Got some today while swimming. I get them every now and then and am trying to figure out why.
My understanding is that foot cramps when swimming can occur for two reasons - 1) electrolyte imbalance or 2) lack of fitness. Now here is my problem with both of those explanations - if it were due to either of those things, wouldn’t I also experience cramping during my run and bike training? I have been doing this sport for 2+ years and never have I ever experienced cramping while biking or running, both in training and races. Yet I get them fairly regularly when swimming.
Is the muscle on the bottom of my foot really getting such a workout when you swim? Wouldn’t it make more sense if I got cramps in say, my chest, arms or shoulders?
Any ideas and/or explanations? I don’t doubt that it could be due to the two common causes, but I just find it odd that, of all places, it manifests itself in the bottom of my foot. Anyone know why?
I think it can also be caused by a lack of ankle flexibility. I get them when I return to swimming after taking time off. Eat some bananas, make sure your hydration is good, and try to relax your foot a little while swimming. Keeping your foot flexed and pointing your toes can bring them on. Try clinching your fist and forearm for an hour straight, probably will result in the same thing.
Well said. I get them as well after I return. They go away in about 2 weeks. And I don’t have them with any other sport. Try stretching when you start to feel it. Push off the wall and do a normal calf stretch
I believe the difference is while swimming you point your toes (plantar flex). Running and cycling have continual dorsiflexion (bringing your feet to your shins).
My feet will sometimes cramp in the pool too. Especially if I swim later in the day. Try this. If you feel a cramp coming on… swim a few strokes while dorsiflexing your feet. This has really helped me.
If I run or bike and then swim (as in do a swim workout) I am prone to getting foot an/or calf cramps. I got a foot cramp so bad once it took me out for a week so I now never bike or run before doing a swim workout. Only sometimes I swim just to stretch after bike or run but not a workout. For me this has worked. I also don’t push hard off the wall either anymore - doesn’t do much for improving open water swims… I found that the cramps sometimes come after pushing off the wall.
another obvious contributing factor is that running & biking you have a shoe to help spread the load and support the arch… swimming, your foot bears that leverage without any assistance
I think it can also be caused by a lack of ankle flexibility. I get them when I return to swimming after taking time off. Eat some bananas, make sure your hydration is good, and try to relax your foot a little while swimming. Keeping your foot flexed and pointing your toes can bring them on. Try clinching your fist and forearm for an hour straight, probably will result in the same thing.
been having similar problems.Swim after longer bike or run. Cramping on bottom of foot. Started using NUUN during and after long run or bike then drinking NUUN during swims and no foot cramping. Points to electrolyte problem for me…usually get the cramping after hot run or bike or heat training simulation on the bike or run in cooler weather like now…
I was getting foot cramps on the bottom of my foot earlier this year too. I think it was just a combination of having my toes pointed the entire time and pushing off of the wall a lot (it would especially cramp after the pushoff). It has gone away for me now after I just keep swimming a lot. I wouldn’t worry about buying an electrolyte supplement to take before swimming. That just seems like a waste of money to use just for swimming.
I get a severe whole-calf cramp maybe once or twice a year while swimming, but never while biking or running and never the sole of the foot, although maybe it’s the same cause? I’d guess swim cramps in the lower extremeties are due to short, quick muscle contractions, unlike running or biking. A cramp always seems to coincide with a bout of unusually heavy training and/or lack of adequate sleep.
FYI, I’ve never had a calf cramp in open water but I’d be scared of drowning if it did - the pain is pretty damn paralyzing!
Hope that helps.
I recall getting a lot of swimming foot cramps as a kid. When all else failed…if it was one of those days that my arch made it clear that it is going to cramp no matter how hard I tried to avoid it…I would just point my toe as hard as possible and encourage it. It would burn for 30 seconds then disappear for the day. Can this make sense? Was it just a matter of chance that it never returned? I’ve always imagined that it had something to do with exhausting the muscle.
You could also be dehydrating yourself when you swim, many people drink during runs or bikes, but never while swimming because they figure “I’m in water, I won’t sweat.” Well you sweat quite a bit in the pool and lose a lot more water than you would think.
Glad you posted this - had this happen to me for the first time last night after reading about it from so many people over time.
I ran home from work (about 11 km), scarfed down a quick small bite of food with a glass of juice and straight out the door to a 7:45 swim practice (my first time in the water in 3-4 weeks and first time with this Masters group).
Unfortunately this was also the first time I have ever had both calves cramping up horribly and also as you say the arches of my feet - I felt crippled!
The coach saw me massaging them and the jerkiness and said to come out and stretch them and asked me if I’d just ran - he said that it can happen if you run before the swim workout and I also think as people have pointed out, the electrolytes may be an issue. Given that I ran 11 km and didn’t drink any fluids, I was likely dehydrated.
Takeaway - (1) if doing a double, do the run or bike in the morning and swim at night or vice versa; (2) Be well hydrated before getting in the water; (3) When the cramps come on, get out and stretch, HTFU and get back in the water to finish the workout.
Best of Luck,
Clint
Got some today while swimming. I get them every now and then and am trying to figure out why.
My understanding is that foot cramps when swimming can occur for two reasons - 1) electrolyte imbalance or 2) lack of fitness. Now here is my problem with both of those explanations - if it were due to either of those things, wouldn’t I also experience cramping during my run and bike training? I have been doing this sport for 2+ years and never have I ever experienced cramping while biking or running, both in training and races. Yet I get them fairly regularly when swimming.
Is the muscle on the bottom of my foot really getting such a workout when you swim? Wouldn’t it make more sense if I got cramps in say, my chest, arms or shoulders?
Any ideas and/or explanations? I don’t doubt that it could be due to the two common causes, but I just find it odd that, of all places, it manifests itself in the bottom of my foot. Anyone know why?
It touches on electrolytes & muslce fatigue, but mainly focuses on the inappropriate action of plantar flexing your foot - or pointing your toes by contracting all the muscles that run up the back of the lower leg.
Sorry to say that foot cramps while swimming are a fact of life. Sure electrolyte imbalance or lack of fitness or ankle flexibility could contribute but as a competitive swimmer in HS and college when I was in shape, had crazy ankle flexibility and was monitoring nutrition I still got them all the time and so did everyone else I trained with.
As other have said, when you swim you are constantly pointing your toes with no support for the bottom of your feet. Contrast this to running or biking and its easy to see where the problem lies.
As for how to stop it from happening, you don’t. Instead you let it run its course and you keep swimming. If someone ever does figure out a real fix, you will be deified by the swimming community.
