Instantly Relieve Muscle Spasm by Contracting the Opposite Muscle
Ever had a spasm in your calf muscle wake you up in the middle of the night or knock you down in the middle of a workout? There is a way to send this spasmodic muscle a signal to relax: contract the opposite muscle.
For the calf muscle, the opposite is the tibialis anterior muscle on the front of the lower leg. Activate this muscle by pulling your toes up off the floor. You can even ask a friend to push your step while you push their hand upward. Sometimes the cramp goes away instantly; sometimes I find it takes a good 30 seconds.
But whatever you do, don’t stretch! In our calf cramps example, you can sometimes see people grabbing their toes and pulling them. But this does not help, and may even damage the cramping muscle. The point is to use the calf muscles to perform this movement.
This works because opposing pairs of muscles can interfere with each other’s firing, and this effect is called mutual inhibition . Basically, it is a signal for the opposite muscle to relax. The trick works on any muscle in your body:
- If the cramp is in the hamstring, activate the quads by straightening the leg.
- If the cramp is in the quadriceps, engage the hamstrings (bend the knee).
- If you have cramps in the sole, lift your feet and spread your toes.
Check out the full post on Tribook for more information on how to effectively get rid of these seizures.
Mutual inhibition to relieve muscle spasms | Tribook.org