Muscle Twitches & Spasms!

I have recently been suffering from an Eye Twitch/Spasm as well as a Quad Spasm and thought, why not blog about this!  I know this is a common occurrence but do we all know why we get these?  If you already know I think a refresher wouldn't hurt.

First of all, there is a difference between a Muscle Twitch and a Muscle Spasm.  A Muscle Twitch ( also called fasciculations) usually only affect one muscle and are characterized by tiny contractions inside the muscle caused by a nerve impulse.  A Muscle Spasm (also called muscle cramps) affects multiple muscle tissues and are brought on by a chemical imbalance in the body.  I personally did not know that!  

Now that we know what a Muscle Twitch and a Muscle Spasm is, why?!?  

Muscle Twitches, with the most common being in the eye, thumb or calf, are more likely caused by stress and anxiety.  The twitching will come and go and normally does not last more than a few days or so at a time.  Other common causes can be from over exercise (muscle fatigue), excess caffeine and side effects from medications.

Muscle Spasms are most commonly caused by heavy exercising, dehydration, excess alcohol, pregnancy, medications and/or lack of calcium and/or magnesium in the body.  Muscle Spasms, more commonly called Muscle Cramps, are when a muscle group starts to get really hard and causes you pain aka The Charley Horse!  We all have been sneak attacked by the Charley Horse in the middle of the night wondering, "Why?!?"  Now you know what could be the cause!

Although, in a lot of cases, Muscle Twitches and Muscle Spasms are caused from the above, they can also be caused by some other rare reasons.  Muscle Twitches can be caused by Nervous System Disorders that include nerve damage, fibromyalgia, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig's disease.  Muscle Spasms can be caused by hypothyroidism, kidney failure as well as cerebral palsy, stroke and Parkinson's disease.  But remember, these are rarities but if Muscle Twitches and Muscle Spasms are concerning you ask your Doctor for some more advice:).  You can't always be too sure about some things and this is one of them!

Besides prevention, there are some ways to provide relief when suffering from a Muscle Twitch or Muscle Spasm.  Gentle stretching and massaging of the area may help although some areas such as the eye may be a bit difficult to do this with.  Using the affected muscle can also provide some sort of relief as well.  This is great news because people tend to automatically to all of these things when suffering from a Muscle Twitch and Muscle Spasm!

Hope this has either educated you or helped remedy this issue for you!  Have a wonderful and hopefully twitch and spasm free day!