What is a Muscle Spasm and How Does It Cause Pain?

A muscle spasm is a painful, involuntary movement or contraction of a muscle. A muscle spasm is also known as a muscle cramp. Muscle spasms and cramps are not the same as muscle twitching, which refers to very fine involuntary movements (fasciculations) of a small segment of muscle.

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Skeletal muscle spasms and cramps are usually caused by overuse of the muscle, either from exercise or repetitive motion. Spasms can also occur if a muscle is overstretched or held in the same position for too long. The muscle essentially becomes hyper-excitable and fails to relax.

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In some cases, the muscle may need to be massaged and often our physicians will recommend trigger point injections to aid in releasing the contraction.