# Exercise and calf fatigue



## Marko 1 (Nov 2, 2020)

Hi all! This is my first post on the diabetes uk forum and I have a question about exercise and calf fatigue. 
I've had type 1 diabetes for 32 years and have been relatively well controlled through this time. I am also a regular exerciser and use it to help manage my diabetes. 
Around 5-6 years ago I noticed a slight decline in the endurance of my calf muscles and then all of a sudden my calves became very painful to the point I struggled going upstairs. I thought it could potentially be a statin side effect so I stopped taking them and gradually over 1-2 weeks the pain subsided but left some residual issues with my calves fatiguing even quicker with exercise. It took months for it to improve any further and didn't fully return to normal. I do a lot of Les Mills on Demand and have stuck to HITT training, such as GRIT, as well as body pump and body combat. I continued to notice a decline in my calves and purchased a spin bike around 2 years ago, which I really enjoy and again keep to the higher intensity workouts on it like the trip and sprint. Fast forward to this week and disastrously my spin bike broke, so I decided to try a 30 minute GRIT routine again. From a cardiovascular perspective, I was coping pretty well as my fitness has remained relatively high but my calves were really struggling to a point that I had to stop before the end. This really has frustrated me as I feel I should be able to keep up with the level of workout.
I have considered if it could be peripheral vascular disease and have had several doppler tests which have come back satisfactory and my calves don't tighten up like they would do with PVD. I am also considering if it could be microvascular in nature rather than macrovascular. I asked for a referral to the vascular team but due to Covid, they cannot see me. 
Has anyone else experienced this, as I am getting frustrated with it hampering my exercise! Sorry for the long post but I would really appreciate others thoughts and if they have had similar experiences. Thank you, Mark


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## ColinUK (Nov 3, 2020)

Have you tried supplementing with magnesium?
I had frequent calf pain and it was suggested by a doctor friend that I supplement with magnesium. 
I’ve checked with my DN and it’s not contraindicated by either being T2 or by the metformin. 
I now have no calf discomfort nor do I ever wake with cramps.


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## jlury (Nov 5, 2020)

Hi, I am T1D for 39 years. v active but have had PVD in both legs which has caused calf pain. During the investigations of the PVD it became obvious that my calves/achilles were stiff and painful regardless of the PVD. A physiotherapist advised me that with diabetes our tendons are predisposed to becoming stiffer and therefore it is important to stretch regularly to keep the tendons as stretchy as possible. I now do a lot of pilates and stretching exercises, particularly exercises which focus on the calves (in addition to HIIT and walking, mountaineering, etc). The stretching is the only thing that works consistently for me, and if i stop stretching for a week then my body returns to its painful less stretchy state. For a long time Pilates and stretching annoyed me because they take time and  dont give me the burn of a good HIIT workout, but now I am sure of the benefit of stretching so I make time for it and have started to enjoy it especially after HIIT as a warm-down.

Regarding Magnesium supplements: These work for me when sometimes I get acute calf pain during hillwalking/mountaineering. I use the dissolvable type when I need it  (the ones from swiss co-op are best IMO and they have 10 x the amount of Magnesium as normal electrolyte tablets) I am not so sure about the normal vitamin/mineral tablets and when you look at the labels they all seem to be slightly different Mg salts (carbonate, citrate etc) but it does no harm to take a multivitamin tab everyday.

Good luck!


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## Eddy Edson (Nov 5, 2020)

jlury said:


> Hi, I am T1D for 39 years. v active but have had PVD in both legs which has caused calf pain. During the investigations of the PVD it became obvious that my calves/achilles were stiff and painful regardless of the PVD. A physiotherapist advised me that with diabetes our tendons are predisposed to becoming stiffer and therefore it is important to stretch regularly to keep the tendons as stretchy as possible. I now do a lot of pilates and stretching exercises, particularly exercises which focus on the calves (in addition to HIIT and walking, mountaineering, etc). The stretching is the only thing that works consistently for me, and if i stop stretching for a week then my body returns to its painful less stretchy state. For a long time Pilates and stretching annoyed me because they take time and  dont give me the burn of a good HIIT workout, but now I am sure of the benefit of stretching so I make time for it and have started to enjoy it especially after HIIT as a warm-down.
> 
> Regarding Magnesium supplements: These work for me when sometimes I get acute calf pain during hillwalking/mountaineering. I use the dissolvable type when I need it  (the ones from swiss co-op are best IMO and they have 10 x the amount of Magnesium as normal electrolyte tablets) I am not so sure about the normal vitamin/mineral tablets and when you look at the labels they all seem to be slightly different Mg salts (carbonate, citrate etc) but it does no harm to take a multivitamin tab everyday.
> 
> Good luck!



I've also got PAD/PVD (one leg). I started really doing stretching exercises quite recently and yes, they really help.


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## Marko 1 (Nov 5, 2020)

Thank you for your replies. I will look into magnesium and also stretching more. My calves have felt pretty tight in the past, so will make more if an effort to do this.


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