20/06/2023
🍀 MUSCLE SPASM ||POSSIBLE CAUSES AND PREVENTION
Muscle spasm as far as physiotherapy is concerned is a major topic of concern. Many clients come in everyday with the chief complaint of experiencing muscle spasms, especially in their calf, hamstrings or quads muscle groups.
Most patients always feel unsafe to this development because the condition causes so much discomfort in that short while it will exist yet not a particular reason has been established for its arrival. In this article, we’ll provide you with a detailed explanation to this disturbing condition, revealing most likely potential causes or risk factors of it and then finish with you on how we can prevent spasms.
❍ A muscle spasm, also known as a charley horse, muscle cramp or twitch, is a sudden, involuntary movement or contraction in one or more muscles.
Muscle spasms are very common. They can happen in any part of the body, but they tend to affect the: feet, hands, arms, thighs, abdomen, intercostal muscles, which are around the rib cage.
Not all muscle spasms are painful, but some can cause pain. It can feel as though the muscle is jumping or moving on its own, with this feeling typically lasting just a few seconds. Some people might even be able to see the muscle twitching.
Sometimes, it can feel as though the whole muscle has cramped up and cannot move. This effect most commonly happens in the legs, and it can be quite painful. The muscle may feel hard to the touch. While the cramping sensation tends to pass within several minutes or so, the muscle may continue to hurt for some time afterward.
๏ Common causes include stress, exercise, or dehydration, but nerve disorders and thyroid problems may increase the risk. Improper way of exercise in a particular weather condition can trigger muscle spasm.
Athletes who either do not warm up before they exercise or exercise in very hot conditions may also experience muscle spasms. Charley horse, for example, is a term that people often use to describe spasms in runners’ calf muscles. Drinking insufficient water before exercise can also cause muscle spasms.
