Leg cramps in swimming

A cramp is an involuntary, painful contraction of the muscles that does not relax like it should. Cramps that occur while swimming often originate in one of three places: your toes, the arch of the foot, or the calves, with the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of the calves being more common. The pain has a quick onset that is usually severe enough to force swimmers stop because of the tenderness they experience in their leg. A calf cramp will usually disappear on its own, but tenderness can remain even after the cramp vanishes.