5 Ways to Stop Muscle Cramps

Muscle cramps are feared and loathed by all of us alike – they hurt, they slow us down and they just give us a helpless feeling! The most common cause of these cramps is premature fatigue which affects the reflex control of muscles. Here are 5 ways guaranteed to beat these troublesome muscle cramps:

1. Take rest
The most easy and sure-shot way to kill a muscle cramp is to take rest. Just rest your body, be at one place and the cramp will not last more than 3-4 minutes. Moving around will only cause the pain to be aggravated and eventually affect other areas as well.

2. Consume solutions rich in salt
Whenever you encounter a troublesome cramp, the first instinct is to reach for water. However, studies have shown that salt solutions are far more effective in countering cramps as compared to plain water. You can have pickle juice and similar drinks which have a high salt concentration.

3. Be physically active
The most common reason for muscle cramps is over-straining of the body. If you are planning to indulge in an extremely intensive physical activity, make sure to train well in advance. Also, keep the duration and intensity of the training at a similar level to that of the actual activity.

4. Keep your body hydrated
Dehydration is the root of a number of troublesome conditions, muscle cramps being one of them. Make sure to always carry a water bottle with you and drink a minimum of 7-8 glasses of water on a daily basis.

5. Indulge in light passive muscle stretching
When faced with a muscle cramp, in addition to resting, try and gently stretch the affected muscle. This continuous and light passive stretching lets the brain know that it can relax the muscle and help it return to normal.




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5 Winning Ways to Stop those Nasty Muscle Cramps

When you think about a healthy diet, you wonder how much carbohydrate, protein, fats and minerals you need to stay fit. However, are you neglecting the importance of vitamins in your daily diet? Research suggests that vitamins play a crucial role in muscle building and bone health.

Here is a look at the different vitamins that will help you enhance your muscles and bones using vitamins.

1. Vitamin D-

You may have heard about the importance of calcium for proper bone health. However, only consuming calcium-rich foods will not help you develop stronger bones. If you do not have enough vitamin D in your body, you will not be able to use the excess calcium for bone health. Vitamin D helps your body utilize the calcium for bone growth and enhancement.

Apart from strengthening your bones, vitamin D also works wonders for your muscles. It helps the body absorb calcium and phosphorus, both of which are essential elements in the production of adenosine triphosphate or ATP. ATP is the only form of energy that your muscles can use during movements and activities.

Best sources for vitamin D are cheese, egg yolk, certain fatty fish, shrimp, mushrooms, soya milk, orange juice and cereals.

2. Vitamin K2-

Vitamin K2, also known as menaquinone, improves your cardiovascular health. Vitamin K2 is also a coenzyme that helps your bone use proteins. Additionally, a study performed in 2013 revealed that vitamin K2 improves bone metabolism in post-menopausal women. At such an age, women s bone health starts to deteriorate and osteoporosis sets in. Therefore, vitamin K2 becomes all the more important for women at such an age.

Best sources of vitamin K2 are butter, cheese, egg yolk, dark chicken meat, and fermented soy.

3. Vitamin C-

Vitamin C is a great choice if you work out regularly. A powerful antioxidant, it helps your body metabolise proteins in the body, leading to muscle growth. Additionally, vitamin C helps in the absorption of iron, which is an essential component of blood.

Best food sources for vitamin C are citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons and more. Additionally, green capsicum, broccoli, and blackcurrants also provide ample amounts of vitamin C to your body.

Even though vitamins have a role to play in building stronger bones and muscles, the only diet will not be enough for a fit body. You need to start exercising along with eating a balanced diet if you want to stay healthy. Furthermore, exercising helps improve your musculoskeletal health.

Vital Vitamins For Musculoskeletal Health!

The bones are the bits and pieces which form the framework of the body. Each bone is placed in the correct position to give your body the structure it has. It is of utmost importance for you to have healthy bones so that the structure or frame of your body is maintained. A lot of times, due to the stress of your daily life, you tend to neglect the health of your bones. But remember that if you want to have a fit body, you will have to keep your skeletal system fit as well. Here are a few tips on how to keep your bones healthy:

1. Family history: Having a knowledge of your family history is extremely important as there may be cases where you might suffer from a particular disease which is hereditary. If your family has a history of osteoporosis, there is a high chance of you suffering from it. 

2. Increase your regular calcium and vitamin D intake: Calcium is extremely essential for your bone health. If you want your bones to be healthy and strong, you need to take a regular calcium dose in order to achieve that. But there is a catch to this. Although you might have food containing calcium every day or take calcium tablets, it won't be helpful until you also get a supply of Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps the bones to absorb the calcium.

3. Maintain a healthy bone density: To do this you need to eat food which will supply you with vitamin K. Vitamin K boosts bone density by enabling the body to make proteins required for healthy bones. Vitamin K also helps the bones absorb calcium just like vitamin D although this function is not predominant for vitamin K.

4. Exercise: The secret to healthy bones is exercise. The more you exercise regularly, the fitter your bones and muscles will be. Regular exercise helps to keep bone problems at bay. Leading a sedentary lifestyle heightens the risk of suffering from osteoporosis. It can also mess with your bone density and weaken your bones. Hence, exercise regularly for healthy bones.

5. Cut down on your caffeine intake: Too much of caffeine can mess up the calcium absorbing power of your bones. If you have more than two cups of coffee every day, your bones will gradually become weak.

So, if you want to remain as fit as a fiddle, then try these tips out, and you will not complain.

Tips And Tricks To Keep Your Bones Healthy!

Injuries are an inherent part of sports. All athletes have sustained some injury or another during the span of their careers. No matter which sport you play, be it football, hockey, tennis or cricket, whether you are representing your country or your college, you are likely to get hurt at some time. An injury has the potential to end careers and ruin dreams. That is because the injury takes a toll not just on the body but the mind as well. It instils confusion and hesitation and sometimes after an especially traumatic accident, athletes find it difficult to return to practice because they are crippled by a sense of fear.

That is why along with treatment or surgery, a sportsperson also needs to undergo rehabilitation therapy.

Why Psychological Rehabilitation is Important? 

After suffering a serious injury that almost jeopardized their career, athletes suffer a wide range of psychological and physical challenges, which makes them retreat from the outside world. These are problems they would not be able to cope with unless they opt for rehabilitation programmes.

  It helps them accept that getting back to the game will be a mammoth task 

  Inspires in them the confidence to keep trying 

  Deal with the pain 

  Go about their practice sessions with as little discomfort as possible 

  Overcome feelings of fear or despair 

  Cope with depression 

  Prevents the person from sinking into a state of self-pity which hinders recovery 

  Look at the injury not as something that might put an end to their career but as a mere impediment in the path to success 

Psychological rehabilitation adopts a wholesome and expansive approach to healing the athlete. It takes into account several factors in chalking out a course to recovery that is individualistic   

  The personality- the toughness, determination, will power of the athlete, ability to deal with anxiety

  Medical history- past injuries or illnesses 

  Resources of coping- the athletes  support system, a network of friends and family, management of stress, treatment and medicines etc 

Psychological rehabilitation also takes into account the individual s response to therapy to ensure that it is as effective as possible. These are   

  Cognitive appraisal - Monitors a person s growth or decline in self-esteem or worth as well as confidence. The aim of rehabilitation is to restore the person s faith in his/her capabilities 

  Behavioural response - This ensures that the individual s behaviour shows traces of denial or avoidance because negativity will only delay recovery 

  Emotional response - The profile of Mood States (POMS) is utilized to analyze or gauge the person s emotional reaction to therapy. It is supposed to uplift the athlete mood and deal alleviate feelings of despair or hopelessness. Medicines and physiotherapy become more successful in treating a sports injury when coupled with psychological rehabilitation. 

Athletic Injuries - How Effective Is Psychological Rehabilitation As A Line Of Treatment?

When we speak of bone health, calcium is usually the hero of the story. However, by itself, calcium is not enough for healthy bones. Vitamin D is equally important for healthy bones and the prevention of orthopedic conditions.

What does Vitamin D do?
Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium from the food being eaten. It also controls the calcium and phosphate levels in the body. This is critical for the growth and development of new bones. Vitamin D also controls how much calcium and phosphates are being expelled by the body. In this way, vitamin D helps strengthen the bones and improve overall bone health.

Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D is not commonly found in food. It is present only in certain types of oily fishes, egg yolks and mushrooms. Most of the vitamin D we eat comes from fortified cereals, breads and dairy products. The sun is an important source of vitamin D but exposing yourself to too much sunlight could cause various skin problems. Thus, vitamin D deficiency is very common. When it comes to bone health, vitamin D deficiency can cause low-density bones. This, in turn, can cause rickets and osteoporosis. People with vitamin D deficiency are likely to suffer frequent fractures. Vitamin D deficiency can also cause skeletal deformities such as bow legs and a stooped spine.

Vitamin D and Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a musculoskeletal condition that is marked by low bone density. Studies have shown that people with osteoporosis have lower levels of vitamin D as compared to others. Some studies also suggest that fractures are more common in winter as compared to summer. The winter sun is often hazy and many days can go by without strong sunlight. Thus it can be inferred that people do not get their required quota of vitamin D from the sunlight in winters leading to a deficiency and aggravated osteoporosis-related fractures.

Who is most susceptible to bone conditions caused by vitamin D deficiency?
Vitamin D deficiency is a very common condition across the globe. Some surveys have claimed that approximately 30% of the global population suffers from vitamin D deficiency. People with dark skin, women and elderly people are most susceptible to this deficiency. People suffering from kidney diseases may also be affected by vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D supplements are usually very helpful in combatting this deficiency. These can be taken by young children as well as adults.

Relation Between Vitamin D Deficiency And Bone Problems!

Torn cartilages are quite a common form of injury occurring in the human body. While one can t always be too cautious of injuries, one can still try to be conscious of their muscles and do not move about in an abrupt manner to cause injury to themselves. Further, even though torn cartilages are very common, they are quite painful and most often they occur in the knee. Here are some tips to ensure that your torn cartilage heals well and you are exposed to less pain during the healing period:

Rest: You must take rest. While it is advised to take bed rest, humanly it is impossible to spend all day in bed. Thus one can move about a little but avoid walking and straining their legs and knee too much. At times crutches can be taken while taking a few steps in the room.

Ice Therapy: Putting ice bags in the affected area helps in relaxing the muscles and reducing the pain quite a lot. Though previously people adhered to putting hot water bags, the scenario is slowly changing to ice therapy.

Compress: When you are suffering from a torn cartilage, the doctor often puts a bandage on the knee to compress the area. This is done so that the muscles are brought together and they can heal on their own with time and rest.

Elevate the Knee: Often it is seen that during such cases, the knee or the hands are rested in an elevated platform. This platform is created with the help of a pillow mostly. This lets the cartilage get time to rest and heal on its own.

Avoid Strenuous Activities: This includes jumping, running, jogging, kicking etc, when it comes to the legs and writing, lifting weight etc. when it comes to the hands. These activities require a lot of strength and power and most of all the use of the cartilages. Since the cartilages are torn and in their healing mode, it is best to avoid such activities for a certain amount of time to not put pressure on the cartilages and damage them further.

Painkillers: It has been already mentioned that the healing period can be painful. Thus, the doctor may prescribe some painkillers to ease the pain during this time.

Thus, these are some of the easiest ways to deal with a torn cartilage. The recovery period may be painful, but it happens to many people and is completely healable in nature.

How To Deal With Torn Cartilages?

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