ask: Frequent Muscle Twitches and Pulled Muscles in Upper Back
I frequently pull the muscles in my upper back while sleeping with even very normal, slight movements such as adjusting the covers, slowly repositioning myself, moving my arm, etc. Does anyone know why this might be? I would have thought that my muscles were warm and relaxed while I was sleeping and not prone to pulls.
I also experience visible muscle twitches/spasms. They randomly occur several times daily anywhere on the body...could be my upper arm, my buttocks, my leg, my back, my neck, etc.
I'm 45, in fairly good shape, moderately active although I don't follow an exercise program, not overweight. I do have some neurological symptoms from another condition but am not sure that this could be related.
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Anon - Thanks for your question, and seeking information for your health. There can be several reasons for muscle spasms. They're often caused by dehydration, nutritional deficiency and electrolyte imbalance. Muscle damage or strain can also cause them, and in some cases they result from underlying medical conditions. Even if your muscles were nicely warmed and relaxed when you got into bed they would still be impacted by any of these circumstances.
I know this problem well as I take a medication that results in very painful muscle spasms because it depletes key nutrients from the body.
There are several things you can try to reduce the frequency and relieve the pain, but you may also want to also see your doctor to figure out if these are related to the neurological symptoms you mentioned. Here's information that I've found helpful. The first link discusses both self and medical treatments, the additional links provide more information on the symptoms, causes, treatments and remedies. Let me know if these help.
Take care,
Pat
http://www.medicinenet.com/muscle_spasms/page5.htm#treatment
January 13, 2011 - 5:23pmhttp://abcnews.go.com/Health/CommonPainProblems/story?id=4047881
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003296.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002066.htm
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Thank you, Pat. I'll look into the articles now and also be sure to ask my doctor about this.
January 14, 2011 - 8:53am