Thread: Creatine cause muscle cramps?

Stretch. But honestly that could be it, that's why I only use it during the offseason.

yea, my coach made us 3 miles today without stretching at all. he said to stretch after. i didn't get a cramp but i could feel it coming on.

Creatine shouldnt cause cramps at all. Eat some bananas, and drink plenty of water. I never got cramps while on it playing FB.

I take creatine before I jog and I've never gotten a cramp I could attribute to it.

I don't know the exact science of muscle cramps but my guess is that it has something to do with the dehydrating effects of creatine.

Whaaaaaaaa??? Creatine actually super hydrates the muscle... that is why you heal faster, and you seem fuller. You need to drink enough water though. Also cramps could be caused by lack of potassium. Eat a banana or 2 every day, and that should help.

Originally posted by PreMier
Whaaaaaaaa??? Creatine actually super hydrates the muscle... that is why you heal faster, and you seem fuller. You need to drink enough water though. Also cramps could be caused by lack of potassium. Eat a banana or 2 every day, and that should help.

i don't drink enough water on weekdays so that's why i think i'm dehydrated and i get cramps. i'll do the banana thing too.

When Iwas in school, I just carried a gallon milk jug full of water with me. I drank one a day, sometimes more.

Originally posted by PreMier
When Iwas in school, I just carried a gallon milk jug full of water with me. I drank one a day, sometimes more.

i actually just got back from buying a big water bottle to bring to school. not a gallon though, only 1L but i can fill it up during the day.

So do it man! And drink those cramps away!

umm I'm pretty sure creatine is proven to cause cramps in long distance running - at 3 miles your probably right on the edge if you run any further than that I think you are going to be more proned to cramps. to what I've heard sprinters love creatine and distance runners hate it.

well, i think a football game is closer to a long distance run than a sprint even though it is a series of sprints so i think i'll stop taking it during season.

Originally posted by instant
umm I'm pretty sure creatine is proven to cause cramps in long distance running - at 3 miles your probably right on the edge if you run any further than that I think you are going to be more proned to cramps. to what I've heard sprinters love creatine and distance runners hate it.

I run anywhere from three to five miles at time with no cramping and I always take creatine before I run. If anything long distance running creates hydration issues which is why it may promote cramping.

Originally posted by titans1854
well, i think a football game is closer to a long distance run than a sprint even though it is a series of sprints so i think i'll stop taking it during season.

I was on creatine this whole football season and never had any kind of problem. Sometimes I wouldn't drink anything the whole practice, because I thought we didn't deserve the water breaks they give us. Then again I don't think I've ever gotten and muscle cramp, so I might not be prone to it either way.

Originally posted by titans1854
I take creatine and i run a lot in football practice and i get cramps in my calf when we do a lot of running.

I'm pretty creatine is the cause, but what r guys' opinions?

Depending on the study, it does or doesn't. this link in the journal of sports medicine provides an objective scrutiny. http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1999/05_99/juhn.htm

It doesn't make sense, since as someone mentioned, creatine superhydrates muscle cells. But as the article stated, it is believed to be a compartment syndrome type problem rather than a dehydration issue. No large randomized, clinical trials have been done to settle the issue. However, I can tell you that my athletes who use creatine, the sports physiologists at this insitution have been able to obliterate the cramping with magnesium and salt loading along with the creatine use.


Personally, I think that some people are just genentically susceptible to the cramping effects, ie: the creatine causes all these intracellular and extracellular fluid and electrolyte shifts, that, in turn, induce more forceful muscle contractions, shortened muscle relaxation phases and can thus increase compartmental pressures and muscle hypertonicity in some..... tightness and cramping is the end result in the susceptible individuals. Some athletes who have had cramping problems with creatine have been helped by increasing fluids, but not others.

umm I'm pretty sure creatine is proven to cause cramps in long distance running - at 3 miles your probably right on the edge if you run any further than that I think you are going to be more proned to cramps. to what I've heard sprinters love creatine and distance runners hate it.

All that matters is what it does to you. I can't go over 3 miles without cramping on creatine. I've been off and just easily ran an 8k (5miles--Shamrock Shuffle, 25,000 people!) with no cramps or anything. I've tested it on myself, and I'm certain it causes cramps for me. Nothing fixes it, bananans, stretching, anything. IMO It's great for sprinters, explosive athletes, but not for anything distance.