Last Updated on May 15, 2021 by Dan
It is not uncommon for people who do a lot of physical activity to experience muscle cramps. However, it may be more prevalent in divers because they are often doing physical activity underwater as well as on land during the course of a day. The symptoms can range from an occasional twinge to severe pain that stops you in your tracks and may even last for days. It would seem logical that these overworked muscles need stretching and rest, but some preventive methods actually work better than others at preventing them entirely or at least reducing their severity.
There are a number of ways to avoid muscle cramps in diving:
1) Divers can try stretching before getting wet which may reduce the chance for possible cramping muscles by loosening them up. Remember that the underwater temperature is very low which can increase the chance of muscle contraction.
2) You have to prepare your muscles before you take a dive. You should be sure that you warm up properly and stretch your body out as much as possible because this will also help loosen those same tight spots where there might be more potential for injury later on.
3) It is important to hydrate yourself during all levels of activity and drinking plenty of water (at least 3 liters a day)because studies have shown that dehydration is also one of the greatest causes of cramps.
4) Go bananas! Eating a lot of potassium source foods will help you prevent muscle cramps and bananas are the richest known source of potassium.
5) If you are planning to go diving, make sure you have been alcohol-free for the past 12 hours if you don’t want to experience muscle cramps underwater. Drinking alcohol is always a big NO for divers- Alcohol utilizes anaerobic metabolism. Anaerobic metabolism is a type of cell metabolism in which our body uses carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen, and produces lactic acid as the end product. Lactic acid can build up and promotes muscle spasms in our body.
If at any point you do experience pain from such an injury then divers need to stop immediately and have someone look over their injuries.
Scuba diving is an awe-inspiring and breathtaking activity. It allows you to discover a new world. With all the beauty of the underwater world, you can only imagine life at its beauty.
So, therefore, necessary precautions must be taken by each scuba diver out there in order to prevent the occurrence of muscle cramps in the water.
