Deficiency of the B vitamins or the B Complex vitamins causes the muscles to spasm. Since minerals and vitamins go hand-in-hand, deficiencies in minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium tend to aggravate this situation. Apart from these, there are other factors too that can increase this problem. One factor could be the overuse of the muscles due to intense and prolonged exercises, or it could be due to staying in one position for an extended period of time. You could have also injured yourself in some way or a nerve in your body could be getting pressed. Before you tackle the problem of deficiency, make sure that you take care of these other factors.
To get rid of the deficiency, the best thing to do is include these vitamins and minerals as part of your daily diet. B vitamins are found in nuts, beans, sunflower seeds, eggs, fish, mushrooms, and green vegetables such a spinach and broccoli. For calcium, include dairy products such as yogurt, skimmed milk, and cheese and other food items such as cabbage, fresh almonds, and bananas to your diet. Include fruits such as cantaloupe, oranges, strawberries, peaches, bananas and avocado as these are rich in potassium. Apart from these, tomatoes, parsley, and cauliflower are the other good sources of potassium. Spinach and broccoli are also good sources of magnesium. You can also include peanuts, pumpkin seeds, soy milk, and tofu in your diet to fortify your body with the required magnesium. Try and avoid eating anything that has a high level of acidic content in it because it is observed that acids usually interfere in your body's ability to digest calcium. However, before you start including any of these in your regular diet, it would be good idea to consult a physician so that you can avoid consuming more than what is required.
Along with this, whenever you experience a muscle spasm, slowly and gently stretch that area where the muscle is located. This will stop the muscle from cramping any further and the increased blood flow to that area will help to reduce the pain. If possible, have a hot bath or shower immediately after the muscle spasms, as heat too gets the blood moving faster. If you exercise regularly, it would be a good idea to have a hot shower before the exercise to prevent the muscles from cramping. And most important of all, drink plenty of water so that your muscles are never dehydrated.
answered by G M