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Neural Mechanisms of Muscle Cramp

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Sports Performance

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Abstract

Although muscle cramps are a common problem for many athletes, the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. In this chapter, we review the proposed causes of muscle cramps. Dehydration and electrolyte disturbance are generally considered to be causes of muscle cramps, but this is unlikely. Alternatively, either neural activity in the spinal cord or in the peripheral could be the cause of cramps. Definitive evidence is scarce and controversy abounds.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan

    Kento Nakagawa & Kazuyuki Kanosue

  2. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan

    Kento Nakagawa

  3. National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, Kagoshima, Japan

    Naokazu Miyamoto

Authors
  1. Kento Nakagawa
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  2. Naokazu Miyamoto
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  3. Kazuyuki Kanosue
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kento Nakagawa .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan

    Kazuyuki Kanosue

  2. Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan

    Tomoyuki Nagami

  3. Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan

    Jun Tsuchiya

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Nakagawa, K., Miyamoto, N., Kanosue, K. (2015). Neural Mechanisms of Muscle Cramp. In: Kanosue, K., Nagami, T., Tsuchiya, J. (eds) Sports Performance. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55315-1_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55315-1_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo

  • Print ISBN: 978-4-431-55314-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-4-431-55315-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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