Thought your nightmare charley horses were bad?
YouTube user Andre B. from Australia uploaded this Snapchat from a friend, whose calf cramp was so extreme you can literally see the muscle moving under his skin.
The muscular horror scene is starting to go viral after being posted on Reddit.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8PzysvQpFlg
In case it was moving too quickly for you…
WHY.
The video was uploaded to Reddit by user dogzfan, where it made the front page of r/videos and received over 2,000 comments from grossed-out and mesmerized viewers.
BuzzFeed Life reached out to Andre, who got his friend to explain what the hell was going on there. Apparently he had just finished doing 45 minutes of interval training, where he sprinted for two minutes, then rested for one minute.
“I was resting at home straight after exercise when suddenly my calf locked up two times, then I managed to record the last one only,” he said in an email.
ABC / Via gifwave.com
“This hasn’t happened to me before. It was just random and it didn’t hurt at all — just was a weird feeling.” WELL IT LOOKED PAINFUL.
Buzzfeed Life reached out to Dr. Harry Pino, an exercise physiologist at the Performance Center of NYU Langone’s Center for Musculoskeletal Care, to see what’s really going on here.
Though he said that “muscle cramping, specifically of the calf muscle, is not fully understood,” he added that there are two general types of cramps caused by certain behaviors:
Cramps are usually caused by either muscle fatigue or electrolyte deficiency.
Michael Dodge / Getty Images
Muscle fatigue and overload occur when the muscle is overused or stressed to the extent that the muscle can no longer relax and remains flexed. A common trigger is poor arch support, which forces the calf muscle to overextend when the foot strikes the ground and the arch collapses.
Electrolyte deficiency, such as low potassium, can take place when the body is dehydrated or overhydrated.
What should you do if you feel a calf cramp coming on?
Comedy Central / Via mrwgifs.com
1. Try to relax.
2. Gently massage the muscle.
3. Ice the area to help alleviate the pain.
4. Move your foot and ankle in a circular motion, which activates the antagonist muscles around your ankle and helps the calf muscles relax. 5. Stretch your calf, but make sure to be slow and gentle.
And here’s how to prevent getting one in the future:
youtube.com / Via catgifpage.com
1. Do passive stretches, like the typical calf extension, before your workout.
2. Work on improving your range of motion by doing ankle circle exercises.
3. Wear athletic shoes with good arch support.
4. Try wearing compression socks during your workout; they stimulate constant blood flow and help activate the calf muscle.
5. Drink plenty of fluids, especially when you’re going to be working out or on your feet for a long period of time. Make sure to eat well before and after a workout, too.
6. If you anticipate a lot of sweating, have an electrolyte-replenishing drink on hand.
OR ELSE.
