Foot Spasms
What Causes Foot Spasms?
Foot spasms occur as uncontrolled contractions of the muscles. Nerves leading the feet are fired through an involuntary process, leading to uncontrolled contractions. Muscle spasms can last for a few seconds or several minutes and may be quite painful. These contractions may also become recurrent. If you experience foot spasms more than once, it is important that you visit with your health care profession to rule out any serious causes.
Muscle spasms result in twitching and pulsing of the muscles, and may also be accompanied by cramping. Often patients will report having a ‘pins and needles’ feeling in their feet. The stress of these uncontrolled contractions of the muscles can lead to numbness and fatigue of the muscle. In certain cases these spasms can become rapid movements or motions that cause the patients foot to kick out or otherwise move in a purposeless manner. While these spasms are usually short in duration, they can be very painful or at least annoying, and may interfere with the patient’s life.
Foot spasms may have many causes, and determining the specific cause may be difficult. An injury or assault to the nerves of the legs or feet may be one of the causes. This may occur as the result of injury from sports or work related activities, or it can be a side effect of many types of nerve diseases. Mononeuropathy occurs as damage to one nerve, while damage to several nerves or a group of nerves is called Polyneuropathy. Injury or damage to nerves can lead to many problems and involuntary firing of muscles is one of them. Diseases that may lead to nerve problems may include Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, thyroid disorders, Dystonia or Multiple sclerosis. Uncontrolled muscle spasms may be an early warning sign of these diseases, which is why visiting a doctor for a proper diagnosis is important in cases of spasms of the feet.
Other possible causes of muscle spasms may be related to mineral levels in the blood. Low levels of calcium in the blood or Hypocalemia, and low levels of magnesium or Hypomagnesemia are sometimes responsible for creating muscle spasms. Low calcium levels may also cause a problem referred to as Tetany, which may have links to high levels of alkaline salts in the blood and low levels of Vitamin D. Tetany can be a life threatening disorder. It is also possible for certain medications and drugs to have effects of the nerves and cause spasms to develop.
Diagnosing the direct cause of muscle spasms of the feet may be difficult. A doctor will have to perform a series of tests including a physical exam and testing the patient’s blood and urine. They may also require a detailed family history in order to rule out certain conditions. Blood tests will most likely include analysis of the levels of minerals such as magnesium, Vitamin D and calcium, as well as tests to check on the kidney’s functions. They may also want to check the levels of certain hormones in the blood. Treatments for muscles spasms will vary depending of the cause. Often the contractions will have no determined treatments. Reducing the symptoms and pain associated with the spasms may be the only option. This can be performed with medications or with muscle relaxation techniques. Physical therapy may also be a way to help reduce the effects of muscle spasms. If the cause of the spasms is a specific disease or disorder, then treatments for the underlying cause will be needed as well.
Foot spasms may result from a variety of underlying causes and should be checked out by a doctor if they occur more than once to rule out any serious and possibly life threatening disorders.