Cramp in the hamstring is relatively harmless, but it can still be very annoying. Cramping is easy to prevent and remedy. In this blog, we will tell you more about hamstring cramp and what you can do about it.
What is cramp?
A cramp is a severe shooting pain that occurs suddenly. It can basically occur in all muscles of the body. A cramp occurs when all the fibres of a muscle group suddenly contract at the same time. Normally, these muscle fibres are never active at the same time. When some of these fibres contract, the remaining muscle fibres have a rest. In cramp, this rotation system gets disrupted. As a result, all muscle fibres contract at the same time. This causes the muscle to remain tense for too long, leading to a cramping pain. Cramp can occur during exercise, but also at rest.
How can you fix hamstring cramp?
If you suffer from hamstring cramp, you can do the following:
- Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
- Try to shake the cramped muscle gently.
- Is this not working? Then try to stretch the muscle gently. Keep the leg stretched and pull the leg towards yourself.
- Then do some stretches or massage the muscle.
What can you do to prevent hamstring cramp?
There are several things you can do to prevent cramps. For example, you can reduce the risk of cramp by warming up properly before exercising. You can also stretch after exercise. It is also important to drink enough water. This is because cramp occurs more quickly if your body's fluid levels are too low. Drinking a glass of water regularly reduces the risk of cramp in the hamstring and other muscles.
Furthermore, it is important to keep moving actively. Here, it is important to let your body gradually get used to the exertion. By moving regularly, the muscles become stronger. This will make them less likely to cramp up in the future.
