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| Muscle spasm | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Neurology |
Aspasm is a sudden involuntarycontraction of amuscle,[1] a group of muscles, or a holloworgan, such as the bladder.
A spasmodic muscle contraction may be caused by many medical conditions, includingdystonia. Most commonly, it is amuscle cramp which is accompanied by a sudden burst of pain. A muscle cramp is usually harmless and ceases after a few minutes. It is typically caused byion imbalance ormuscle overload.
There are other causes of involuntary muscle contractions, and some of these may cause ahealth problem.
A series of spasms, or permanent spasms, is referred to as a "spasmism".
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Spasms occur when the part of the brain that controls movement malfunctions, causing involuntary muscle activity.[2]
A spasm may be a muscle contraction caused by abnormal nerve stimulation or by abnormal activity of the muscle itself.[citation needed]
The cause of spasms is often unknown, but it can be due to an inherited genetic problem, a side effect of medications,Parkinson's disease, astroke,cerebral palsy ormultiple sclerosis.[3]
Old age can also cause spasms and cramp.[4]
Spasms can occur indystonia, and inspasticity.
A spasm may lead to muscle strains or tears intendons andligaments if the force of the spasm exceeds the tensile strength of the underlying connective tissue. This can occur with a particularly strong spasm or with weakened connective tissue.[citation needed]
Ahypertonic muscle spasm is a condition of chronic, excessivemuscle tone (i.e., tension in a resting muscle). This is the amount of contraction that remains when a muscle is not working. A truehypertonic spasm is caused by malfunctioning feedback nerves. This is much more serious and is permanent unless treated. In this case, the hypertonic muscle tone is excessive, and the muscles are unable to relax.[citation needed]
A subtype of spasm iscolic. This is an episodic pain caused by spasm ofsmooth muscle in a particular organ (e.g., thebile duct). A characteristic of colic is the sensation of having to move about, and the pain may inducenausea orvomiting.[citation needed]
