Question

Anil was a participant of Marathon-14. After the race he got muscle cramps. Why do you think he got muscle cramps and how can he recover from that? [3 MARKS]

Answer 1

Each point: 1 Mark

1. Muscle cramps occur when muscle cells respire anaerobically.
2. Glucose in muscle cells produce lactic acid during anaerobic respiration and accumulation of lactic acid causes muscle cramps. By massage or using hot water, he can recover from muscle cramps as these improve blood circulation.
3. Thus the supply of oxygen to the muscle cells increases and completes the breakdown of lactic acid into carbon dioxide and water.