What does spasm mean and what causes it

In fact, spasms are simply called menstrual cramps in real life. There are many parts of the body where spasms can occur, and the causes of each part are different. When a spasm occurs, we must first see where it occurs and then investigate the cause.

A spasm is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, a hollow organ (such as the stomach), or a similar sudden contraction of an opening. Sometimes there is pain and disability, but it is usually harmless and disappears after a few minutes. Diseases of the central nervous system, acute infectious diseases, excessive fatigue, dystonia, etc. can all cause muscle spasms. On the other hand, a seizure is also a sudden outburst of energy, behavior, or emotion.

Causes

①Cold stimulation. Exercising in a cold environment in winter without sufficient warm-up, or swimming in low water temperatures in summer can easily cause leg cramps. If you don't cover yourself with a blanket when you sleep at night, your calf muscles will be stimulated by the cold and will cramp so much that you will wake up in pain.

② Muscles contract too quickly and continuously. During strenuous exercise, the whole body is in a state of tension, the leg muscles contract too quickly, the relaxation time is too short, the local metabolic product lactic acid increases, the muscle contraction and relaxation are difficult to coordinate, thus causing calf muscle cramps.

③Excessive sweating. The exercise time is long, the amount of exercise is large, and there is a lot of sweating, but the salt is not replenished in time. A large amount of fluid and electrolytes are lost in the body, metabolic waste accumulates, and the local blood circulation of the muscles is poor, which is also prone to cramps.

④Excessive fatigue. The calf muscles are most susceptible to fatigue when traveling long distances, climbing mountains, or climbing heights. Because every time you climb up, one foot supports the weight of the whole body. The strength required for the muscles of this leg to lift the foot will be six times the body weight of the person. When it is fatigued to a certain extent, cramps will occur.

⑤ Calcium deficiency. Calcium ions play an important role in muscle contraction. When the calcium ion concentration in the blood is too low, muscles become easily excited and cramp. Teenagers grow and develop rapidly and are easily deficient in calcium, which is why they often suffer from leg cramps.

⑥ Upper motor neuron damage. The central inhibitory effect on peripheral nerves weakens or disappears, causing increased muscle tone and even muscle spasms.