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Muscle Spasms --- Causes and Top 10 Natural Remedies Related Links Muscle Soreness -Top 10 Natural Remedies Why Do You Cramp So Much?-Causes and Cures Muscles Need Sleep Why Do My Calves Hurt?- Causes and Cures Why Do My Fingers Keep Locking Up?- Causes and Cures Why Is My Left Arm Twitching? - Causes and Cures Why Is My Body Sore? Tiger Woods Workout Rory McIlroy Workout How Many Push-ups Can an Average Man Do? How Many Pull-ups Can an Average Man Do? How Extreme Exercise Hurts Your Heart How to Bulk Up Your Back Shoulder Training -Top 10 Tips Ideal Weight for Men How to Gain Lean Muscle Mass-What to Eat and What Not to Eat Should You Exercise Before or After Eating? Prostate Cancer -Top 10 Signs You Might Miss Fatty Diet Linked to Prostate Cancer Enlarged Prostate-Causes and Top 10 Natural Remedies Prostatic Hypertrophy-Causes and Top 10 Natural Remedies 10 Tips for Prostate Health Prostate Cancer Causes of Swollen Ankles in Men How to Lower Your PSA Levels Naturally Signs of Testicular Cancer Foods That Strengthen Erectile Performance Blood Pressure-What It Means Foods That Reduce Blood Pressure Penis Shaving Bumps-Home Remedies Yoga That Improves Erectile Performance Get Lean Diet for Men Last updated April 19, 2017, originally published March 16, 2013 By A. Turner, Contributing Columnist There are over 650 skeletal muscles in the human body , and all of them have the delightful ability to contract, cramp, or spasm without our say-so. Muscle spasms occur frequently in our lower backs, in our necks and in our calves. While these spasms may surprise us, and sometimes last for a long, painful couple of minutes, it is a common experience that need not always cause alarm. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons assures us that almost everyone will experience a muscle cramp in their lifetime and they could occur anywhere. Among the physically active, cramps and spasms are most likely to happen in the calf and thigh muscles, and are particularly common in endurance athletes and the elderly who work out. If you’re not a marathoner and not yet retired, you are not off the hook: cramps could occur while walking, playing golf, or even when you sleep (ever woken up in the middle of the night with an agonizing pain in your calf, so cutely called a “Charley Horse”?). While cramps and spasms may be over and done with in a matter of minutes, they can render the area unusable for that period of time, or indicate a more serious condition. What are muscle cramps and spasms, and what can we do about them? Are there any natural remedies to relieve muscle spasms? What Causes Muscle Spasms? Muscle cramps, spasms, and contractions happen because nerves have malfunctioned, the muscles are overused, or the muscles are not getting the minerals or blood that they need. This can occur because of dehydration during long periods of exercise or labor , and the depletion of muscles’ oxygen supply, which builds up waste within the muscles and results in spasm. Spasms could also indicate other, oftentimes more serious, medical conditions (see below for some rare conditions that can lead to muscle spasms). Muscle spasms can occur in any muscles of your body, in your arms, legs, stomach end even in the most important muscle of your body, your heart. What Can We Do About Muscle Spasms? If your muscles cramp because you are an endurance athlete, oftentimes stretching and staying hydrated can reduce your number of cramps and spasms. If your cramps do not seem to be related to exercise, and happen frequently or are severe, they may be a warning sign for another condition . Check out the list below of scientifically tested causes of, and treatments for, muscle spasms. 1. Attention All Ultra-Runners with Muscle Spasms: Chill Before a Race You’ve trained every day, you’ve eaten the right foods, you’ve gotten enough sleep, but still your muscles cramp up on race day. What’s going on? Research from South Africa suggests that even an ultra- runner needs to take it easy from time to time – muscle spasms may be a sign that you need to give your body a break (at least a small one). In 2011, a team of scientists in South Africa led by Dr. Martin P. Schwellnus with the Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine at the University of Cape Town identified the risk factors associated with the development of Exercise Associated Muscle Cramping (EAMC) in 49 runners training for a 56 km race. 20 of these athletes reported muscle cramping during or within six hours of the events, and 29 reported no cramping. Data showed that runners who experienced cramping reported “on average longer training sessions during the 3 days before the race.” Runners with cramping also showed a “faster running pace at the early stage of a race.” If you have a big race coming up and are worried about muscle spasms or cramps, try treating yourself to a shorter course for the days before the big day. If you’re running an ultra-marathon in the first place, you’ ve certainly earned a few miles off. 2. Muscle Spasms Caused by Mangoes For many of us in the U.S., mangoes are a exceptional, seasonal treat. While the rarity of the mango may tempt us to indulge when we get a chance, research from Japan suggests that even one mango a day could cause muscle spasms. Mangoes are rich in potassium. Eating too much potassium can cause muscle spasms. In 2012, Kazuo Abe with the Clinical Research Center at Osaka Health Science University in Japan, encountered a 79 year old woman who suffered from “everyday” muscle cramps, and had a potassium level of 5.5 mmol per liter (compared to a normal level that ranges from 3.5 to 5.0). Upon investigation, she reported that she ate “a mango every night for a month before for good sleep.” The team agreed on a “diagnosis of muscle cramps due to hyperpotassium.” When the woman stopped eating mango fruits she “showed normal potassium level” and has “not experienced muscle cramps since then.” While eating a mango a day does not always produce muscle spasms or cramping, if you get those hard lumps in your calves more than usual, and it happens to be mango season, you might want to keep your consumption in check. Then again, some low hanging fruits are almost worth the spasms. 3. The Surfer’s Curse: Back Spasms. Some of us suffer from back pain or spasms because of good ‘ole age: others out there feel the pain in earlier years from extreme sports, such as surfing. Indeed, scientists in Michigan find that “back spasms are reported to be the most frequent cause of impairment among surfers.” This kind of pain can be a real bummer for surfers around the world. In 2010, Drs. Roger Hammer and Peter Loubert with the College of Health Professions at Central Michigan University tested a real life surfer without the real life water – the athlete was observed making her moves on a “dry board” in a laboratory. The researchers found that the back problems arise from the so called “popup” move that surfers make when jumping from their stomach paddling position up to their feet: while this move may look slick, its “high acceleration rate” is a “likely factor that explains the risk for low back pain and injury associated with it” because of “correspondingly high stresses” on the back muscles. What’s a surfer dude or dudette to do? The research team recommends that instead of the “prone popup,” surfers worried about back spasms and pain try the “knee pop-up,” by using the knee to help the athlete stand in time to catch the big one. While this move may not look as slick as the original popup, the knee popup could help “alleviate stress in the lumbar spine during surfing.” If you want to keep catching the waves, you might have to tweak your technique. 4. Allergy Medication and Muscle Spasms: To Sneeze or to Cramp? Those of us who try to hear the fast-paced, mumbled dialogue at the end of a commercial for medication know that most medications have side effects. Sometimes, these side effects open up a whole new can of conditions that seem entirely unrelated to the previous concern: what, for example, could sneezing and wheezing have to do with muscle cramps? Research from Oregon finds that some allergy medication may stop the sneezing only at the price of muscle spasms. In 2010, a team of specialists including Robert Hendrickson with Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, studied an herbal medication from the plant Xanthium sibiricum called Cang Er Zi Wan (or CEZW) that has been used to treat allergies and other respiratory problems. The team encountered a seventeen year old patient who “developed intermittent muscular spasms” after her second dose of CEZW pills that were prescribed for chronic allergies. The patient’s spasms occurred in the muscles of the face, neck, and upper extremities, which “slowly decreased” four days after discontinuing CEZW. If you take medication for allergies, particularly if you take CEZW or another product with Xanthium sibiricum, and you notice muscle spasms around the neck and face (which, let’s face it, would be hard to miss), you may want to consider asking your physician for alternative medications. [Update: One such alternative remedy for seasonal allergies is Vitamin C. Studies have found that Vitamin C suppresses the release of histamine, by as much as 40%. ] 5. Pickle Juice for Muscle Spasms. Continue reading page 1 page 2 Learn More great health tips for men: Muscle Soreness -Top 10 Natural Remedies Why Do My Calves Hurt? -Causes and Cures Muscles Need Sleep Tiger Woods Workout Rory McIlroy Workout How Bubba Watson Lost All That Weight How Many Push-ups Can an Average Man Do? How Many Pull-ups Can an Average Man Do? How Extreme Exercise Hurts Your Heart How to Bulk Up Your Back Shoulder Training -Top 10 Tips Build up Your Arms -Ideal Rotation Routine Ideal Weight for Men How to Gain Lean Muscle Mass-What to Eat and What Not to Eat Should You Exercise Before or After Eating? 10 Superfoods for Mens Health /Erectile Health Center / Prostatic Hypertrophy-Causes and Top 10 Natural Remedies / Zinc Increases Testosterone / Whey Versus Creatine-Which One Is Better for Strength /Celebrity Workouts /Foods That Strengthen Erectile Performance/ Fatty Foods Linked to Male Baldness/ Prostate Cancer Linked to Fatty Diet / Soy Foods Reduce Sperm Count |
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| Pickle juice can help stop muscle spasms, a new study shows. |
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