Muscle Spasm Research Paper

Muscle spasms are involuntary contractions of muscles that are often very painful. Muscle spasms are also called cramps or referred to as a “Charley horse”. These contractions are most frequent on the leg muscles but can also occur in the hands, arms and abdomen. (www.webmd.com) Typically the muscles become very hard and tight. There are many causes of muscle spasms. The most common cause is overuse during athletic activities such as sports or general exercise. Other causes include not stretching the muscle before physical activity, dehydration, vitamin deficiency, and poor circulation in the extremities. Muscle spasms can also occur as side effects to certain medications. Some of these medications include Aricept, used to treat Alzheimer's disease, Procardia, a treatment
Proper stretching is one way to keep muscles from cramping. Providing the body with plenty of water or other electrolytes is another way to help muscles function as intended. Eating a diet with foods high in magnesium and calcium can also protect the muscles from these involuntary contractions. If a muscle spasm does occur, massaging the muscle is the best way to relieve the pain and tightness associated with this condition. Another way to relieve muscle spasms would be to apply either ice to the muscle or to wrap the affected are with heat. Taking a bath with Epsom salt is a third easy way to alleviate a muscle cramp. Simple skeletal muscle spasms can be managed with any of the above methods. The twitching of the eye is a muscle spasm that can be caused by stress and anxiety, consumption of caffeine, and caused by the taking of certain medications such as Adderall, which is used to tread attention deficit disorder. (http://www.medicinenet.com/muscle_spasms/page3.htm#what_are_the_symptoms_and_signs_of_muscle_spasms) This type of spasm is common and easily