02/02/2022
A muscle spasm, also known as a muscle cramp or âcharley horse,â is an involuntary contraction of a muscle that occurs suddenly and does not relax. Although muscle spasms can happen to any muscle, the most commonly affected muscle groups are:
Back of lower leg/calf.
Back of thigh.
Front of thigh.
Feet, hands, and arms.
Abdomen and ribcage.
The exact cause of muscle spasms is unknown. Some researchers believe factors such as poor stretching and conditioning, muscle fatigue, exercising or working in intense heat, dehydration, and depletion of salt and electrolytes contribute to muscle spasms.
Those who are at the highest risk of getting muscle spasms include infants, young children, and people over the age of 65. Other factors that can put people at a greater risk for muscle spasms include:
Certain medications. Being overweight.
Illness.. Overexerting during work or exercise.
Muscle spasms are most common among athletes â specifically endurance athletes like marathon runners.
SYMPTOMS
Muscle spasms range in intensity and can be mild to extremely painful. A spasm may cause the muscle to feel hard to the touch, appear visibly distorted, or twitch. These spasms can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours and may reoccur many times before they entirely go away.
Muscle spasms usually go away on their own without having to see a doctor. When a muscle spasm occurs, you should:
Stop whatever activity triggered the cramp.
Gently stretch and massage the muscle, holding it in a stretched position until the cramp goes away.
Apply heat to tight/tense muscles.
To avoid future cramps, do regular flexibility stretches and exercises before and after you work out to stretch muscle groups most prone to cramping. Some of the best muscles to stretch are the calves, hamstring, quadriceps.
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