Exercising strengthens and tones your muscles, but if you overuse them, your muscles may involuntarily contract and spasm. Although muscle spasms and cramps aren't usually serious, they may be irritating and painful. If your doctor approves, you can use home remedies and over-the-counter treatments to reduce the pain and severity of your exercise-induced muscle spasms and cramps. Talk to your doctor if your muscle spasms are accompanied by any additional medical symptoms.
Significance
Although muscle twitching and muscle cramps are slightly different sensations, they both may be caused by strenuous exercise. Your muscles contract involuntarily and stay this way for several seconds or even a few minutes. When you experience a muscle cramp, you may be able to see or feel the tense, contracted muscle underneath your skin. Muscle twitches, or spasms, may feel like sharp, repetitive contractions of the muscle. Muscle twitches usually last about a second and may continue pulsing throughout the day.
Causes
Overuse of the muscle and dehydration are the two primary causes of both muscle cramps and muscle twitching. When you exercise, you are strengthening and toning your muscles, which may cause muscle fatigue. Holding any position for an extended period of time may exhaust your muscle, causing contractions. When you exercise, you sweat, which removes water out of the body. When your muscles are depleted of water, they may also contract involuntarily.
Treatments
Muscle twitches and spasms are not serious and usually go away on their own. Gently stretching the afflicted muscle may help stop the cramps or twitching, and regular stretching both before and after you exercise may prevent muscle cramps and spasms from occurring in the first place. Sitting in a warm bath, applying a warm or cold compress to the afflicted area or gently massaging the area may also help reduce the pain and severity of the contractions.
Warnings
In rare cases, muscle twitching and cramps may be the sign of a more serious medical condition, including thyroid disorders, diabetes, anemia, hypoglycemia, hormone disorders and nerve damage. Although exercising may exacerbate your symptoms, muscle cramps and twitching may occur even when you have not exercised. Consult your doctor if you think your muscle contractions may be caused by an underlying medical condition.
