Alternatives to Functional Neurology for Treating Muscle Spasms

Muscle spasms are involuntary contractions of a muscle or group of muscles. These are often accompanied by a burst of pain, which varies in severity but can be very problematic. Muscle spasms can result from a variety of causes, including abnormalities in nerve stimulation as well as abnormalities in the activity of the muscle itself. Insufficient hydration, excess of electrolytes, and muscle overload, can also cause muscle spasms.

There are a number of ways to treat muscle spasms. One approach to muscle spasm treatment is that of functional neurology.

How Does Functional Neurology Treat Muscle Spasms?

Functional neurology is a subspecialty of chiropractics that is focused on restoring balance between the body’s various systems. It often uses built-in reflex circuits of the nervous system, such as the agonist-antagonist system, to try to facilitate the correction of muscle spasms. One muscle group can be relaxed or stimulated to help remedy the spasm in another muscle group, depending on the nervous and musculoskeletal interrelationships between them.

In addition to the functional neurology approach, however, there are numerous other ways to treat muscle spasms.

Some Methods for Treating Muscle Spasms

Although some types of muscle spasms are indicative of a more serious underlying problem, such as spinal cord compression or stenosis, many muscle spasms are benign, though they can be painful.

Treatments for minor muscle spasms include:

-          Applying a hot or cold compress to the afflicted muscle when it begins to spasm. Ice packs, heat packs, or a warm or cold washcloth can be used as a compress.

-          Taking an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication, such as Ibuprofen or Naproxen, may help with the pain that muscle spasms can cause.

-          Preventing spasms from occurring by avoiding or limiting exercises that aggravate the afflicted muscle

-          Drinking enough liquid, to avoid dehydration. Dehydration can cause or exacerbate muscle spasms.

-          Making sure to stretch and warm-up effectively before engaging in exercise.

If these methods are not effective in staving off painful muscle spasms, however, you may want to talk to your doctor. Before pursuing a functional neurology approach, you may first want to try more traditional methods to managing your muscle spasms.

Talking To Your Doctor About Muscle Spasms

Functional neurology is not the only medical subspecialty that can help you find solutions to your muscle spasms. You can also talk to your family doctor, pain management specialist, or other physician.

Your doctor will ask you questions, and possibly run a couple of tests, to help determine the cause and nature of your muscle spasms.

Muscle spasms can be caused by a number of underlying conditions, including:

·         Spinal nerve compression

·         Alcoholism

·         Pregnancy

·         Kidney failure

·         Hypothyroidism (low thyroid gland function)

Your physician may ask you questions such as:

·         How often you drink alcohol

·         Which muscles are affected

·         How frequently the spasms occur

·         What medications you take

·         What types of exercise you engage in, and how frequently

·         How much liquid you drink daily

Your doctor may also want to run tests to assess the levels of potassium and calcium in your blood. Deficiencies in these nutrients can be a cause of muscle spasms. They may also want to test your kidney and thyroid function. These tests will help them determine if any of these underlying problems could be the cause of your muscle spasms.

If hot or cold compresses and over-the-counter pain medications have not been effective for you, your doctor might also prescribe a muscle relaxant.

Some commonly used muscle relaxants include:

·         Flexeril

·         Soma

·         Skelaxin

·         Robaxin

There are also other muscle relaxants that are prescribed for muscle spasms. If one medication does not work for you, your physician may have you try a different one. Different people respond differently to different drugs; one person might respond well to Flexeril, but not to Robaxin, whereas for someone else, the opposite could be true.

Functional Neurology is One of Many Approaches to Treating Muscle Spasms

You may not need the intervention of a chiropractic specialist who practices functional neurology, in order to find relief from your muscle spasms. There are other methods, both on your own and with the assistance of your family doctor, which are as effective or more effective for treating painful muscle spasms.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE FOR MANAGING MUSCLE SPASMS