6 Tips to Combat Muscle Spasm

Typical of a child, when I was very young I was terrified when my father cried out in pain. What did it mean? Would he die? Where would I live? What would happen to me? As an adult, I realize that one, all children are developmentally self-centered, and two, my father suffered occasional muscle spasms (often a severe charley horse). Muscle cramps, spasms or simple stiffness can be associated with myopathy, which is muscle disease (vs pain or problems stemming from the nerves). Generally however, these situations are fleeting. While various causes can play a part in the origins of muscle pain (such as poor blood circulation in the legs), the most common roots are tension, stress, overuse, minor injuries or prolonged time in a static position.

You would be one of the lucky few if you have never experienced such spasms. For most of us, we ‘know the drill.’ And before going to the physical therapist, the chiropractor or other doc, we will probably consider something on our own to ‘treat’ it.

6 Tips to Consider

1. Hydration

How to overcome dehydration is clear. How or why it results in muscle spasm may be less clear. Yet it appears that with dehydration comes depletion of minerals (calcium, potassium, magnesium and even salt) which can lead to muscle spasms. It doesn’t happen just in hot climates either. I don’t want to make definitive, assumptive statements, but………..most people just don’t drink enough water.

[Okay, I know it has become popular to warn against over-hydration – aka “hyperhydration.” It’s possible. And it’s even possible for it to be dangerous. First symptoms can mimic dehydration or even heat stroke. It’s also true that older people, who have more frequent occurrences of kidney and liver disease, may want to be extra cautious. But those aren’t usually the folks with a water bottle in their hand 24/7 either. While hyperhydration exists, poor hydration is much more common.]

Additionally, a good deal of medication demands extra hydration care. Example, taking water pills for blood pressure makes one urinate more and thus depletes fluids. While caffeine and alcohol are common in diets, they are not as hydrating a liquid as is water. [See a trick to avoid dehydration with caffeine and alcohol use.] Taking a glass of water during a cramp will probably do little; taking that same glass hours earlier may help avoid the event altogether. When pain is the cost, this is a cost-effective behavior for sure.

2. Sensible Heating

Using therapeutic heat at home can be a blessing that eases pain, but not always. It depends on the type and location. Certain spasms, like in the bottom of the foot or deep within the viscera of the torso may not respond. Additionally, if inflammation is the root cause (such as around an injury) heating may exacerbate the situation. [Traditional advice had always been to ice inflammation, more recently that has changed to perhaps use ice for injury, but not for muscle soreness or anticipated muscle soreness.] Further, a spasm as common as a charley horse is too sudden and intense to apply heat and wait for its magic. On the other hand, heat applied to most back or neck cramps (for about 20 minutes) can help relieve the intensity and allow for more movement (which is generally important to break the pain cycle). For certain situations, in which heat is desired by the user, but ice may be the better option, some physicians recommend alternating them, for instance heat, ice, heat.

3. Connection Concerns – Your Cabinet & Your System

As we are aware, medications and supplements can negatively interact. Thus, combining certain substances in your pantry or medicine cabinet may fall under the category of “contraindications.” Specifically to our discussion, the reason for those contraindications is frequently spasm. If one is lucky, muscle cramps reduce once the meds or supplements are changed or stopped. It’s possible to face permanent reactions, but that is extremely rare. To be safe, doing a small online look-up regarding interactions of anything you are prescribed, or are thinking about taking, can be an excellent return on your time – saving you from pain and misery. While I said permanent reactions are rare, the transitory side effects are not. If you have a tendency toward muscle spasm, search the side-effects list for “myopathy” (muscle disease). If it’s there, try to read more about the percentage of risk for that supplement / medication, especially when combining with other substances.

Here’s a common example. Lots of people take Statin drugs for cholesterol; many of them report no noticeable problem. Others experience mild-to-moderate-to-severe spasms, occasionally even at a constant level. They might then consider an alternative like Niacin, which has demonstrated significant beneficial effects on cholesterol. However, Niacin causes uncomfortable and noticeable “flushing” – feeling very hot and cold simultaneously. [Non-flushing varieties are harder on the liver.]  Some might consider an additional alterative step and add another substance to the Niacin, like ‘Red Yeast Rice,’ which acts almost identically to statin drugs (and helps LDL in particular). And there’s the rub. Niacin and Red Yeast Rice can interact and cause muscle spasm or myopathy. While CoQ10 is generally recommended to take with Red Yeast Rice, it doesn’t protect from this particular side effect when combined with Niacin.

This example demonstrates how neither medications nor supplements can be consumed ‘willy-nilly.’ [You remember that phrase?] We must sometimes make discriminating choices. Question what will be best tolerated? Or what most effective? But we should always research before converting what’s in our ‘cabinet’ to what’s in our ‘system.’ We can’t assume that our over-worked physicians have all the answers. [See link and scroll down to “Some classes & individual drugs with relationship to leg cramps, or muscle spasm.”] Exploring and isolating these possible interactions is not a frivolous endeavor. If you have regular spams, you want to rule out causes. That includes determining if symptoms are more systemic in origin (like with hypothyroidism, in which your metabolism doesn’t properly balance electrolytes and leads to spasm, or other such conditions to be examined).

4.  Opposite Movement

Apart from generic cialis levitra erectile dysfunction medication, there is the constant push of work and execution. In addition, in some cases, it may happen to you order viagra online http://cute-n-tiny.com/tag/kitten/page/9/ after drinking too much of alcohol consumption, atherosclerosis, diabetes, etc. These have been highly acclaimed medicinal drugs by using agents as well as lubricants viagra pill for woman can be used. However the proper follow up of safety guidelines can drag you out from these situations and can help you to improve your performance to a new level during sexual acts and make your partner moan in bed with pleasure. canada viagra sales

Like the other tips, this is not a magic solution, but it frequently works, is easy, free and immediate. I can return to the charley horse as a good example. The way we sleep can lead to a muscle spam, especially if we move very little, or if our bedding causes us to overextend (point) toes. Often the advice is to get out of bed and stand up. I like the idea of bending the toes back toward your face. Either option concentrates on opposite muscle movement from the static position that may have resulted in the spasm. This idea, including for neck or back spasms, is not always easy to pull-off. It can be momentarily painful, but often breaks the cycle of the spasm. Keep it in mind.

5.  Obvious Prevention

Without a doubt, systematic stretching is a helpful type of prevention. Some consider it boring, and it has gotten a bad rap in years past as a step unnecessary to prevent injury before an activity. The latter is probably true, in that starting the planned activity very slowly and working from there is just as likely (more?) to prevent injury from that activity. But systematic stretching is excellent in balancing the body muscles. If you suffer from cramps, ‘walking slowly’ before ‘walking full out’ is not a solution to manage spasm in all the other unworked muscle areas. Aside from having a plan for stretching, committing to movement during the day to avoid long expanses of static sitting is vital.

6.  Less Obvious Prevention

Irritated nerve(s) from inflammation is another source of muscle spasm. While clearly less immediate than the other tips, some consumption (or avoidance) of certain foods may assuage nerve inflammation.
Supplements. Perhaps the most elemental supplement to include is magnesium, usually recommended at 400 mg/day (studies using up to 1300 mg/day). Ashwagandha, an adaptogen herb, is known to be useful in muscle relaxation and is easy to find. Same with Cayenne pepper (either as a spice or capsule) helping with inflammation and digestion. And Turmeric may be the home-remedy king. As a supplement to your fluids, 100% (tart) Cherry juice (1-2 oz. daily) is another easy-to-manage aid in reducing inflammation.

Foods. Scroll down within this link to review “Foods Rich in Minerals,” which can affect both nerve and muscle function. Consistent for years, my favorite shout-out goes to the infamous GLVs (or green, leafy vegetables). They excel in most every beneficial category.

Foods to avoid. This category can be controversial. I can’t say that I share the enthusiasm for all the suggestions, but I will share some here. One of those I find most disturbing (and surprising) is the suggestion to avoid beans and legumes, supposedly due to their high level of phytates interfering with magnesium. I prefer Dr. Andrew Weil’s take on phytates and their associated benefits. Another suggestion is to avoid Gluten. For fear of opening up another can of worms (wheat worms?) I will simply report that gluten can increase some level of inflammation in some people. The particular one that is not controversial is the most usual suspect: sugar – in its many forms and faces. In regard to inflammation and spasm, sugar can cause overproduction of insulin and increase blood flow to areas of localized swelling, thus pushing on soon-to-be-more irritated nerves. I suspect that few readers are giving up sugar, so our goal might simply be to give some thought to general reduction and avoid it more during any prolonged episode of muscle problems.

Final Thought

One of the goals of Aging with Pizzazz is to consider the “low hanging fruit.” While not an exhausted list of suggestions, these 6 tips definitely pick some ripe, low fruit for us – namely, easy aids to reduce muscle spasms. Before heading off for an MRI, I might want to try some of these remedies first.

—

Title Photos credit: Knee Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash;  Neck pain by filmwithmark Via Pixabay

Share This: