Spastic Muscles Killing Your Hustle? How A Chiropractor Gets You Back In The Game After A Strain Injury Takes You Out

Spasms are no laughing matter and, in fact, can sideline you from any sport. They also make working, driving, sleeping, or even lounging on the sofa a potentially painful experience. If you're extremely dedicated to a favorite sport and you start having spasms, don't panic. They're a relatively simple situation to resolve in most cases, so long as you seek the advice and treatment of the right professional.

Why Muscle Spasms Happen After An Injury Or Workout

Any sport (or other activity) that puts a lot of stress on muscles, particularly if the movement involves repetition, can lead to a strain. If your injury resulted in inflammation of the associated muscles, you may be more likely to feel the sudden and intense pain of spasms. As the muscle fibers tighten, they twitch, sometimes remaining tight, leading to what feels like a ball of fire inside the affected area.

Spasms may be worse after any workout, too, as lactic acid builds up in muscles following physical activity and while the heart is beating faster. Until the injury has had time to completely heal, spasms may strike, even with minimal movement or exercise. A body could also be prone to spasms after an injury has healed, especially in people who are truly dedicated to their sport. 

What Makes Spasms (Even) Worse

If you simply refuse to stop playing, your spasms may become more frequent. Also, failure to properly warm the area up will most likely make matters worse, more so if you're not fully hydrated, with your electrolytes in balance. Additionally, partaking of your sport during extremely hot weather can aggravate the tender muscles, instigating those agonizing twitches. 

Persistent spasms may need to be investigated by your physician or nutritionist because they can be associated with specific vitamin and mineral deficiencies, or, possibly more seriously, nerve malfunction. In the meantime, however, you need real physical relief from your symptoms, whether or not you're going to be able to work out at all.

How A Chiropractic Injury Rehab Clinic Can Help You

Seeing a chiropractor for sports-related muscle pain may be a short- or long-term process, depending on your circumstances. Most often, a chiropractor will recommend regular adjustments for you, to help alleviate the tightness that causes spasms. Chiropractic alignments, too, will work to reduce the pressure buildup on your soft tissue and nerves. That constant pressure may be sending chaotic nerve signals to your brain, which in turn results in spastic contractions.

The injury rehab clinic you visit might also advise you to have relaxing massages, to aid in inflammation reduction, since inflamed muscles are often a precursor to spastic activity. Talk to them about any tingling, numbness or pins-and-needles you may be experiencing, so they may fully understand your symptoms and how to address them. Spasms may be just one part of the big picture, in terms of a healing muscle strain, or you may have a combination of symptoms that need to be worked on.

Ways You Can Help Yourself On And Off The Field

When a spasm hits, you feel sort of like you've been shot — The "bullet" pierces deep inside the tissue, releasing a bolt of sudden and unbearable pain. If this happens, immediately stop what you're doing, rub the muscle gently, and stretch the part of your body it's attached to. Apply heat, if there's an immediate source available, then a cold pack later. Heat should relieve the tightened muscle, while cold will reduce inflammation, and, hopefully, pain.

Before hitting the field, court, greens, rink, or whatever surface your game is played on, stretch all your muscles adequately. Avoid over-working muscles you already know need rest, even if it means missing important play. Hydrate, like you know you should, and maintain your balance of electrolytes, to avoid a potassium crash that may wreak havoc on your muscles, among other symptoms. 

Injury rehab can be a long and painful process, which, unfortunately, keeps you on the sidelines. Muscle spasms, however, can sideline your life off the field in many ways, too, including abruptly interrupting sleep. For your love of sport, as well as your need to function without debilitating pain, contact an injury clinic that offers the helping hands of a chiropractic professional. The quicker your spasms subside, the quicker your life can go back to normal, even if that "normal" includes extreme sports or extreme dedication to a particular sport, such as the case with you.


Share