Muscle Cramp Trick of the Trade

Every year during my company's annual performance of the Nutcracker I get muscle cramps partway through our performance run. It's usually either on stage or right when I come off that a muscle under my ribcage tenses up and hurts so bad that breathing is painful. This happens even when I haven't just eaten. If this ever happens to you then you know how much of a pain it is and how much it can hinder your dancing. A trick of the trade that I've found works really well is drinking tonic water before performing.

Muscle cramps are caused by a deficiency of calcium, magnesium and/or potassium. Vigorous exercise that causes a lot of sweating can be a cause of loss of potassium. Although it's a debated subject, I find drinking tonic water (with quinine) to actually help. Supposedly the quinine in the tonic water helps the cramps. If you get regular and painful cramps then ask your doctor about what you can do to prevent them but an occasional twinge of pain under your ribcage (or wherever else you get cramps) can be helped.
If you guys have any other tricks of the trade or have any questions then e-mail me or leave a comment below :)
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