting enough salt definitely helps if you're prone to copious sweating. And for me, the best fix for acute cramps is some form of vinegar--pickle juice or mustard are the most palatable, a couple of solid swallows of the former or several large spoonfuls of the latter.

When I've had the kind of "cramp" resulting from nerve impingements in my spine, it's felt completely different, resolved far more slowly, and hasn't responded to any of the above treatments. I've never experienced this as a result of riding a motorbike, but the phenomenon has cost me many weeks of immobility, lots of money and pain, and a long career involving physical labor.

"Cramps" differ greatly in different people, and that what works for prevention or treatment also differs. That makes all categorical statements highly suspect. If I say "This is what causes cramps," or "Just do the following and your cramps will go away," you should probably take whatever follows with a large grain of salt. This can be abbreviated as YMMV.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark