Muscle Spasms and Cramps
The Benefits of Massage Therapy

Muscle spasms and cramps can be quite painful. Massage therapy benefits spasms and cramps by helping the muscle relax and bringing more blood to the damaged tissue.

A spasm or cramp occurs when a muscle contracts involuntarily. The muscle contraction can be intermittent or constant. Normally, large muscles that cross over joints contract to perform a certain function. For example, one muscle may contract to flex or close a joint. The opposing muscle will contract to extend or open a joint. This is the way our muscles move us about, but when you experience a cramp one muscle or a group of muscles is contracting for no reason. The muscle contracts, but no movement of the joint it crosses occurs. Muscles that are overworked are prone to cramping. It can also occur if a muscle is held in one position for too long.

Causes of Cramps and Spasms

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can contribute to getting cramps and spasms. Calcium and magnesium deficiencies or imbalances are often the culprits, but a potassium deficiency can also contribute.

Electrolyte imbalance can happen easily if you're doing a lot of strenuous activity that makes you sweat and you're not properly replacing lost electrolytes.

Dehydration occurs when you don't drink enough fluids. If your muscles are dehydrated they don't have the lubrication they need to function correctly.

Lack of potassium can cause muscles to cramp. Potassium helps regulate your muscle's activity and is important for healthy muscle function.

Overwork can also contribute. If you work out too hard or strain lifting too much weight, your muscle could go into spasm.

Spasms and cramps are sometimes associated with other diseases like anemia, diabetes, thyroid problems, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis, and spinal chord injuries.

Alcohol intake and dehydration also add to cramping and muscle spasms.

When the muscle spasms, the tightening of the tissue traps waste products in the muscle and prevents oxygen rich blood from entering it. The muscle becomes starved and knots form in the tissue.

Massage can help relieve spasms and cramps by loosening the muscle tissue letting fresh blood into the area and letting waste products out. When you get a massage the therapist can use a variety of techniques to promote healing within the muscle.

The therapist may use myofascial release, trigger point therapy, Swedish massage, neuromuscular therapy, or even proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation.

Preventing Spasms and Cramps

Clean up your diet. Eating and drinking foods that are high in sugar and caffeine will contribute to cramps and spasms. Eating fresh whole foods that are high in vitamins and minerals will help lessen cramps and spasms.

Stay hydrated. You need to be especially aware of how hydrated you are when the weather is hot and you've been outdoors.

Eat a banana. Bananas contain tons of potassium. Eating one or two will help replenish the potassium you've lost while sweating.

Use static pressure. When you experience a cramp or spasm you can use your open relaxed hand to put firm pressure on the muscle until the cramp stops. This methods works especially well for leg cramps.

Stretch. Stretch before and after your exercise to decrease the risk of injury.

Leg Cramps or Charley Horses

Everyone's had a leg cramp at some point in their lives. A charley horse can really be painful, especially if it wakes you from sleep in the middle of the night. There are a few simple massage techniques you can do to ease these muscle cramps that you get in your legs.

You can use the same tips I mentioned above to prevent Charley horses, but once you get one you need to know what to do to make it go away. Here are some techniques you can use. You stop a leg muscle spasm by putting a flat relaxed hand on the thickest part of the muscle that's cramping and pressing firmly until it stops. This technique is very helpful if you get a charley horse in the middle of the night. The pressure relieves the cramp quickly so you can get some rest.

You can also use a bottle to massage the muscle. Roll a glass bottle across the muscle to loosen it.

If you weren't sleeping when your cramp occurred, you can do a few things to follow up. Try putting ice on the area. Remember that when you do ice an area you shouldn't apply ice for longer than 15 minutes every hour.

Once you've iced it you can do some petrissage on the area to get the blood flowing properly. When a muscle cramps up it restricts the blood flow to the tissue.

After a good massage be sure to stretch the area. The stretching will also help loosen the muscle tissue even more.

Sometimes the area where the leg cramp was will remain sore even after the cramp has gone away. This happens because some muscle fibers may have been damaged or torn because the cramp was so intense. Getting a massage from a professional therapist will help you deal with that injury.

Therapists who practice a therapeutic form of massage like sports massage, neuromuscular therapy, trigger point therapy, or deep tissue massage can help heal the area.