There is one thing that all divers experience every once in a while. That is cramps. They are those painful contractions that your muscles undergo every once in a while that cause them to stay in a contracted position. This results in every joint or limb that the contracted muscles operate to flex or bend. The joints stay in this position until the cramp passes.
The bad news is that cramps can occur at any time and to any muscle in the body. They are caused by any number of reasons including cold, overexertion of the muscles as well as dehydration. Divers often experience cramps in the muscles that make up the posterior chain of their legs i.e. hamstrings, glutes and calves. This is because these muscles are usually overtaxed when using fins to swim.
A cramp while diving underwater can be unwelcome. The good news is that there are ways, relieving cramps and even reduce the chances of the crams recurring while on your dive.
Relieving cramps
The only way to relieve cramps is to stretch out the contracted muscle. Divers often experience cramps in the muscles on the rear of their legs. In many situations, it helps to raise your cramping leg toward the front, grasp the tip of the fin and pull to stretch the leg. Hold the stretch until the cramp eases.
If you’re under water, maintain the depth you’re at. Take deep and slow breathes. When the cramp passes, you can continue your dive if you’re no longer in pain. If you decide to continue diving, do so slowly. End the dive if you experience the same cramp again.
How to avoid cramps
The best way to avoid cramps is by building muscle strength, endurance and flexibility. This avoids overexertion of muscles. You can do this by applying traditional strength training exercises targeting different muscles. Endurance can be gained by training to swim with fins in a pool or shallow part of the ocean.
Increasing flexibility lengthens muscles and increases their range of motion. You can do this by stretching. You can use old school stretches, Pilates or yoga.
If you’re experiencing repeated cramps in a specific muscle or group of muscles, you may need to see a physical therapist or physician to determine what you can do to strengthen the muscles.
Cramps aren’t life threatening on their own. However, a severe cramp that occurs while diving can be problematic. You should therefore do what you can to avoid them completely. That’s all about “Relieving Cramps While Diving” let us know about the blog in the comment below and stay tuned for the new update
