- Joined
- Dec 6, 2010
- Messages
- 659
- Reaction score
- 885
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- SC Lowcountry
- Detector(s) used
- Fisher F75SE, Bandido II, Sovereign GT, Fisher1280X, Nautilus DMCIIB, Deus2, Manticore.
- Primary Interest:
- Shipwrecks
- #1
Thread Owner
Does the title sound familiar? If you are one of the unfortunate ones to experience hamstring cramps at 1-2 in the morning this may be a sign that your lumbar is in trouble.
I began detecting in 1994 at the age of 40. 12 years later I began waking up to hamstring cramps at around 1-2 in the morning after a day of detecting. I started asking around as to what was causing it and was told Potassium deficiency or dehydration. So I was eating bananas like crazy and also drinking lots of water before going out and still got the cramps anyway. I was eventually referred to a Spine specialist who told me the reason why I was getting cramps was that I had degenerative disc disease in my lumbar and that discs normally take on fluid and swell which peaks around that time. I was told that when the discs swell and are not in proper position they will push against branch nerves causing contraction signals to the hamstrings.
Unfortunately, age is not your friend and the disc disease will only worsen with time. I went through PT and did the injections with no joy. The only thing that gave me relief to the cramp like pain when walking was surgery. So glad I did it and hoping to get back into detecting when I get the thumbs up.
I am posting this not to solicit sympathy but as a warning to others as to what the trigger for the cramps are and maybe they can catch it early enough to make a difference. Another point is that whenever you hold weight out in front of you the lower back is taking the strain. Leaning over while swinging a detector out further from your feet is definitely a load on the lumbar. Sometimes it cant be helped when in the woods and brush but should be kept to a minimum.
I began detecting in 1994 at the age of 40. 12 years later I began waking up to hamstring cramps at around 1-2 in the morning after a day of detecting. I started asking around as to what was causing it and was told Potassium deficiency or dehydration. So I was eating bananas like crazy and also drinking lots of water before going out and still got the cramps anyway. I was eventually referred to a Spine specialist who told me the reason why I was getting cramps was that I had degenerative disc disease in my lumbar and that discs normally take on fluid and swell which peaks around that time. I was told that when the discs swell and are not in proper position they will push against branch nerves causing contraction signals to the hamstrings.
Unfortunately, age is not your friend and the disc disease will only worsen with time. I went through PT and did the injections with no joy. The only thing that gave me relief to the cramp like pain when walking was surgery. So glad I did it and hoping to get back into detecting when I get the thumbs up.
I am posting this not to solicit sympathy but as a warning to others as to what the trigger for the cramps are and maybe they can catch it early enough to make a difference. Another point is that whenever you hold weight out in front of you the lower back is taking the strain. Leaning over while swinging a detector out further from your feet is definitely a load on the lumbar. Sometimes it cant be helped when in the woods and brush but should be kept to a minimum.
