Curious about muscle cramping when PASSIVELY shortened

Hello, I was wondering if you have ever heard of it and why it happens.

This is actually the only time my muscles cramp: when I shorten them by virtue of the position I put them in- but not actually using them.

And example is a hamstring cramp when doing the standing one legged quadricep stretch- that hamstring is being shortened but not doing anything and sometimes it cramps- but only the right.

Ditto for standing upper back stretch I do in a dance class. We turn our torso about 30 degrees to the side and then gently lean forward to stretch the upper back. Well this also contracts my internal obliques and they will often cramp- but only the right

Another example is when laying supine in bed after a hard day of dancing, if I bend my right leg and lay it out to the side to make a figure 4 with the left leg straight, some inner thigh muscle- not sure- the sartorus\(?) it will cramp like wild- very painful really. But again, only right side. weird.


anyway, I was just wondering if this is a well known phenomenon.

just curious

thanx ;)

Hi Mover123, if one thinks about some of the things you describe this could be associated with a low back issue of some type. It is possible (and probable) that a dancer can have what is called a spondylolithesis in their low back. The can cause instability and at times can lead to pressure on a nerve etc. Nothing to worry about though as it is often said you need one or two levels of these to have the flexibility needed to be competitive.

A standing quads stretch is also a loaded lumbar spine extension hence you are not just relaxing the hamstrings. You are at the same time stretching the psoas and femoral nerve. Either, or both, could be involved therefore in the symptom behaviour. The rotation forward bend is also a rotation and side flexion movement on the low back which causes compression as well. And your fiugure 4 description also involves the back, pelvis and other neural structures via their muscle associations.

The best thing to do here would be to try to reproduce the symptoms with a PT watching. They can then make slight adjustments to see how that affects them. It might be that an alternation to the spinal position reduces the symptoms which would lend strength to the notion of the spine being part of the issue.

Do let us know how you get on. Oh and BTW, an X-ray would tell you if you have a spondylolithesis or not (more as a positive result as a negative might just mean that it's not obvious in standing in neutral).

Thank you for replying Physiobob. I actually have had xrays this year and no spondylolithesis.

But thank you, it never occured to me that it could be a nerve issue. Thinking about the stretches they all do include the rotation you mention.

I didn't mention that these same muscles feel chronically tight when I stretch them statically- I don't know if that makes a difference. Hamstring stretch is a forward bend, interal obliques is a back hyperextension over a stability ball, adductor stretch is a supine v-stretch with legs up a wall. All of those also involve the lower back.

It makes me wonder how to tell the difference between true muscle stiffness and nerve-related (apparent) muscle stiffness...