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Muscle Spasms: Causes, Diagnosis & Alternative Treatments

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Journey Chiropractic & Health Center
Muscle Spasms: Causes, Diagnosis & Alternative Treatments

Muscle spasms are conditions characterized by painful tightening or contractions of muscles from time to time. These contractions are involuntary and can happen anytime and it’s difficult to predict when a muscle spasm may take place. However, muscle spasm is treatable and there are several holistic treatments for muscle spasms like Spinal Decompression Therapy in Denver, chiropractic adjustment, massage therapy and many more. In this article, you can learn about what causes muscle spasms and how they are diagnosed and can be treated. 

What Is A Muscle Spasm?

A muscle spasm or cramps is the sudden contraction of a specific muscle or muscle group that often occurs involuntarily and it becomes difficult to relax the muscle for a while. Muscle spasms can cause mild to intense pain and they usually occur in areas like calves, thighs, feet, hands, abdomen, and arms. The muscle experiencing the spasm can feel stiffer than other muscles surrounding the areas. Generally, a muscle spasm lasts from a couple of seconds to as long as 15 minutes. While there is no medication or injection that can ease a muscle spasm, you can either stretch or massage the area when you are experiencing a cramp to ease the tension. Some alternative therapies can also help get relief from continuous muscle spasms and you will learn about them in this article.

Causes Of Muscle Spasms

A muscle spasm can simply occur due to tension in the muscle in a specific area but sometimes it can also happen due to underlying causes. Here are some causes of muscle spasms:

  • Not stretching enough
  • Herniated discs
  • Facet joint osteoarthritis
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Spinal Stenosis
  • Dehydration
  • Exercising in the heat
  • Muscle fatigue
  • Involuntary nerve discharge
  • Reduction of electrolytes
  • Stress
  • Restriction of blood supply
  • Excessive high-intensity exercise

How Are Muscle Spasms Diagnosed?

When diagnosing muscle spasms, the doctor or the healthcare provider will check a couple of things like how bad your pain is, how long the contractions last, when do the spasms happen typically, when did the muscle spasms start, how do the spasms feel like, is there any other symptom you are experiencing along with the spasms. Based on all this information, the doctor will formulate a treatment plan that will work best for you and provide relief from your pain condition.

Alternative Treatments For Muscle Spasms Relief

Spinal Decompression Therapy

Spinal decompression therapy is a gentle stretching of the back that helps relieve several pain conditions. Spinal decompression gives Back Pain Relief in Denver as well as relief from muscle spasms, and conditions like herniated or bulging discs, Sciatica, etc. In this therapy, the spine and the back are gently stretched so that the tension in the spine and the entire back can be relieved thus relaxing the muscles as well. This therapy is especially beneficial if your muscle spasms are caused due to herniation of the spinal discs.

Natural Remedies

There are a couple of natural remedies that can give relief from muscle spasms. This includes Chamomile Tea, an ancient herb that has been used for the treatment of several illnesses. Chamomile has anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce the muscles if it is occurring from a muscle injury or some inflammatory condition. You can also massage Chamomile essential oil directly on the affected area. Cherry juice is also another great anti-inflammatory natural remedy that also helps with muscle pains. Cherry juice is really effective in treating muscle spasms that happen due to over-exertion of the muscles. 

 

Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is also quite effective in the treatment of muscle spasms. Swedish massage and deep tissue massage are especially beneficial in relaxing the muscles and providing relief from contracting muscles. Shiatsu, a style of Japanese massage is also quite effective for the treatment of muscle cramping. Even if you are alone or doing your day-to-day work, and experience a muscle spasm then you can use your hands and give yourself a massage in the affected area to loosen up the stiffened muscle. 

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