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What is a Muscle Cramp? A Muscle cramp is an involuntary, painful contraction of the muscles which produce a hard, bulging muscle. Muscle twitching, also called fasciculation is the result of spontaneous local muscle contractions that are involuntary. The muscle cramp usually only affects the individual muscle groups connected to a particular motor neuron. What Causes a Muscle Cramp? A cramp is caused by a sudden involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscles. Often there is no obvious cause, but it may occur with over exertion or chilling of the muscles, as for example when swimming. It is uncommon for cramp to be due to a serious underlying disorder. In most cases, the cramp goes away within a few minutes. Some common causes of muscle cramp are:
Some rare causes of muscle cramps are:
What do do if you have a Muscle Cramp If you have a muscle cramp, try to stretch and then relax the effected muscle. Massage and heat may also help. Visit Your Doctor Visit
your doctor if home remedies fail to help and if you have frequent or severe episodes
of muscle cramping. Muscle cramps can be treated with pain relievers and muscle relaxers.
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