[Closed] Inner thigh cramp relief.

That was the post with the most euphemisms in 2021

She once got it getting out of the car when we pulled up at our hotel.
Picture the scene of her holding onto the car door and swearing like a trooper as I gave a vigorous massage to her inside leg. The man having a ciggy outside could have easily come to a more pleasant conclusion.

Stand with the affected leg straight, feet slightly apart, turn the other toe slightly outwards and lean towards it, bending the knee on the unaffected leg slightly. No sexy massages needed.

The fun starts when you try to assume this position and the adductor on the other side decides to join in, so you end up in a Sajid Javid power stance while screaming obscenities.

Would poppers give immediate help?

Immediate relief of some kind, I expect. Depends which muscles you're looking to relax.

martinhutch has it. Cramps are muscles contracting uncontrollably. You can switch muscles off by making them longer. Easier said than done in a confined space!!

Been there with both abductors, and both outer thigh/quads. Rolling on the floor swearing a lot and rubbing hard was all I could do at that point. If Mrs zip cycles then her it band is tight, that's the cause. Right it band causes abductors to work hard against it.

There's a vid on Yt of some blokes calf in cramp mode. He ignores it so we get to see in action exactly what it looks like in real time, and it looks incredibly painful. It kind of undulates in and out and looks pretty horrifying.

I was under the impression, rightly or wrongly, that staying well hydrated goes a way to preventing it from happening.

I suffered from calf cramp when playing football and rugby for years (ages 9 through to mid-20s). Horrible. Generally towards the end of games, and particularly bad when i was on beta blockers. I was under the impression it was hydration/salts. in the 80s mum would have glucose powder on the sideline for me. Can't remember if it worked.

The worst I remember was diving to tackle someone at the end of a rugby match and both calves pinging. Normally you'd try and stand on one leg and stretch the other, but when both are spasming you're like a beached whale!

The hydration thing is a double edged sword.

TL;DR moderation good

Got to get it right for your fluid regulation to result in correct fluid/salt balance *inside the cells*. All sorts of ways for this to go wrong when you bung in a load of fluid of any type. I know for sure that the more I glug after exercise, the more I cramp overnight. My body is a lot better at regulating itself than my conscious and ill-informed mind is.

I get this regularly after hard/long rides and dread it as I know.it will come and its total agony, especially when I get it in both at the same time.

Usually happens when I've been enjoying some sofa or bed and go to get up. Basically any movement that draws my knees up will trigger it.

In have to try and stand up against a work top or something and then and force myself up right as per that photo up thread. It is horrendous at times and can take a couple of minutes to ease, and when you think if it's gone and move it can flare up again, so back to trying to stand up and stretch that inner thigh.

What I have found helps is to do static stretching after such rides. Sit with wide angle legs on the floor to gently stretch the inner thigh, along with some quad stretches watching TV or what ever and avoid raising my knees towards stomach when getting up, try to keep legs as straight as possible.

A lot of research recently at the end of an Iron Man pointed to overuse rather than food or hydration. They took blood samples to check hydration and electrolyte levels and found no correlation to people cramping.

I have had a lot of cramps over the years. Had the great quad cramping, stop and try stretch the quad, only for the hamstring to cramp. Inner thigh is a perennial favourite.
Arch of foot and toes is another joyous one, although this one happens most when my feet get cold.
The only thing that has helped is getting fitter, and stronger in the gym.

Don't underestimate the power of salt in these cases. I've been a lifelong random cramper, doesn't have to be after exercise. Kneeling on the floor, lying in bed with my knees up, anything that allows my rear thigh muscles to slacken can trigger a cramp. In the last few years I randomly started getting cramp in my Abs. They are really painful and very difficult to stretch out. Scared the hell out of the OH first time she saw it. It's like the scene in alien when the alien is trying to burst out of the stomach of one of the characters or a huge hernia popping out.
I find the best stretch for the inner thigh is to stand with feet apart and lean forward from the ankles against a wall and then push my crotch forward. Sometimes with a hip push to the opposite side of the cramp.

Anyway, salt! During my recent cancer treatment, I developed adrenal insufficiency as a delightful side effect. With this condition it is important to keep an eye on electrolyte levels so was having regular blood tests. My Sodium was consistently low, right at the bottom of the healthy range. Just out of interest I got hold of some older blood results from before the condition and found that my sodium had always been this way. On the advice of my doc I started drinking a glass of water with a teaspoon of salt every day and since then I have rarely had cramp. I also put salt in my water bottle when riding now.

I used to get this a LOT. so bad ive chipped my teeth on occasion. Probably the most painful thing ive ever experienced.

innersoles have had a massive effect. as has a daily stretch while im brushing my teeth in the morning. If i forget on the day i ride my bike i can really tell.

I have no direct experience of this, however decades of intermittent stretching have left me with very tight Abductor Magnus especially on my right leg. Daily stretching has helped, lots of ideas on the internet. Maybe a stretching routine would work for Mrs ZK in the long term.

Edit: think about outer thigh and hip mobility as well as these could be having a knock on effect.

Edit edit: That should say adductor