LACTIC ACID RELATED TO MUSCLE CRAMP

Gunasegaran A.T., is a Malaysian athlete sprinter and has been given a scholarship to
participate in The Kuala Lumpur 2017 SEA Games for 100m and 200m track. Sometimes
he is uncomfortable to the point of pain after his workouts. He reports that the pain is
probably due to lactic acid accumulation which occurs more often in preseason, usually
when he is not in shape. More recently, he reports that the soreness will occur in the midst
of a particularly long and/or fast run when he is pushing himself beyond the normal
training limits.

Lactic acid accumulation is not a daily occurrence for athletes, but when it does build up
in the muscles, it can make a good, productive workout turn into an intensely agonizing
experience in a matter of minutes! Gunasegaran wants to understand more about lactic
acid in muscles to improve his performance as an athlete.

Gunasegaran was able to research the topic and found that he had a number of questions
that needed to be answered. He discovered that the level of lactic acid build-up is
correlated with the aerobic conditioning of an athlete. Lactic acid is produced in greater
and lesser quantities every time the athlete's heart rate is significantly raised. An increase
in fitness level does not necessarily ensure that the athlete will avoid lactic acid
accumulation from time to time.

Lactic acid levels are not uniform among athletes. Various physiological factors come into
play in individual athletes. A good coach must help the athlete to train in such a way that
will promote optimal fitness without significant lactic acid buildup.

Case Study Questions:

1. Where does lactic acid come from during vigorous exercise?

2. What is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic respiration?
3. What is the final electron acceptor in aerobic respiration?
4. Why is lactic acid formed even when the athlete is breathing oxygen?
5. Does gender and body size affect accumulation of lactic acid? Why or why not?

Case Study Tasks:

1. Problem statement
2. Discussion
3. Conclusion
4. Reference