Muscle Cramps and straights.

[drmoss_ca]

We all know what cramp is, but it wasn't until a prolonged period of hypomagnesemia caused by Cyclosporine A that I really knew about them. You can get cramp anywhere you have a muscle, not just in your calves. Toes, fingers, neck, intercostals, anywhere at all! If I take two large MgO2 420mg tabs a day, I can get my serum magnesium just up into the bottom of the normal range, where the cramps aren't as bad. But I do find holding the shank of a straight razor can set it off in my fingers and thumb, such that I have to use my other hand to force them out straight. A thick shank is helpful, and a thin one far worse. This is one reason for going back to the Livi, which has a nice thick shank, but is also very light, so I can hold it without having to grip tightly (in fact, that is one of the wonderful things about Damasteel: you can have a big 1" razor and it weighs less than most. Better still with lightweight briar scales, weighing just 69g. Hard to believe it came to me in 2008, as it seems as if I've had it forever!

Livi.jpg (710.46 KiB) Viewed 1481 times

[CMur12]

Chris, it's truly fortunate that you already have a razor that mitigates the occurrence of cramps, and that you can continue shaving as you wish to. Definitely good news.

- Murray

[Sam]

Never used a thick shank. Wonder how that would help or hurt for the neck.

[drmoss_ca]

I don't think it hurts, and maybe helps in that with a good grasp of the broad shank between fingers and thumb it is possible to precisely control the angle of the razor: a thin shank requires very tiny rolling motions between fingers and thumb to adjust the angle.

C.