Muscle Spasms
Overview
Muscle spasms are involuntary contractions of a muscle. They occur suddenly and do not relax for a few seconds to several minutes. Several factors or triggers may cause muscle spasms, such as strenuous exercise and dehydration. In most cases, muscle spasms can be treated with home remedies, but it is possible that the muscle spasms are actually a symptom of another condition that needs medical treatment. It is important to regularly stretch and condition your muscles to prevent muscle spasms all together.
Anatomy
Muscles are bundles of fibers that contract and expand, which causes movement. When these muscles are regularly stretched and conditioned, their bundles of fibers lengthen, allowing them to contract and tighten more vigorously during exercise. When these muscles are poorly conditioned, they are more susceptible to fatigue, which can alter spinal neural reflex activity. When muscles are fatigued, their oxygen supply is depleted, leading to the buildup of waste product and spasms. When a cramp begins, the spinal cord stimulates the muscle to keep contracting.
Description
A muscle spasm, also known as a muscle cramp or “charley horse,” is an involuntary contraction of a muscle that occurs suddenly and does not relax. Although muscle spasms can happen to any muscle, the most commonly affected muscle groups are:
- Back of lower leg/calf.
- Back of thigh.
- Front of thigh.
- Feet, hands, and arms.
- Abdomen and ribcage.

The exact cause of muscle spasms is unknown. Some researches believe factors such as poor stretching and conditioning, muscle fatigue, exercising or working in intense heat, dehydration, and depletion of salt and electrolytes contribute to muscle spasms.
Those who are at the highest risk of getting muscle spasms include infants, young children, and people over the age of 65. Other factors that can put people at a greater risk for muscle spasms include:
- Certain medications.
- Being overweight.
- Illness.
- Overexerting during work or exercise.
Muscle spasms are most common among athletes – specifically endurance athletes like marathon runners.

Symptoms
Muscle spasms range in intensity and can be mild to extremely painful. A spasm may cause the muscle to feel hard to the touch, appear visibly distorted, or twitch. These spasms can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours and may reoccur many times before they entirely go away.
Home Treatments
Muscle spasms usually go away on their own without having to see a doctor. When a muscle spasm occurs, you should:
- Stop whatever activity triggered the cramp.
- Gently stretch and massage the muscle, holding it in a stretched position until the cramp goes away.
- Apply heat to tight/tense muscles.
Diagnosis
Although most muscle cramps are non-threatening, sometimes they can indicate a serious medical condition. See your Florida Orthopaedic Institute physician if your cramps are severe, happen frequently, respond poorly to simple treatments, or are not related to obvious causes like strenuous exercise. It is possible that you may have problems with circulation, metabolism, hormones, nerves, nutrition, or medications.
Muscle spasms can be a symptom of many conditions that range from minor to severe, such as spinal nerve irritation or compression, thyroid disease, narrowing of the spinal canal, hardening of the arteries, chronic infections, cirrhosis of the liver and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Your Florida Orthopaedic Institute physician will check all other symptoms you may have, decide what your exact condition is, and create a treatment plan based off of the results of your diagnosis.
Next Steps
To avoid future cramps, do regular flexibility stretches and exercises before and after you work out to stretch muscle groups most prone to cramping. Some of the best muscles to stretch are the calves, hamstring, quadriceps.
Areas of Focus
- Knee & Leg
- ACL Injuries
- Arthroscopic Chondroplasty
- ConforMIS Knee Replacement
- Fractures Of The Tibial Spine
- Iliotibial Band Syndrome
- Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) Injuries
- MACI
- MAKO Knee Replacement Surgery
- Medial Collateral Ligament Injuries
- Meniscus Tears
- Muscle Spasms
- NAVIO Surgical System
- Partial Knee Replacement
- Patellar Fracture
- Quadriceps Tendon Tear
- Revision Knee Surgery
- ROSA® Knee Robotic Surgical Assistant
- Shin Splints
- Total Knee Replacement
- Verilast
The following Florida Orthopaedic Institute physicians specialize in Muscle Spasms:
Specialties
- Achilles Tendinitis - Achilles Insertional Calcific Tendinopathy (ACIT)
- Achilles Tendon Rupture
- Achilles Tendonitis
- ACL Injuries
- ALIF: Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Surgery
- Ankle Fracture Surgery
- Ankle Fractures (Broken Ankle)
- Ankle Fusion
- Arthritis & Adult Reconstruction Surgery
- Arthroscopic Chondroplasty
- Arthroscopic Debridement of the Elbow
- Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair
- Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR)
- Aspiration of the Olecranon Bursa
- Avascular Necrosis (Osteonecrosis)
- Back Surgery Types
- Bankart Repair
- Basal Joint Surgery
- Bicep Tendon Tear
- Bicep Tenodesis
- Bioinductive Implant
- Broken Collarbone
- Bunions
- Bursitis of the Shoulder (Subacromial Bursitis)
- Calcific Tendinitis of the Shoulder
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- CARTIVA® Implant For Big Toe Joint Arthritis
- Charcot Joint
- Chiropractic
- Colles’ Fractures (Broken Wrist)
- Community Outreach
- ConforMIS Knee Replacement
- Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
- De Quervain's Tenosynovitis
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH)
- Discitis
- Dislocated Shoulder
- Dupuytren’s Disease
- Elbow
- Elbow Bursitis
- Elbow Injuries in Throwing Athletes
- Epidural Injections for Spinal Pain
- Finger Dislocation
- Flexor Tendonitis
- Foot, Ankle & Lower Leg
- Fractures Of The Shoulder Blade (Scapula)
- Fractures Of The Tibial Spine
- Functional Nerve Transfers of The Hand
- Ganglion Cysts
- General Orthopedics
- Glenoid Labrum Tear
- Golfer's Elbow
- Growth Plate Injuries Of The Elbow
- Hallux Rigidus - Cheilectomy
- Hand & Finger Replantation
- Hand & Upper Extremity
- Hand & Wrist
- Hand Nerve Decompression
- Hand Skin Grafts
- Hip & Thigh
- Hip Arthroscopy
- Hip Dislocation
- Hip Flexor Strains
- Hip Fractures
- Hip Hemiarthroplasty
- Hip Muscle Strains
- Hyperextension Injury of the Elbow
- Iliotibial Band Syndrome
- Interventional Pain Management
- Interventional Spine
- Intraarticular Calcaneal Fracture
- Knee & Leg
- Kyphosis
- Labral Tears Of The Hip (Acetabular Labrum Tears)
- Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) Injuries
- Lisfranc Injuries
- LITTLE LEAGUER'S ELBOW (MEDIAL APOPHYSITIS)
- MACI
- MAKO Knee Replacement Surgery
- MAKO Total Hip Replacement
- Mallet, Hammer & Claw Toes
- Medial Collateral Ligament Injuries
- Meniscus Tears
- Metatarsalgia
- Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
- Morton’s Neuroma
- Muscle Spasms
- NAVIO Surgical System
- Nerve Pain
- Neuromas (Foot)
- Olecranon Stress Fractures
- Orthopaedic Total Wellness
- Orthopedic Trauma
- Osteoarthritis of the Hip
- Osteoporosis
- Outpatient Spine Surgery
- Partial Knee Replacement
- Patellar Fracture
- Pelvic Ring Fractures
- Peripheral Nerve Surgery (Hand) Revision
- Pinched Nerve
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Podiatrist or Orthopaedic Physician?
- Primary Care Orthopedics Sports Medicine
- PROstep™ Minimally Invasive Surgery for Bunions
- Quadriceps Tendon Tear
- Revascularization of the Hand
- Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement
- Revision Knee Surgery
- Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) of the Shoulder
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Of The Hand
- Robotics
- ROSA® Knee Robotic Surgical Assistant
- Sciatica
- Scoliosis
- Senior Strong
- Shin Splints
- Shoulder
- Shoulder Arthritis
- Shoulder Arthroscopy
- Shoulder Replacement
- Shoulder Socket Fracture (Glenoid Fracture)
- SLAP Tears & Repairs
- Spinal Fusion
- Spine
- Spondylolisthesis and Spondylolysis
- Sports Hernias (Athletic Pubalgia)
- Sports Medicine
- Sprained Ankle
- Sudden (Acute) Finger, Hand & Wrist Injuries
- Targeted Muscle Reinnervation (TMR)
- Tendon Transfers of The Hand
- Tennis Elbow
- Thigh Fractures
- Thigh Muscle Strains
- Total Ankle Replacement
- Total Hip Arthroplasty
- Total Hip Replacement - Anterior Approach
- Total Knee Replacement
- Triceps Tendonitis
- Trigger Finger
- UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament) Injuries
- Ulnar Neuritis
- Valgus Extension Overload
- Verilast
- Vertebroplasty
- WALANT (Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet)
- Whiplash and Whiplash Associated Disorder (WAD)
- Wrist Arthroscopy
- Wrist Fractures
- Wrist Sprains
- Wrist Tendonitis