A muscle spasm is an unexpected and involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles. During a spasm, the affected muscle tightens and becomes hard, often resulting in a sharp or cramping pain. They can last from a few seconds to several minutes and may occur every once in a while, or repeatedly. You may feel, or see, the muscles flex and relax during a spasm.

Muscle spasms can vary in intensity and include some or all of the following:  

• Sudden Pain: A sharp, cramping pain that can be severe and debilitating.
• Tightness: The muscle may feel tight or hard to the touch.
• Involuntary Contraction: You may notice the muscle visibly twitching or moving on its own.
• Limited Movement: The affected muscle may be difficult to move or stretch during a spasm.
• Swelling or Bruising: In some cases, the area around the spasm may become swollen or bruised.

A muscle spasm can occur in any muscle in your body, mostly seen in the muscles of the:

• Calf
• Thigh
• Foot
• Back Muscle spasms are generally brief and go away on their own, but if you experience frequent muscle cramps or spasms or they last for a long time, then you need to discuss them with your chiropractor.   After the spasm, you might notice muscle fatigue, weakness, or soreness.

There are quite a few things that can contribute to muscle spasms, including:

• Dehydration: Inadequate fluid intake can lead to imbalances in electrolytes, causing muscle cramps. Prolong exercising in the heat a common cause

• Muscle fatigue, overuse or Strain: Intense physical activity or muscle overuse can lead to spasms.
• Improper stretching: overstretching, or stretching your muscles significantly beyond their normal range of motion can cause overexerting or even tearing of muscles, tendon or ligaments leading to spasm.
• Poor Posture: Prolonged poor posture can strain muscles, leading to spasms.
• Nutritional Deficiencies: Lack of essential nutrients, Mineral and or vitamin like potassium, calcium, or magnesium can contribute to muscle cramps.
• Injury: Muscle injuries or trauma can lead to spasms as the muscle responds to the damage.
• Malfunctioning nerves: Neuromuscular disorders represent a broad range of conditions that involve dysfunction of peripheral nerves, muscles or the communication between them. This often results in muscle weakness, muscle atrophy (loss) and disturbance of sensation (like numbness and tingling) and cramps
• Medical Conditions: Conditions such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or peripheral artery disease can increase the risk of muscle spasms.

Just about anyone can experience muscle spasms although they tend to become more common as we age. Athletes, pregnant women, and people who are obese are also more likely than others to experience spasms.

It’s important to note that recurrent or unexplained cramps can be caused by chemical imbalance or a neurological condition. Often these cramps are in the night time and mostly affect the lower leg. Your practitioner will often discuss with you in your consultation some lifestyle factors such as hydration and exercise. Remember that tea, coffee and alcohol tend towards dehydrating you. Certain medications can also have cramping or spasming listed as one of their side effects. If there is a suspicion that any of these factors are causing your condition, then referral back to your GP or for nutrition advice may be advisable.

A muscle cramp is a hyperexcitable neurologic phenomena of excessive, involuntary muscle contractions.^1,2 It is important to distinguish between myogenic and neurogenic muscle cramps, because each has unique pathophysiology and management.³ The conventional definition of a muscle cramp is a painful contraction of a muscle or muscle group, relieved by contraction of antagonist muscles.⁴ 

Care must be taken to avoid confusing muscle cramps with other phenomena including central hyperexcitability (eg, dystonia, spasticity, seizures, and stiff person/stiff limb syndromes) and peripheral processes, including tetany, myokymia, myotonia, neuromyotonia (focal muscle stiffness), or myalgia.⁶    The origin and propagation of neurogenic muscle cramps localizes to peripheral and central targets (Figure 1), including the neuromuscular junction, where mechanical disruption and electrolyte disturbances can influence hyperexcitability and cramp generation. Injury to peripheral nerve components including the motor neuron cell bodies or the motor axons can result in ephaptic transmission and development of muscle cramps.

Dysfunctional intramuscular small fiber sensory afferents (eg, mechanoreceptors and spindles) are also proposed to be involved in cramp generation.^7-10 Centrally, persistent inward currents mediated by GABAergic transmitters at the spinal level can amplify incoming sensory input and lead to the propagation and amplification of cramp potentials.¹¹ Disruption of chloride, sodium, and potassium channels and inadequate amino acids concentrations (eg, taurine) disrupt membrane currents to generate muscle cramps.^12,13

Figure 1: Pathophysiology Underlying Neurogenic Muscle Cramps.

The pathophysiology of myogenic muscle cramps, in contrast, is usually the result of disrupted energy production in muscle cells and occurs most commonly in metabolic myopathies associated with disorders of glycogen, lipid, or mitochondrial metabolism.¹⁴ Metabolic myopathies cause deficient ATP levels.¹⁴ Because muscle relaxation is an adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent active process, actin and myosin chains do not disengage, causing an electrically silent cramp (ie, contracture). The metabolic defect may also cause accumulation of potentially toxic metabolites that further aggravate ATP deficientcy. Myopathic cramps are also a potential symptom of myopathies linked to muscle membrane or intramuscular structural dysfunction in acquired and hereditary myopathies (eg, muscular dystrophy, congenital myopathies, and inflammatory myopathy).¹⁵

Hans D. Katzberg, MD, MSc, FRCPC, and Hamid Sadeghian, MD, FRCPC

The second major cause of cramp and spasm is perceived threat to that area of the body.  When your body has a site of damage, it will work to protect the area.  This can be poor posture, all the way through to a severe fall.  Muscles cramping or spasming is a completely normal reaction to this threat.  It is not always a bad thing. You could need this protection (for example if you have sprained a joint).  Quite a lot of the time though, the spasm or cramping is undesired because it is an overreaction.  This is especially true if the spasm comes ‘out of the blue’, as it so often does.  It’s our job to work out why and provide a muscle spasm solution.

In the acutely painful stages, you may need medication as a muscle spasm solution to see you through the more severe spasms or cramps. Painkillers or muscle relaxants are sometimes essential to allow your body to stop overreacting. If the spasm is as a result of a fall or trauma we may well advise you to have an X-Ray as well. There is always a reason for them happening. we work together to focus in on the primary problem causing the cramp or spasm. By doing this, through chiropractic and massage therapy we can allow your body to heal naturally. If possible, without having to resort to medication, surgery or other invasive interventions. Chronic muscle spasms can be painful and interrupt your life. There are several causes of chronic muscle spasms you need to be aware of, and several ways in which your chiropractor can help you find relief. Here is what you need to know about muscle spasms and how chiropractic care can help to reduce the severity and frequency of your muscle spasms.

When you receive regular adjustments, it can go a long way toward helping you to avoid tightness in your muscles that lead to spasms. Chiropractic adjustments include hands-on adjustments that help to align your body to take pressure off of nerves and soft tissues in the body, reducing the nerve signals your brain may be receiving that cause an involuntary contraction. Your chiropractor may also suggest massage therapy to help relax the muscles in your body that are prone to spasm. Massage can also help to reduce any inflammation that accompanies the cramps and spasms your muscles suffer from. Your chiropractor can offer nutritional advice to help put an end to chronic spasms as well. If you are dehydrated, then you may have an electrolyte imbalance that is causing your cramping. Drinking more water and making some changes to your diet can help restore balance and reduce the number or spasms you are experiencing as well. Remember, it is not normal to experience muscle spasms frequently. If you do, then it’s likely you have an underlying problem that needs to be found and addressed. You don’t have to just suffer from the pain and discomfort of muscle spasms, your chiropractor at Dynamic Spine Center can be your partner to find a solution!

Chiropractic muscle spasm treatments include:

1. Cold Laser Therapy

Cold laser therapy, also known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT), involves the use of low-intensity lasers or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to stimulate healing and reduce pain. The therapy can help decrease inflammation and promote tissue repair in the affected muscle. By targeting the area with laser light, cold laser therapy can reduce muscle spasms and speed up the recovery process.

2. Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS)

Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) involves applying electrical currents to the muscles through electrodes placed on the skin. This treatment helps to stimulate muscle contractions, which can reduce muscle tension and spasms. EMS can also aid in muscle relaxation and improve blood circulation, further assisting in the relief of muscle spasms.

3. Myofascial Acoustic Compression Therapy (ultrasound Therapy)

Myofascial Acoustic Compression Therapy uses acoustic waves to target trigger points and tight areas within the muscle fascia. This therapy helps to break up scar tissue and release muscle knots, which can be a source of muscle spasms. By addressing the underlying causes of muscle tightness, this treatment can effectively alleviate muscle spasms and improve overall muscle function.

4. Spinal Adjustment

If the pain is in your back and neck, an adjustment of the spine can help align your muscles and joints so they’re less likely to spasm. 

There may be some stretches and exercises you can do at home to help you continue to find relief. The chiropractor will let you know what to do based on where you’re experiencing muscle spasms.