Muscle spasms

[KrazyHorse]

I often get them in my right posterior deltoid (rear shoulder muscle).

The muscle twitches for a few seconds at a frequency of perhaps 2-3 times a second. I get this every couple of days, and the spasms happen every few minutes for a period of a few hours. They are not strong enough to move my whole arm, but they are visible through a sweater and are extremely distracting. I believe it's only a single muscle fiber (not sure of the terminology here), i.e. it's not the whole posterior deltoid, just a piece a centimeter or two across. This has been going on for a couple of years now.

I have two questions:

a) WTF is this from? I do notice that it doesn't happen as much when I'm being lazy and don't go to the gym...
b) How do I prevent this/stop it once it starts?

[Japher]

Potassium deficiency

Eat a Banana



(I laughed when you wrote posterior)

[KrazyHorse]

That occurred to me, but I'd always heard that potassium deficiency led to cramping (which I don't get) rather than spasms.

[Jon Miller]

I think I have had this happen to me as well.

Which reminds me, yesterday I was lazy and didn't go to the gym .

JM

[DirtyMartini]

I think it's due to muscle irritability from lifting -- I don't remember the exact biochemical mechanism, but probably something along the lines of the threshold for muscle contraction being lowered due to altered membrane potential due to physiologic effects of exercise (glucose depletion, lactic acidosis, etc).

I get the same thing in my left forearm

[Japher]

Going to the gym to scope babes and drink smoothies doesn't help you lose weight.

[lightblue]

Same, I've got it in one of my fingers and occasionaly on the right side of lower back. The latter is esecially annoying as it makes me jerk up if i am lying down.

[Tuberski]

Muscle spasms and cramps occur when a muscle contracts involuntarily and painfully. There are a number of causes of muscle spasms, ranging from nutritional deficiency to serious nervous system conditions. If you experience sharp, extremely painful muscle spasms in your neck or back, you should see a physician, as these can be symptoms of a ruptured or bulging disc in your spine. If left untreated, this could have extremely serious consequences.
The process of moving a muscle is actually quite complex, although you may not be aware of it. It involves sending a signal from the brain through the nervous system to the muscle in question. An ornate series of chemical reactions and communications will ultimately result in a contraction of the muscle, causing it to move. Millions of involuntary muscle movements keep your blood circulating and your lungs moving, even as you sleep. If this process is disrupted, the result can be a muscle spasm.
On the brain's end of the deal, muscle spasms can be caused by neurological disorders or conditions such as strokes. Damage to the nervous system may also cause muscle spasms; many toxins, for example, attack the nervous system. Metabolic disorders can also be responsible for muscle spasms, by disrupting the metabolic communications which cause muscles to contract. In all of these cases, medical attention may be required to resolve the situation.
A deficiency in salts and electrolytes can also be responsible for muscle spasms. Dehydration is a common cause for deficiency, and more rarely you can disturb the balance of salts in your body through water intoxication. It is also possible to eat a diet which does not satisfy the needs of your body, especially if you exercise heavily, thus depleting the salts you need to control your muscles. Exercise can also contribute to muscle spasms if you work out too hard, thereby exhausting your muscles.
Spasming muscles may feel tight and bulgy. They can also be extraordinarily painful, and the onset is generally rapid and unexpected. If you are lucky, your spasming muscle is merely a cramp, and you may be able to stretch the muscle to relieve the problem. In other instances, a spasming muscle becomes locked, and you may face a lengthy recovery. You can help reduce the likelihood of muscle spasms by stretching, eating a healthy diet, and paying close attention to your general health and fitness levels.

ACK!

[DirtyMartini]

Except that he's clearly not describing a muscle spasm (despite using that term).

Muscle spasm = charlie horse = dehydration/electrolyte depletion
KH twitch = not a muscle spasm

[SlowwHand]

Thank you, Doctor Tuber.

[KrazyHorse]

Muscle spasm = charlie horse = dehydration/electrolyte depletion
KH twitch = not a muscle spasm

Ah. Thanks for the clarification on terminology.

So yeah, these are twitches. They are not very severe, they are jerky (spasmodic, hence my use of the term "spasm"), they are not at all painful, each individual movement is of short duration.

The only reason this is an issue is when I'm trying to concentrate on something this tends to distract me.

[KrazyHorse]

Martini, do you have any suggested solutions for twitches (as opposed to spasms, and other than not exercising)?

[-Jrabbit]

Nothing to worry about. It's just your alien overlords downloading instructions.

[SpencerH]

I was told by the first physician I saw for those kind of "muscle twitches" (around 1980) that they are a response to extreme fatigue.

I most often get them in my legs, but I've had em everywhere. They dont seem to be debilitating and the easiest "treatment" is rest, although I've continued to work out while they've gone on for days. The first occurance in my quadriceps stopped after several days of twitching while drinking sangria in an outside cafe in Ottowa.

[KrazyHorse]

Well, I'm in my first couple of weeks back in the gym after a 2 month lazy period. Hopefully it won't happen as much once I fully readjust.