To diagnose a spasm, your health care provider will look for tight or hard muscles that are very tender to the touch. There are no imaging studies or blood tests for this condition. If the spasm is caused by nerve irritation, such as in the back, an MRI may be helpful to find the cause of the problem.
Stop your activity and try stretching and massaging the affected muscle at the first sign of a spasm. Heat will relax the muscle at first. Ice may be helpful after the first spasm and when the pain has improved.
If the muscle is still sore after heat and ice, you can use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines to help with pain. In more severe cases, your health care provider can prescribe antispasm medicines.
After you get treated, your provider should look for the cause of the spasm so that it doesn't happen again. If an irritated nerve is involved, you might need physical therapy or even surgery. Drinking water or sports drinks when exercising can help ease cramps due to dehydration.
If drinking water alone is not enough, salt tablets or sports drinks may help replace minerals in your body. Muscle spasms will get better with rest and time.
Also, physical therapy can help you cope with muscle spasms and prevent further complications. In extreme cases, you doctor may recommend surgery.
If other treatments fail, surgery can enlarge the space around a nerve to relieve pressure. This may help if nerve compression causes your spasms.
There are certain massages and stretches that can provide immediate relief and prevent potential pain when you experience a charley horse. During a charley horse, you can use your hands to apply pressure to the site of the cramp to relieve pain. You can also try using both of your thumbs to gradually apply pressure to the site of the cramp until the pain goes away.
If your charley horse is in your leg, you can try to relieve the pain by doing the following stretches:. Once you identify the cause of the occasional charley horse, symptoms are generally easy to prevent.
Take these steps to help avoid future muscle spasms:. Charley horses are common and can occur in any muscle at any time. However, if you experience charley horses frequently, talk with your doctor about treatments. Want to change up your hydration routine after a sweat session? These great-tasting fluids will rehydrate and power your body — no water required. Stretching for just a few minutes a day can improve performance and flexibility.
Tight calf muscles eg, due to lack of stretching, inactivity, or sometimes chronic lower leg edema. Evaluation of muscle cramps focuses on recognition of what is treatable. In many cases, a disorder contributing to cramps has already been diagnosed or causes other symptoms that are more troublesome than cramps.
Cramps must be differentiated from claudication Symptoms and Signs Peripheral arterial disease PAD is atherosclerosis of the extremities virtually always lower causing ischemia. History of present illness should elicit a description of cramps, including their duration, frequency, location, apparent triggers, and any associated symptoms.
Symptoms that may be related to neurologic or muscle disorders can include muscle stiffness, weakness, pain, and loss of sensation. Factors that can contribute to dehydration or electrolyte or body fluid imbalances eg, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive exercise and sweating, recent dialysis, diuretic use, pregnancy are recorded.
Amenorrhea Amenorrhea Amenorrhea the absence of menstruation can be primary or secondary. Primary amenorrhea is failure of menses to occur by age 15 years in patients with normal growth and secondary sexual characteristics Cold intolerance with weight gain and skin changes: Hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism is thyroid hormone deficiency.
It is diagnosed by clinical features such as a typical facial appearance, hoarse slow speech, and dry skin and by low levels of thyroid hormones Weakness Weakness Weakness is one of the most common reasons patients present to primary care clinicians.
Weakness is loss of muscle strength, although many patients also use the term when they feel generally Pain or loss of sensation: Peripheral neuropathies Peripheral Neuropathy Peripheral neuropathy is dysfunction of one or more peripheral nerves the part of a nerve distal to the root and plexus.
It includes numerous syndromes characterized by varying degrees of Diagnosis may require neuroimaging Past medical history should include any disorders that can cause cramps. A complete drug history, including use of alcohol, is taken. A neurologic examination Introduction to the Neurologic Examination The neurologic examination begins with careful observation of the patient entering the examination area and continues during history taking.
The patient should be assisted as little as possible Pulses should be palpated, and blood pressure measured in all extremities. A weak pulse or low ankle:brachial blood pressure ratio in an affected limb may indicate ischemia. Focal cramps suggest benign idiopathic leg cramps, exercise-associated muscle cramping, musculoskeletal abnormalities, peripheral nervous system causes, or an early degenerative disorder that can be asymmetric, such as a motor neuron disorder.
One minute you're in your groove during a workout at the gym, finishing a walk around the block, or even sleeping like a baby when suddenly you're doubled over with intense out-of-the-blue leg pain.
Say hello to a leg cramp. Also called a "charley horse," a cramp occurs when the muscle involuntarily contracts and can't relax. The calves and thighs are two of the most common areas affected, although cramps can strike your hands, arms, abdomen, and feet. They typically last from several seconds to a few minutes, and you can often feel a knot when you press the painful area.
Leg cramps can afflict anyone, but they are most common in the very young and old, people who are overweight, and athletes. The reasons for leg cramps run a wide spectrum ranging from the harmless to things you really should get checked out.
Read on to learn about some of the reasons for leg cramps. Overusing or straining the muscle is the most common culprit, with not enough stretching before use often serving as a contributing factor. Becoming dehydrated whether while working out in the heat or other reasons can irritate muscle cells and lead to cramps as well.
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