Leg Cramps & Fear of Drowning

Have you ever been swimming and got a bad leg cramp? It can be really scary the first time it happens and your far from shore. The best thing to do is flip over on your back and head for shore or back to your boat.
Often times I have read stories about people drowning because they panic when a leg cramp hits them. Even scuba drivers are prone to have to fight the fear of wanting to come up from deep water faster than is safe when a leg cramp overcomes them. Of course for scuba drivers the panic is different than for someone who is a surface swimmer, but the results can be the same if one can not control the fear and panic, of drowning.
What are your thoughts on this subject? Have you ever come close to drowning or gotten a leg cramp while swimming?

 

This is one of the reasons why you should never swim alone and stay within reach of shore.

However I am a pretty strong swimmer and can't imagine a leg cramp that painful that I wouldn't be able to stay afloat. I can normally do that without even using my legs to kick.

 

I spoke with a friend who has gone swimming in some of Pennsylvania's cold spring-fed lakes and he said when the water is cold it is sometimes harder to work that cramp out of a leg. More than once he had to help a friend back to shore when a cramp struck and laying on ones back to paddle and kick to shore was not working.
As children we were always told not to go swimming right after eating. I think that was in due to stomach cramps. I never went in after eating, so I don't know if it was true or not.

 

That makes sense, whenever you get a cramp or muscle soreness the recommendation is a hot shower, not a cold one!

I guess I've always been very comfortable in the water and don't usually swim so far out that I would be unable to get back with just my arms if my legs cramped up (or vice versa).

 

That must have been an extremely painful cramp if you were unable to help yourself out of the pool. Fortunately I have never gotten anything that bad, except sometimes -- I'm not sure if anyone else ever gets this but when it feels like you are flexing your calf and then all a sudden it goes into incredible painful spasms. I'm still not sure what causes these, but they don't happen too often.

If anyone is suffering from typical athletic related cramps the day after strenuous activity. I've found Advil quite useful for this because it helps the muscles relax and relieves a lot of the pain.