Muscle tension

Muscle tension are common in our civilized world. The neck, shoulders and back are usually affected. But muscles sit all over the body and they can cramp anywhere.

What is muscle tension?

Muscle tension is spasms and, in some cases, already hardening of muscle parts that are in constant tension.

Muscle tension is spasms and, in some cases, already hardening of muscle parts that are in constant tension.

If you are under "electricity", you automatically tense different muscle parts in the body. If there is no relaxation afterwards, there is permanent tension. The result is painful muscle tension. This can even be so painful that physical activity is no longer possible.

The patients lie flat and can no longer go about their work. This pain is often misinterpreted by laypeople and misunderstood as a herniated disc, for example.

causes

There are various reasons for muscle tension. The well-known trigger stress plays a major role here. Stress at work and stress in the private sphere due to internal conflicts. Money worries and grief often result in a corresponding posture. If this phase lasts longer, posture damage will develop over time.

So it's high time to do something about this! If the incorrect posture is not corrected, it manifests itself as chronic muscle tension. Even such mundane things as an older mattress that can no longer perform its orthopedic service can be possible causes of muscle tension. An unsuitable chair at work can also cause tension.

When it's cold, muscles contract and, in extreme cases, can even tear muscle fibers. Muscle tension develops slowly through years of incorrect strain or suddenly through overloading the muscles through unfamiliar movements.

You can find your medication here

➔ Medicines against tension and muscle pain

Diseases with this symptom

• Torn hamstring
• Muscle strain

• Vertebral blockage
• Scoliosis

• disc prolapse
• Lumbago

Diagnosis & course

Muscle tension can be very painful. The muscles should be treated accordingly so that they do not become chronic. The sprain happens suddenly from overstretching the ligaments and tendons.

This can happen in everyday life or during sports. Muscle strain is an overstretching of muscles or tendons.

It usually arises from sudden overload. If left untreated, chronic muscle tension can be the cause of muscle wasting.

Complications

Muscle twitching leads to an inner stress experience for many people. In particularly severe cases, fear and panic occur because the organism takes an uncontrollable action that leads to excessive demands. Although in most cases the muscle twitching is not noticed by outsiders, the person affected believes that the other person perceives the twitching and that he is being watched. This often has the consequence that those affected feel uncomfortable and weak.

An additional feeling of stress worsens the suffering in this case. This is often associated with inner restlessness, hectic rush or nervousness. In this state it can happen that those affected do not perform as desired when performing everyday tasks. Forgetfulness kicks in and blood pressure rises. In severe cases, people with a cardiovascular problem can have a heart attack.

The muscle twitching is a sign of a deficiency in the organism. If this is ignored for too long, further complaints occur or the muscle twitching increases. If the affected muscle is shut down by a surgical procedure, nerve damage can occur during the procedure. These cause pain or a feeling of numbness in the affected area.

Additional muscle fibers can be injured or an allergic reaction can occur as a result of your procedure. The muscle twitching attracts immediate attention from the person concerned. His mind starts to spin and he is distracted.

When should you go to the doctor?

Normal and harmless muscle tension does not require a doctor's visit. If it only lasts for a short time - a maximum of a few days - and then disappears again, the person concerned can decide for himself what is good for him during this time. However, it is advisable to have recurring or regular muscle tension clarified by a doctor. An otherwise healthy person will cope with them, but ultimately they are harbingers of potentially serious problems of the skeleton and musculature. This can lead to serious health problems over the long term.

A timely doctor visit will help eliminate triggers of regular muscle tension and show the patient how to better take care of their health. Under no circumstances should the patient wait if the nerves are affected. This manifests itself in worrying symptoms such as dizziness, headaches and migraines, drowsiness and similar signs. It may even be that a person affected does not feel any muscle tension at all, only the accompanying symptoms.

The cause is that a nerve was pinched or pinched, which is difficult to resolve on its own. Specialists or even some general practitioners, on the other hand, can detect by palpation where the problem is and get rid of it with a few corrective movements. Visiting the doctor is not only important for the patient's well-being - it protects them from potentially dangerous situations that they can get into with symptoms such as dizziness.

Doctors & therapists in your area

Treatment & Therapy

Chiropractic treatments and physiotherapy] are the focus of treatment for muscle tension. Bad posture must be corrected. Manual therapy is only one option here. However, it is very effective. The learning effect is a great advantage. The patients can then practice the exercises at home and improve them independently. Those who have the discipline and do regular exercises benefit from it and get stable health.

Heat treatments loosen the tense tissue. Fango packs also help to loosen up the tense muscles. Special massages can be used as support. Treatments using infrared light, either by the doctor or by the patient themselves, are another option for treating tension. Warm baths with relaxing additives relieve milder cramps and are always supportive. A visit to the sauna brings about a holistic warming of the body and loosens the tense muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Effective preparations in the form of tablets, syringes, ointments and heat-generating plasters are available for drug treatment. If stress is the trend at work, relaxation exercises can help. In this way, it can sometimes be achieved that the cramps do not even occur.

A magnesium supplement also does a good job and helps muscles stay or loosen up. Homeopathy offers further treatment options. Various naturopathic treatments and acupuncture have also proven effective.

Outlook & forecast

Muscle tension is usually positive and dissolves within a few days. If the tense muscle tissue is loosened by a massage or similar measures, rapid and complete healing can be expected. Treatment for chronic muscle tension, in which the affected muscles are severely hardened or knotted, can be lengthy and complicated.

Acute therapy, usually in the form of strong pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, alleviates the pain and reduces feelings of tension in the muscles. In the long term, however, the symptoms persist and have to be treated again and again.

If the tension is based on a severe condition such as a muscle disease, it can worsen and sometimes lead to life-threatening conditions if it is not treated comprehensively or too late. Tension associated with headaches, nausea and vomiting or migraines also increases the risk of accidents and falls.

Basically, however, muscle tension is a harmless phenomenon that can usually be treated quickly and effectively with today's therapy methods. The prognosis is generally positive; Serious secondary illnesses or permanent consequences only occur extremely rarely.

You can find your medication here

➔ Medicines against tension and muscle pain

prevention

Various things can be observed and exercised to prevent muscle tension. Warming up should always precede physical activity such as sport.

Warmth also protects against muscle tension in normal everyday life. So it makes perfect sense to protect yourself from the cold in winter with a scarf, a hat and otherwise with warm clothing.

Targeted muscle relaxation can be learned. This technique should be used when necessary to protect the muscles. A warm, relaxing bath is often useful on cold days. Helpful herbs for this are lavender, lemon balm and linden blossom.

You can do that yourself

There are various home remedies that can be used for muscle tension. Acute tension can often be relieved by applying heat or cold compresses, depending on the time of treatment. In the first 48 hours, cold applications have an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. 24 hours after the onset of muscle pain, heat treatments will help relax the muscle and speed up the recovery process.

Often, chronic tension can also be treated with the help of heat. Hot water bottle, red light or heating pad relax the muscles and relieve tension, while the hot stone method, in which the skin is massaged with hot stones, provides relief through the pressure. Cherry stone pillows and warm compresses have a similar effect. Muscle tension can also be treated with the help of relaxation baths. Bath additives such as sage, lavender or chamomile additionally stimulate the blood circulation and thus relieve tension. Alternative remedies can also be considered.

Homeopathic remedies such as Bryonie or Cimicifuga help against acute complaints, while chronic ailments can be alleviated with acupuncture. In the case of chronic or particularly strong tension, as well as any vascular diseases, appropriate measures should always be discussed with the family doctor first.