How does spasm feel like

Afsar-Keshmiri Dr. Amin Dr. Herzog Testimonials Dr. Keshmiri Testimonials. Back Spasms — Causes, Symptoms and Treatment. What Causes Back Spasms? Back Spasm Relief If you get back spasms what are some options for relief? Ice, or hot and cold therapy, can also be an effective treatment for muscle spasms. Posted in Back Pain. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile.

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Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Many people with low back pain or sciatica describe the pain as a tight muscle or back spasm. Back spasms may feel mild, like a small fist is pressing into one side of your spine. Or, they may feel intense and prevent you from sitting, standing, or walking comfortably. Bask spasms may become so severe that you have difficulty maintaining normal upright posture. And if back spasms become so severe that you cannot move properly, you may need to seek medical care right away.

So what causes back spasms, and what can you do about them if they happen to you? A back spasm is a sudden onset of back tightness. Usually it feels like a tight muscle, and sometimes the tight sensation becomes so intense and severe that it prevents you from moving normally. A back spasm may last for several hours to several days.

Some people with back spasms have difficulty bending forward due to the pain and tightness. Common sensations and symptoms felt when you have a back spasm may include:. Sometimes back spasms may cause you to feel pain in your buttocks and hips. When they are really severe, they may be accompanied by nerve pain, numbness, and tingling that radiates down one or both legs. Back spasms are caused by tight muscle tissue. But this tightness often occurs as a result of some other mechanical stress.

The stress produces a situation in your body where the muscle tissue near your spine becomes pulled abnormally. As a result of this pulling, the muscle fibers become taut, and a feeling of painful tightness occurs. Mechanical causes of back spasms may include:. All of these problems place increased stress through the anatomical structures in your spine. Your low back muscles near these structures may go into a protective spasm, causing a tight and painful sensation in your back.

Other non-mechanical causes of low back spasms may include:. If you have a condition that puts stress and strain through your spine, you may be at risk for back spasms.

For a persistent spasm, apply an ice pack on the muscle for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, a few times a day. A heating pad on the area may also be effective for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, but follow this with an ice pack. This is because while heat feels good for pain, it may worsen inflammation. Ice will calm down the inflammation. Other heat options include a warm bath, hot shower, or a hot tub or spa if you have access to one, which can all help relax your muscles.

When you have a spasm, try drinking some water. While recommendations for how much water you should drink vary based on things like your individual needs, activities, lifestyle, and weather, here are some amounts to go by. The Food and Nutrition Board released a report in that includes general guidelines for total water intake, including the water you get from food and beverages.

The report noted that about 80 percent of the water we need can be taken in from beverages including plain water and 20 percent from foods we eat. Some people find that they can ward off leg cramps at night which can occur in up to 60 percent of adults by doing a little light exercise before they go to sleep. Over-the-counter pain relieving creams may help. These include products that contain lidocaine, camphor, or menthol for example, products by Tiger Balm and Biofreeze.

Emollient gel made from curcuma longa turmeric and celery seed reportedly helps ease the pain and inflammation of a muscle spasm. Buy topical pain relieving creams here. A review article on spasms reported an observational study with three participants who used hyperventilating at 20 to 30 breaths per minute to resolve cramps that were exercise-related.

Hyperventilation is when you breathe harder and faster than normal. If you have anxiety, hyperventilation may not be a good choice for you, as it can induce feelings of panic. Muscle relaxants used for muscle spasms are called centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxants SMRs , and are often only prescribed for 2- to 3-week periods.

They may order imaging tests to check for possible conditions, such as a fracture, or order blood tests to look for markers for other conditions. Your doctor may refer you for physical therapy to help you strengthen a particular set of muscles, or to get flexibility and stretching exercises. If your spasms are in your back, consider seeing a chiropractor. They may give you some targeted therapies and exercises to relieve your muscle spasms.

A professional massage therapist may also help. Common triggers include:. Using kinesio tape or compression stockings may help prevent muscle spasms in your legs, according to a small study on runners. Changing that activity may help prevent future spasms.

Muscle spasms are usually short lived and benign. Self-treatment, particularly stretching, works for most people.