Cramps

At a soccer camp last night, one of the player's came off with a bad quad cramp.

I talked to the athletic trainer this morning and asked how the best way to handle that is:

He said that prevention is the best medicine. For these players, it is difficult to rehydrate when they are training twice per day, but when you have a competition coming up, depending on the weather, location and altitude, you must begin hydrating three days before.

The water that you drink now, your body cannot utilize it immediately.

He also stated using a little bit of salt in your food will help with the absoption of water.

Sugar restricts your body's consumption of water. Caffeine is a diaretic and flushes water out of your system.

When a player has a cramp during a match or training, you can help relieve the cramp by stretching it, or massaging it. But it will continue during that event with intense activity.

Athletic players should always be hydrating and carrying water with them.