Vinegar for cramp!?!?

3 watchers

BelleVueRacer of Beartown Sep 2011 11:01pm, 7 Sep 2011 4,838 posts	0 BelleVueRacer of Beartown Does it work or is someone at work pulling my leg?
Nellers Sep 2011 11:15pm, 7 Sep 2011 18,301 posts	0 Nellers I have no personbal experience but I did hear a piece on TriTalk a while back where drinking "pickle juice" (ie. the vinegar from the pickle jar) stopped cramps during the race in almost everyone who tried it. The trouble is it was an instant and short term effect in as much as you had to have the pickle juice handy for when you were likely to get the cramps and you had to down it as you felt the cramp hit. If you suffer with cramps badly I'd say it might be worth a shot.
Ultra Kazzaaaaah!! Sep 2011 11:32pm, 7 Sep 2011 10,147 posts	0 Ultra Kazzaaaaah!! The quinine in tonic water is supposed to be good for cramp. May be more pleasant to drink!
paul a Sep 2011 11:35pm, 7 Sep 2011 7,916 posts	0 paul a Surely an electrolyte style sports drink would be a better option.
jammybilly Sep 2011 11:56pm, 7 Sep 2011 16 posts	0 jammybilly Hi Bellvue Racer, I've been getting cramp in my calfs and have been looking up what I can do/what might be the causes. Being dehydrated was one cause. I've made sure over the last few months that I am always fully hydrated, run or no run. The next cause was low sodium intake. I've upped my salt intake (I don't normally take salt in my food). That helped a bit. I don't eat many green vegetables (none really) and after looking up stuff on the internet my next thing I am going to try is to take a Magnesium supplement. Magnesium is part of chlorophyll, the green of plants so it seemed a logical thing that I was not getting enough. I've since calculated that I'm getting 1/3 to half the amount I should be so I'm going to try a soluble form of Magnesium (Magnesium Citrate). Still need to find out who stocks it and how much it is though. I was also getting a pulsing sensation in my calfs, that was mentioned on the net as a symptom of a lack of Magnesium. Potassium is also a thing to look at. You can get that from banannas, which I like. A small handful of nuts seems to be good for you too, so I have salted peanuts (not keen on any of the others) and I get a double whammy of goodness as they have salt on them too. I've heard that Schweppes Tonic Water is good for cramp too (the quinine is the key component as mentioned above). The piece I read on the net was that is was used for night cramps and it relaxes yours muscles, so take some an hour before going to bed. I also heard iabout it by word of mouth too. I'm not sure about it's use for everyday cramping. I bought a small tin but haven't tried it yet. Sorry if you already looked this stuff up yourself. Hope you get it sorted. jb
wobblingTime Sep 2011 9:22am, 8 Sep 2011 283 posts	0 wobblingTime Another vote for tonic water here. It was recommended to me by a nurse and now, when I get crampy I have a glass in the evening (with and without gin). Works a treat.
James1982a Sep 2011 12:09pm, 8 Sep 2011 6,309 posts	0 James1982a Cider Vinegar
BelleVueRacer of Beartown Sep 2011 3:33pm, 10 Sep 2011 4,844 posts	0 BelleVueRacer of Beartown Fascinating, thanks for all that. Would you believe that I picked this tip up from a pupil who has been put in a special class full of "naughty" kids who all my staff have identified as being "unteachable"? The pupil was at some community rehab centre on work experience. Well, he gets a golden star in his book!