The human muscular tissue in a healthy state should be evenly elastic, but quite often on it under the influence of certain factors appear tense areas, which can not be relaxed by effort of will. In this case, talk about muscle spasm - it can appear in any part of the body. Let us consider the main causes of this phenomenon.
Causes of muscle spasms
Doctors still have not found out until the end of the nature of the onset of seizures and spasm of muscle tissue, but identified several factors predisposing to this. To them rank:
- trauma (including birth defects), when the muscle reacts with a spasm to the pain;
- prolonged static effect on the muscle, for example, when working at a computer;
- stress;
- pinched nerves due to sudden unsuccessful movement (chamber);
- lack of calcium or magnesium in the body.
Treatment of muscle spasms begins by identifying the factor that led to the appearance of the disorder.
Muscle spasm in the back
Spasm in the back is called intercostal neuralgia, which makes itself felt by acute pain in the front or back of the chest and in the region of the ribs. Remove such a pain syndrome with anti-inflammatory drugs under the supervision of a doctor. It is worth noting that the muscular spasm in the thoracic region is easily confused with a heart attack.
Muscular neck spasm
From the lifting of heavy loads or sudden movement, you can "shoot" the neck. Such a spasm, as in the case with the thoracic department, occurs, as a rule, immediately after physical exertion, although it often does not appear until a couple of days later.
When the neck muscles are squeezed back, the patient experiences pain on the side of the neck, giving to the shoulders. Especially strong symptoms in the morning after awakening, when even a slight turn of the head to the side is given with difficulty. The doctor in this case diagnoses cervical myositis. In the absence of treatment, muscle spasm in the throat can develop, and the neck - "skew", which subsequently threatens the intervertebral hernia. Provoke a bout of myositis can a normal draft.
Muscle cramps in the legs
The cause of the occurrence of convulsions of the lower extremities is again not fully understood, but experts suggest that the spasm leads:
- dehydration ;
- strong stretching of the muscle (during training);
- long stay in one position.
Although muscle cramps in the legs go away in themselves in a few minutes and often do not pose a threat to health, in rare cases, limb spas speak of such diseases as:
- lumbar stenosis or compression of the spinal nerves;
- deficiency of minerals in the body;
- atherosclerosis of the extremities, that is, insufficient blood supply.
How to relieve muscle spasms?
If the back or neck is shot, it is best to immediately consult a doctor, without wasting time on dubious folk methods of treatment. These include:
- Warm-up - tight muscles can not be warmed; this procedure brings relief for a short time, and then the swelling of the muscles spreads to neighboring areas and pain begins to give into the hand.
- Massage - the power effect on the muscles gives a similar result: at first the patient becomes lighter, and the next day the picture is aggravated.
- Physical exercises - the principle of "wedge wedge knock out" in the treatment of muscle spasm does not work.
A patient with a "lumbago" needs rest and taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which after a few days remove the swelling and reduce the pain in the muscle. Most effective:
- Movalis;
- Diclofenac , Voltaren, Orthofen;
- Ibuprofen, Brufen, Nurofen;
- Ketonal, Ketoprofen, Flexan;
- Indomethacin, Metindol.
These drugs are best administered as injections. The use of ointments with a strong spasm of muscles is ineffective.