Muscles spasms or muscle cramps can be described as that awkward stiffening feeling associated with sudden over shortening or contraction of muscles. This can often be cured effectively with slow and gradual stretching.

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Muscle and body movement

The word ‘muscle’ originates from the Latin word ‘musculus‘ and means the little mouse. It is a group of contractile tissues which has its origination in the mesodermal layer of germs cells of Embryo. Muscles with their contractile behavior are mainly responsible for body movements.

Muscle Spasms

In normal cases, these voluntary muscles start contracting when thebrain sends electrical signals along motor neurons, the nerve cells. These motor neurons act as a catalyst and stimulate the activation of calcium ions within the cells of muscle. There are two types of proteins present in the muscle cells -Actin and Myosin. The release of calcium ions leads to the interaction of these ions with proteins which results in the sliding of proteins past one another. These motions of proteins result in contracting the muscle cell by pulling their stationary ends. Recapture of ions causes the unlinking of proteins and results again in relaxing of muscle.

Muscle Spasm

Some times people have an awkward feeling of tightness in the muscles of their back, neck arms, or legs. Sometimes, sports persons, athletes or people involved in strenuous activities get cramps in their muscles. Both these forms are known as muscle spasms.

A muscle Spasm is an unexpected, sudden, abrupt involuntary contraction or over- shortening of any single muscle or group of muscles. It can be also a temporary and sudden rise of motion, energy. Generally it is characterized by a sudden burst of unpleasant, pain

Every muscle in body is susceptible to muscle spasm, although it is more common in calf muscles or muscles in the back or neck. When muscle spasm is witnessed by the body, the muscle does not relax after sudden stiffening. When it occurs in the leg, it is also known as Charley Horse.

Usually these muscle cramps crop up from simple fatigue of muscles, after sudden heavy exercise when the muscle is not habituated to such extra loads. It can also occur during pregnancy. However, there are a few instances when electrolyte imbalances or disorders in neuromuscular functions trigger spasms. Also, it can be a side effect of certain medication. The sudden movements, particularly a sudden, tweaking movement can catalyze spasms. Gradual and slow stretching is used as an effective solution in such cases.

The mechanism behind Muscle Spasms

In abnormal conditions, unusual contraction activity of muscle cells at any stage can result in these spasms. There is a certain mechanism between the brain and the spinal chord and motor neurons of the central nervous system to regulate contraction activity. Disruption of this system leads to spasm. Any of the following reasons can play an instrumental role in disturbance of the mechanism:

• Being over-sensitive, motor neurons may go astray in their functioning.

• Stimulation takes place without proper contraction as the muscle sheath itself is very sensitive.

• Released Calcium Ions may not get recaptured in time, leading to prolonged contraction of muscles.

Possible reasons behind the interruptions of the brain mechanism includes injured nerve pathways, stroke, trauma, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and over stress on specific muscles. Sometimes, nerve damage can result in a Contracture, a permanent shortening of muscle.

Causes and Treatments

• Poor supply of oxygen to muscle cells is regarded as one of the premiere reasons behind spasms or cramps. This can be treated with deep and slow breathing. A soft massage and slow stretching can be very effective in such cases.

• Electrolyte Disturbance which includes Hypokalemia, characterized by deficiency of potassium and Hypocalemia, deficiency of calcium is other main cause. This can be overcome by introducing supplement diet containing calcium and potassium.

• Dehydration is perhaps the most instrumental factor behind cramps.Sodium loss in muscles due to dehydration produces limb and abdominal cramps. Drinking plenty of water with increased intake of salts can do the wonder.

• Muscle Trauma is an excessive stress on muscles causing mild to severe cramps. The affected area may be inflamed, swollen, or reddened. This is usually characterized by a snapping sound when injury occurs. Slow stretching is again very useful.

• Menstruation is also one of the important causes of cramps of varying magnitude in the abdomen. Menstrual spasms can be overcome with heat application using heating pads, stretching exercises, treatment of ibuprofen.

• Nocturnal Spasms are the muscle cramps that locate in the calves, soles of the feet at night or at the time of rest. They are painful if mixed with the condition of dehydration. These happen due to low levels of magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium and prolonged sitting.

So, whenever muscle spasms appear, it is of utmost importance that all preventive measures be taken like slow stretching and increasing water intake to counter the pain that otherwise might follow!

By Jayashree Pakhare

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Menopause occurs when the levels of oestrogen and progesterone become less in a woman’s body and menstruation stops completely for a period of over a year. Among the common symptoms of menopause are irregular periods and hot flashes, mood swings, irritability, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness and urinary tract problems.

Menopausal women may also suffer stomach pains and leg cramps at night and some may suffer more, as compared to others, in terms of sleeplessness.

Menopause: Leg Cramps – Tips on How to Deal With Shooting Pain During Menopause

Leg cramp pain during menopause can come on suddenly. It can be a shooting, sharp pain that can disturb your sleep, or wake you up. This pain may linger and make the area sore for almost 24 hours.

Menopause and Leg Cramps: The Occurrence

Women going through menopause have to deal with other symptoms as well. There are some pointers to keep in mind for avoiding and treating leg cramps so that you can tackle this problem. If you get leg cramps and feel a sudden pain in your leg, often at night, it can be attributed to a muscle or group of muscles suddenly tightening.

Most leg cramps occur in calf muscles, but cramps in your thigh or in your foot are also possible. Older women are more prone to leg cramps and other contributing factors can be lack of physical exercise, an imbalance of minerals, problems with blood circulation apart from menopause.

For those of you that experience the problem only on certain occasions during menopause, you should consult with your doctor regarding the medications you are taking, as leg cramps may be a side effect of certain medicines.

These kinds of cramps during menopause do not cause any serious damage, so are not an alarming issue. However, they can disturb your sleep. For most women muscle cramps occur for a short while and usually go away quite suddenly.

If they persist you might want to try an instant natural pain relief treatment that is attracting attention these days called EFT or Emotional freedom Technique which works on the principles of acupuncture but without the needles and only takes a few minutes to do.

Menopause and Leg Cramps: Treatments

Many women report that massaging or stretching the leg helps when they get a cramp. It is good to consult with your doctor, check your bone density and bring yourself up to date with your daily calcium supplements. Night muscle spasms can also be treated with continuous intake of calcium/magnesium supplements. Other complimentary therapies include drinking a couple of glasses of tonic water and soaking in a peppermint oil bath. A tincture of St. John’s wort is reported to also be helpful.

Menopause and Leg Cramps: Insomnia

Menopause and night leg crampss have further been linked with sleep disorders like the Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD). The RLS and PLMD can disturb sleep in menopausal women and result in more problems like insomnia. RLS usually occurs before sleep sets in and causes calf discomfort and restlessness in the legs, which gets relief in a short time if you move around a bit.

PLMD, however, can cause excessive sleepiness and both conditions are more common in older women going through menopause. The sensations experienced during RLS are not very painful, but more toward discomfort and akin to being anxious. The subsequent muscle spasms in the legs and creepy crawly feeling is felt deep in the legs, and often occurs when you lie in bed and may cause stress, if not treated in a timely manner.

Author: Cathy Taylor

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