Our muscles have a job of doing two things: contract and relax. When your muscles are in their normal condition only a few muscle fibers are contracting.
Muscle spasms are defined as sudden, forceful and involuntary muscle contractions. When you have muscle spasm all the fibers in the muscle contract.
That’s why a muscle spasm feels like a tied knot and it’s painful. The back is the most common place where muscle spasms happen.
What are the causes of muscle spasms?
Muscle spasm usually happens if you overuse a particular muscle. This is like a trauma for the muscle. Some kind of injury can also be a reason for muscle spasms as well as exercising too hard. If you experience muscle spasm in your neck, the cause can be a lot of stress.
So, basically, any kind of bad treatment of the muscle can cause muscle spasms. Sudden movements such as sudden bending or twisting your back can also be the cause or trigger muscle spasm.
Symptoms of muscle spasms
Almost everyone has had a muscle spasm at least once so far. I bet the symptoms are extremely familiar, as well as that unpleasant feeling.
When you have a muscle spasm in your back, your muscle is going to feel like a tied knot.You will feel tightness and hurting in the back muscles.
Moving the spasm muscle can be extremely difficult, painful and even impossible to do sometimes. When you have a muscle spasm in the back, bending, twisting or any other back activity can be very painful.
Getting diagnosed with muscle spasms
Getting diagnosed with muscle spasms is easy and it includes a few basic steps. First, tell your doctor how long you have felt it and when and/or how it has happened. Then, tell the doctor about any recent activity you think that might caused the muscle spasm.
Your doctor will then check your muscles and see how they react. The tightness, tenderness and sensitivity to touch will be the symptoms of muscle spasms
Treatment of muscle spasms
– Apply ice to the affected muscle the first few days. Keep the ice for about 15 minutes and do this on every 2 or 3 hours.
– If you can, try to stretch your back muscles. Find a way to stretch you muscle so that you can relax it a little.
Ask a professional to recommend some stretching exercises that are correct and that target your affected muscle. If you can’t do them alone, physiotherapy is always a good idea.
– If your muscle spasms last more than a few days, try applying something hot (but not too hot) on them. Do this for 3 or 4 times a day.
– Go get a massage. In the case of muscle spasms, a massage can be very helpful, especially on your back. The right massage technique can really help your back muscles relax and back to normal.
How to prevent muscle spasms?
After you find relief from muscle spasms, I bet you sure do not want to experience it again. If you still haven’t experienced the feeling of a muscle spasm, good for you. Make it stay that way by applying some of these simple and easy changes:
– Make a habit of daily stretching your back muscles in order to keep them flexible and strengthened.
– If you exercise, always try to warm up your muscles first so that it does not be too much of a shock for your muscles.
– Always remember to drink fluids before, during and after exercising. Not enough fluids can also cause muscle spasms.
Remember, it is important to drink fluids because you lose a significant amount of fluids through sweating when you work out. Sports drinks can also help you stay hydrated.
– Keep a good posture! Some muscle spasms, for example in your back, can be caused by a poor posture.
If you spend a lot of time in front of your computer, be careful to have a proper and straight posture. Always try to keep your back and spine straight in order to avoid muscle spasms.
– Avoid positioning your body awkwardly. When you watch TV or sleep or eat in the comfort of your home, it is often that you keep your body in an awkward position. I know that nobody’s there to see you, but still, try to keep your body positioned well.
