Osteopathy for Muscle Spasms Surrey

Skeletal Muscles will go into prolonged spasms as part of a protective mechanism to prevent further damage where there has been an injury to a surrounding structure, e.g. a slipped disc in the spine. Other common areas for muscle spasms are around other joints in the body and those associated with a damaged muscle or tendon. These muscle spasms are different from muscle cramps, which are short-term muscle spasms that last typically for less than ten minutes.

The muscle in spasm will not only cause a reduction in movement, but there will also be pain and tenderness in the area of the damage and, at times, pain that has radiated from the injury to another linked area. An example of this could be damage to a spinal facet joint that creates local inflammation and muscle spasm with radiating pain to the buttock on that side.

It is vital to rule out anything serious and to establish a cause of the muscle spasm. Our osteopaths will assess you to discover the cause of pain. If it is safe to do so, they will gradually reduce the tightness of the muscle in spasm to allow for more movement in the affected area. This will help with the local circulation and help reduce pain.

This can be achieved by a range of tools and osteopathic techniques, which could include: –

• Soft Tissue Techniques, e.g. Neuromuscular Technique or Jones Strain Counterstrain
• Spinal mobilisation or manipulation
• Gentle stretching
• Ultrasound
• Taping
• Dry needling