Imagine yourself waking up one day with muscular contraction after an extreme workout session at the gym. You feel unbearable pain in your muscles and find yourself stranded to perform any activity. If this is the case with you then you are witnessing what is called Muscle spasm or in short muscle cramps.
Human body is made up of three muscles namely cardiac muscle, smooth muscle and skeletal muscle. Muscle cramp occurs when the skeletal muscle contracts and does not relax for a sustained period of time. These involuntary contraction are seen to occur in legs (quadriceps, hamstrings and calves) lower back, feet, arms basically anywhere where skeletal muscle are involved. Mostly women witness muscle cramp if it’s that time of the month”. Within this article you will find the treatment
Here are top 5 treatments that you can adopt next time you suffer muscle spasm:
1- Stretch post exercising:
Staying fit helps you avoid muscle cramps at all cost. In case you are a beginner at the gym or have had an intense workout session don’t forget to have a good old 10- 15 mins stretch at the end of your workout. A proper warm up and cool down of your muscles helps in avoiding muscle contraction or fatigue.
2- Hot and Cold compress:
This method is proven and effective to quickly help you with muscle cramp. Place a hot pack or a warm towel on the areas where you have muscle spasm. Similarly ice packs can be used several times per day to heal the muscle cramp.
3- Stay hydrated:
Intense sweating or heat exhaustion can also cause muscle to spasm or cramp up. During dehydration or when your body is low on fluid, your body prioritize that the water reaches to most vital organ for them to function properly. Nerves connect to the muscle and can work properly; only when surrounded by enough water and sodium. When this imbalance occurs muscles involuntarily contract leading to spasm. Hence drink as much water as possible to keep the muscle moving.
4- Avert Electrolyte imbalance:
Lower level of potassium, magnesium, calcium and B vitamins have seen to be associated with muscle spasm. As the deficiency of these vital minerals makes it difficult for the muscle to contract, relax or move normally. Hence increase your intake of food items that are rich in these minerals such as meat, fish, milk, orange juice, banana etc.
5- Epsom Salt:
Warm Epsom salt bath soothes your muscle cramps and eases fatigued muscle and body. Epsom salt is full of magnesium which when mixed in warm water seeps into your skin to ease muscle tension.
Despite the above mentioned remedies if you still feel intense pain or cramping in your muscle please consult a physiotherapist to help you cure the muscle spasm. You can find and book an appointment with top orthopedic surgeons in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. You can also call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 for assistance to find the RIGHT Doctor for your health concerns.
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