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J Am Acad Orthop Surg, Vol 15, No 7, July 2007, 425-431.
© 2007 the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
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The Athlete With Muscular Cramps: Clinical Approach

Javier Maquirriain, MD, PhD and Marcelo Merello, MD, PhD

Dr. Maquirriain is Director, Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Research, High Performance National Sports Centre, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dr. Merello is Director of Movement Disorders, Fundación para la Lucha contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia (FLENI), Buenos Aires.

None of the following authors or the departments with which they are affiliated has received anything of value from or owns stock in a commercial company or institution related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article: Dr. Maquirriain and Dr. Merello.

Reprint requests: Dr. Maquirriain, High Performance National Sports Centre, Mayling Club de Campo, Chubut 415, Pilar 1631, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Muscle cramps are involuntary, painful, spasmodic contractions of the skeletal muscle. Although cramps are a common clinical complaint, their etiology and management have not been well established. Exercise-associated muscle cramps occur during or immediately following exercise, and they are associated with muscular fatigue and shortened muscle contraction. The main challenges for treating physicians are to identify whether the complaint represents a true muscle cramp as well as to rule out the presence of an underlying serious clinical condition. Muscle cramps may be a symptom of any of several conditions, including radiculopathies, Parkinson’s disease, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, vascular problems, electrolyte disorders, and metabolic myopathies. Cramps also may occur as a side effect of certain drugs (eg, lipid-lowering agents, antihypertensives, ß-agonists, insulin, oral contraceptives, alcohol). Most athletes who experience exercise-associated muscle cramps are healthy individuals without systemic illness. Therapy should focus on preventing premature fatigue by means of appropriate nutrition and adequate training.






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Copyright © 2007 by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.