On an airplane 30,000 ft. in the air is not the best time to get a cramp in your inner thigh! Thankfully, it didn’t happen to me, but it did attack my sister. I was an innocent onlooker. The pain struck and there arose such a clatter that people stared to see what was the matter. There she stood in the middle of the aisle with this pitiful look of panic in her eyes.
I am such the sorry sibling, because I was doubled over in laughter. That my sister was in pain was not funny, but the situation was hysterical. Amidst her pain, she was laughing hysterically, too. I think they call it poetic justice. At this point, I am trying my best to give her instructions on how to stretch and alleviate the pain, but she can’t understand my giggled up gibberish. She wants me to demonstrate! No way am I going to join her in the middle of the aisle. I’m already about to slide under my floatation device, which might soon come in handy if I don’t stop this hysterical laughter. How could I possibly explain that she will need to do a partial split while bending forward at the hip to stretch these hard to reach muscles? This would require turning sideways in the aisle. I don’t know if the two gentlemen across the aisle would appreciate the bad moon on the rise. In flight show time anyone??? No head sets needed. Sister dearest is the leading lady in this traveling show.
In addition to the leg cramps, she developed side stitches and thought she was having a heart attack. And they say that I’M dramatic! This catapulted me into another fit of laughter. Poor dear! Pay back is not pretty!
Perhaps you are feeling sorry for her. Don’t! I got little sleep on that trip. That’s why the thought of pay back brings slight glee to my heart. This is a person who should be hired by Hollywood for any and all scream scenes. I have never heard such shrill and loud screams come out of a human as can come out of this lady.
Two nights before, she got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. She mistook the shower stall for the little room she was headed for and hooked her toe on the metal door. She lets out the first in a series of blood curdling screams. I was in very deep sleep when this happened. About the time I settled back in, she screamed again. She was exiting the bathroom when she caught a glimpse of her own image in the mirror and thought it was a burglar! By now my heart is racing as I sat up in bed in horror and disbelief. Did I dare go back to sleep? I slumped into the bed and managed to drop off to sleep again. You got it! SCREAM, SCREAM, SCREAM! This time she was surely dying, but it was only leg cramps. Leg cramps are terribly painful, but not equal to the screams that were coming out of dear sister’s mouth. Grrrr.
I am only a fitness professional with twenty some years of experience and knowledge about such things, but she didn’t want to hear my solution to her problem. All she wanted was a bottle of lotion to put on her legs. Yeah! That’s gonna do the trick. I fetched the bottle, which in her anguish and hurry to open it, squirted its contents like a volcano erupting. Oh what a night!
I can identify with muscles cramps, as can most everyone reading this column. The pain is piercing and acute. Drink plenty of water to avoid leg cramps. Some research says that lack of potassium is a contributing factor. Potassium supplements are helpful and bananas are a good source of this nutrient. Regular stretching helps, too. Cramps are painful. To get immediate relief, you have to stretch or massage the muscle. The most common cramps occur in the legs and toes. Here are some stretches for specific muscle groups, should you get them. Hold the stretch for several seconds or until cramp eases or goes away:
Inner thigh – You have to stretch the inside of the leg and this is hard to do. The best way is to stand with your feet as wide apart as you can get them and lean in to the opposite leg that the cramp is in, while keeping the other leg straight. Bend forward at the hip for a more intense stretch. Support yourself with your hands on your thighs.
Calf – In a standing position, put one foot in front of the other as far as you can and still keep the back heel on the floor. The calf of the back leg is the one that is stretching.
Hamstrings (back of upper leg) – Lie down on your back and pull the leg toward you, straightening at the knee. The other knee can be bent or straight.
Quadriceps (front of upper leg) – In a side-lying or standing position, pull your heel towards your buttocks. Use a towel to grab the foot if you don’t have good flexibility of the knee joint.
Toes – Pull toes toward your shin with a towel or stand on your toes.
If you are wondering about my sister, I did help her without her losing her balance or her dignity. I’m not heartless, and I do have her permission to tell this story. I hope that you never find yourself in such a tight spot as she did, but if you do don’t wing it or take flight, s-t-r-e-t-c-h!
