About this topic
A muscle spasm is a sudden, often painful, muscle contraction. This can involve part of a muscle, the entire muscle, or even a group of muscles. A muscle spasm, which is also sometimes called a muscle cramp, can last for a few seconds or a few minutes. ‚
General
What Can Stop a Muscle Spasm? ‚
- Stretching ¢ ˆ ’ Gentle stretching should help stop the spasm. Most often, when a muscle is spasming or shortening in one direction, you stretch the muscle in the opposite direction. Hold this stretch for 20 to 30 seconds or until the spasm goes away. Some examples are listed below.
- Calf muscle ¢ ˆ ’ Stand about two feet away from a wall with both hands on the wall in front of you. Put the painful leg behind you keeping your knee straight and your heel flat on the floor. Bend the knee of your other leg forward until you feel stretching in the back of your painful calf.
- Front of thigh ¢ ˆ ’ Stand and hold onto something sturdy. Bend the knee on your painful leg up behind you. Grab your ankle with one hand. Then, pull your foot up towards your buttocks until you feel stretching at the front of the thigh. You can also stretch the front of the thigh by lying down in bed. While lying on the side that is not having the cramp, bend the knee of your top leg back. Grab hold of your ankle. Then, pull your foot back towards your buttocks until you feel a stretch in the front of your thigh.
- Back of thigh ¢ ˆ ’ Sitting in a chair, put the painful leg out with the knee straight and your foot pulled up. Lean forward at the waist until you feel a stretch in the back of the thigh.
- Back ¢ ˆ ’ Lying down, pull both of your knees to your chest until you feel stretching along the lower back.
- Soaking in warm water or putting a heating pad on the affected part can help stop the spasm and lower pain. Heat also helps muscles stretch easier. Do not leave a heating pad on more than 20 minutes at a time. Be sure to check your skin every so often to avoid burns.
- Putting ice on a muscle that is in spasm can help ease pain and spasm. Use an ice pack or bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel. You should not keep ice on longer than 10 minutes at a time. Do not try to stretch the muscle right after after icing.
- Note: It does not matter if you choose heat or ice to help stop the spasm.
- Massage ¢ ˆ ’ Massaging the cramping muscle with firm pressure may ease the spasm.
- Drinking liquids ¢ ˆ ’ Drinking lots of water can help spasms if loss of body fluids is the cause.
- Drugs ¢ ˆ ’ Your doctor may order drugs based on the cause or the spasms.
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What are the causes?
There can be many causes for a muscle spasm. These include: ‚
- Injury
- Overuse
- Keeping a muscle in the same position for a long period of time
- Loss of too much body fluid
- Poor blood flow
- Lack of some vitamins
- Low levels of potassium or magnesium
- Side effects from some drugs
- Some health problems or health problems involving the nerves
What follow-up care is needed?
Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits. ‚
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
- Drink lots of water, especially on hot days.
- If you are working out for long periods of time, drink a diluted sports drink (half water, half sport drink). Note: If you have high blood pressure, heart failure, or high blood sugar, talk with your doctor before using sports drinks.
- Talk with your doctor about any changes to your diet that may be needed.
- If the spasms are due to a health problem or vitamin deficiency, talk with your doctor about whether vitamins, diet changes, or drugs would be helpful.
When do I need to call the doctor?
If your muscle spasms get worse and you do not get relief from any of the treatments listed above, call your doctor. Your doctor may want to do some tests to find out if there is a health problem that is causing your muscle spasms. ‚
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my condition.
- I can tell you what may help ease my pain.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have more muscle spasms.
Where can I learn more?
Better Health Channel ‚
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Muscle_cramp ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚