Calcium and muscle cramps?

Question

I have heard that during or before a muscle cramp, someone can take a calcium supplement, and the cramp ends, or does not begin. Can someone explain the physiology behind this?

Or potassium, how would these ions inhibit muscle cramps?

Answer 1

Not calcium, but potassium. Try eating a banana before a workout, they are loaded with potassium. Eat several a day if you are doing any strenuous exercise daily.

Answer 2

One of the co-factors in the chemical reaction that releases the bonds between the actin and myosin filaments is calcium, and it has to enter the sarcomere in the ionized form in order for this to take place.

The vast majority of the measurable calcium circulating in the bloodstream is bound to plasma proteins. What is needed is a little boost, or bolus of ingested calcium and this will supply the ionized calcium until that which you ingested gets all bound to the plasma proteins again.

It works. I found out quite by accident. The first time I did it was decades ago, when TUMS were all that was available. You have to choke down like six or eight of them as fast as possible. Nowadays, they have the calcium soft chews in different flavors that are slightly more palatable, but still kind of gag-producing when you get up to that number six one.

DO NOT do this if you have ever had kidney stones, and if you have ever had kidney stones, you do not need to be told why.

Answer 3

Two guesses:
Ca2+ + CO32− <--> CaCO3.
and CaCO3 is a base known as calcium carbonate. It acts as an antacid to neutralise the acid in the muscle tissue. But I am not sure if it can get into the bloodstream fast enough.

Also, in one pathway, lactic acid is fermented from lactose--a type of sugar found in milk. More evolved people are intolerant to it. My guess is that drinking milk will replace the lactose that was used up in the workout and has nothing to do with calcium. When you don't breathe right during workout or if you don't give enough oxygen to the cells, anaerobic matabolism causes pH to decrease.

Answer 4

Calcium is one of several minerals that affect muscles,called electrolytes. Potassium is another. Calcium is considered a natural muscle relaxer. A combination of these helps prevent muscle cramps and exhaustion. Check out the label on your sports drink. If it says it has calcium, potassium, and sodium, you are on the right track.

Answer 5

i dont know what calcium would do for muscle aches because i have never tried that...but i do know for sure that eating a bannana or taking some potasiumn pills will help with leg cramps etc.

Answer 6

muscle cramp is a painful muscular contraction often noted during or after exercise.generally for muscular contraction calcium is very essential.during exercise there is exhausation of calcium leading to inadequate supply of calcium & inefficient contraction.

Answer 7

I take Quinine Sulphate best thing in the world for cramps.