What Causes Spasms?
Anyone can experience a muscle spasm. Beside the back, they are common in the calves, feet and hands. For muscles to contract, electrical signals from the brain travel through the spinal cord along nerves called motor neurons. Whenever this process is interrupted, spasms can occur. The leading cause of muscle spasms is over exercising. One of the most important things I tell my patients is to listen to their bodies. The reason we experience pain and exhaustion is so that we know when to stop and rest. Just as energy is necessary to contract muscles during exercise, energy is also required to relax muscles, replenishing proteins and calcium ions that are used up during exercise. If these substances are not present, muscles will be unable to relax and one may occur. Dehydration is another common cause. Insufficient fluids and salts, like sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium, disrupt the balance of calcium ions in your body. This causes both muscles and nerves to function abnormally,
