What are Persistent Muscle Spasms?

A muscle spasm is an abrupt and involuntary contraction in one or more muscles. One out of every ten people must have experienced the feeling where they’re just walking or having a nice sleep and they suddenly feel a contraction in their muscles; that feeling is also called a “charley horse.” 

Though muscle cramps or muscle spasms are entirely harmless, they can put one in a state of total discomfort, and for a moment, the affected muscle becomes useless.

Muscle spasms are caused mainly by stress, dehydration, and exercise. Apart from the significant discomfort that it causes, there’s not much reason for concern.

Symptoms of muscle spasms

When you’re experiencing muscle spasms, it’ll feel as though your muscle is moving on its own accord, and it might last for more than a few seconds. During that period, you’ll be unable to move that muscle because it’s all cramped up. Muscle spasms affect mostly the legs, and they can cause pain. After a while, the cramping sensation fades, but the pain lingers afterward.

If a person has some neurological health condition and muscle spasm is part of it, the person will most likely suffer other symptoms. These include:

       ● pain in the back, neck, or head
       ● weakness in the muscles
       ● skin numbness
       ● a pins-and-needles sensation
       ● a tremor
       ● paralysis
       ● poor coordination
       ● slow movements
       ● double vision
       ● sleep problems

Causes of muscle spasms

Muscle spasms occur frequently, and it’s not specific to a particular gender, it can happen to anyone. You can experience muscle spasms in other parts of the body, but they primarily affect the:

       ● feet
       ● hands
       ● arms
       ● thighs
       ● abdomen
       ● intercostal muscles, you’d find these around the rib cage.

Muscle pain, fatigue, and stress are the most common causes of muscle spasms. Other causes include anxiety and stress; this is where you find some of your facial muscles twitching.

Athletes who do not do pre-workout before they begin their normal routine exercise may suffer muscle spasms. Also, dehydration is another cause of muscle spasms.

Some people may be lucky enough that they’re not usually affected by muscle spasms, but some people are more vulnerable. These people are:

       ● older adults
       ● athletes
       ● people with overweight or obesity
       ● pregnant women

People with special medical conditions like nerve disorders are also vulnerable to muscle spasm attacks.

Prevention of muscle spasms

There are steps you can take that can prevent muscle spasms. They include:

1. Stay hydrated: Ensure that you stay hydrated at all times. The amount of water or liquid you take in depends on the food you eat, your health, your activities, and even your gender. Liquid helps your muscles relax and keeps you hydrated. Whenever you’re engaging in any activity, remember to drink water at intervals; even after your workout, still drink water or other fluid.

2. Stretch your muscles: Before you begin any activity, ensure that you stretch your muscles first. It helps to loosen all the tight knots in your muscles before you begin the activity.

3. Take showers: This step may seem insignificant in relaxing the muscles, but it’s quite important. Water cascading down your body helps relax and refresh your muscles.