
One reason is that the muscle groups in the feet can experience fatigue and spasming after repeatedly contracting and relaxing during the activity.Īnother explanation could be the signal from the brain to the muscle fails temporarily – so the muscle contracts but doesn’t relax – leaving you with cramp. 3Ĭertain forms of exercise, such as running, can bring on foot cramps. 2 This is simply because your nerves control your muscles and as you age your nerves wear out. Eight foot cramp causesĪccording to the NHS, your age can be a major contributor to your cramps. We’ve found eight of the most common reasons. There are several reasons why you might be getting foot cramps. It's likely that you might get cramps in specific areas, they include: You might also notice that the muscle in your foot goes very hard and tense or that you can see twitching inside your foot. If you find this too painful, try it in warm water to help the muscles relax more.Foot cramps can range from a slight tic to an intense spasm that causes a lot of pain. Alternative plantar fascia relief – roll your foot over a golf or hockey ball.Bend both knees until you feel the stretch in the sole of your front foot. Plantar Fascia stretch – stand with one leg in front of the other with the toes of your front foot on or up against a raised platform (such as a step or a wall).You should feel the muscle stretch in the back of the lower leg. Bend both knees and transfer your weight to your back leg, ensuring you keep the heel of your back leg on the floor. Soleus stretch – stand with one leg in front of the other and lean against a wall.Bend your front leg and keep your back leg straight with your heel on the floor until you feel the muscle stretch in the back of the lower leg between your heel and knee. Gastrocnemius stretch – stand with one leg in front of the other and lean against a wall.Try these stretches for the individual muscles on the calf and foot – hold each stretch for two minutes in 10, 20 or 30 second intervals. It should be included in your warm-up and warm-down for pool and land-based sessions. Secondly, stretching is vital for maintaining flexibility in your muscles. The first thing to remember is to stay hydrated, not just with water but with electrolytes, and to eat the right things to help your body before and after training.

Cramp in any of them will be felt in the back of the lower leg or the sole of the foot. These are the main muscles involved in pointing the foot and toes during streamlining and kicking. It stretches from the toes to the heel and works closely with the main calf muscles in the back of the lower leg – the gastrocnemius, soleus and the tibalis posterior. The plantar fascia is a fibrous, connective tissue which surrounds the muscles in the sole of foot.

Anatomy of a kickĬramp occurs when a muscle is fatigued and overused, when a swimmer is dehydrated and has a electrolyte deficit or if the muscle is tight from a previous session. We asked British Swimming physiotherapist Carl Butler to explain why you might be cramping and the keys to avoiding foot cramp. Foot cramping is one of the most common complaints during open water swimming and triathlons. It can be relieved with a bit of stretching but it makes it very difficult to continue.Īnd it’s not a problem confined to the pool. Usually felt after a freestyle kick or a turn, foot cramp in swimming is a short, sharp muscle spasm at the sole of the foot. Avoiding foot cramp when swimming December 3, 2014
