Does ANXIETY cause muscle SPASMS and PINCHES?

Anxiety is an emotional reaction that arises in response to situations of anger. An individual becomes anxious when he fears something, when he experiences a difficult situation and feels insecure, it is a reaction to stress. Can you have muscle spasms from nerves? What are the physical symptoms of anxiety? How does anxiety affect the muscles? In this Psychology-Online article, we will explain why anxiety can cause muscle spasms, pins and needles and other symptoms.

Index

1. Physical symptoms of anxiety
2. Effects of anxiety on the body
3. How to relieve muscle aches from anxiety?

Anxiety occurs not only with psychological symptoms, but also with physical ones, in this way the individual can experience:

• Tachycardia
• Muscle tension
• Shaking
• Punctures
• Difficulty breathing
• Tingling and numbness
• Sweating
• Dizziness
• Sickness
• Diarrhea

It is common for the individual to interpret these physical symptoms as some organic problem, therefore, it is indicated to seek a doctor in order to exclude any possibility of diseases physical. Knowing that the symptoms are from anxiety, the person has other means to seek help, such as, for example, going to a psychiatrist and also to a psychologist.

When the individual feels tachycardia, most likely his first thought is that he is suffering a heart attack. It is common for people to have the wrong thoughts about anxiety symptoms. In this article we explain the Differences between anxiety and heart attack.

Another example of physical pain caused by anxiety is the punctures in the chest, they can be manifested throughout the day and are very unpleasant. Obviously, they also cause the person great uncertainty about his health, especially cardiac.

Muscle tension

Anxiety can also cause muscle tension. When the individual feels fear, the body responds to emotions, muscles shrink as a defense mechanism and right from there it develops the muscular tensions. Muscle stiffness from anxiety is common, it can even lead to anxiety muscle stiffness.

Punctures

Altered breathing, described by those who suffer from anxiety as shortness of breath or shortness of breath, is a symptom that can produce gases and that in turn causes stomach punctures. Even referring to respiratory disturbances, breathing with an agitated or shallow pattern causes alterations in the muscles around the chest and intercostal muscles causing in the individual punctures. You can also give costochondritis due to anxiety, pain in the sternum caused by anxiety.

Spasms

Anxiety also causes muscle spasms. What is a muscle spasm and why does it happen? Spasms are rapid, involuntary muscle movements. The most common occur on the eyelids, tongue, arms, fingers, legs, and feet. This sudden muscle contraction It can also occur as a nervous tic, producing involuntary movements, over time, depending on the daily repetition, it can cause muscle pain.

So the answer is yes: both pinpricks and muscle spasms can be caused by anxiety.

Tingle

Another physical symptom that anxiety causes are numbness and tingling sensations in some parts of the body. They are most common on the face, hands, arms, legs, and feet. That happens because blood rushes, due to the response of the body to imaginary or unreal dangerous situations allowing getting the body ready to run away and leaving those less important parts tingling and feeling more weak.

Dizziness

Regarding the dizziness caused by anxiety, in certain situations due to the heart beating faster, blood pressure rises and that increase causes feelings of dizziness in the individual.

As we have seen previously, anxiety can produce muscle tension and, consequently, pain arises.

For the relief of those muscle aches, caused by contraction at the time of anxiety or in the long term by stress, it is indicated to perform deep breaths through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, as you feel the muscles contracting and relaxing. Why should the individual start with breathing exercises? This is justified by the nervous system, since at the moment of breathing it will be stimulated.

It is indicated that the individual sit or lie down and put his hands on the abdomen to control the performance and start performing slow, deep breaths through the nose, holding the air for a couple of seconds and then expel it through the mouth. In this article, we explain the Diaphragmatic breathing exercises.

In the sequence of breathing exercises, it is indicated exercises to relax the jaw, opening and closing the mouth slowly. Neck exercises, moving it from one side to the other. With shoulders, lifting up and down.

It is important that the individual have the habit of doing some activity that helps relieve your tension.

In cases of the individual feeling too much muscle pain, it is recommended that they go to the physiotherapy.

And, finally, you can seek help with drugs, both anxiolytics, such as muscle relaxants, as long as the individual consults a doctor to prescribe them according to the need for it.

Below you will find a guided video so you can start practicing relaxation.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Does anxiety cause muscle spasms and pins and needles?, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

• Neurocenter. (2020). Anxiety and muscle spasms. How can physical therapy help? Recovered from: https://www.neuro-centro.com/ansiedad-y-espasmos-musculares-como-puede-ayudar-la-fisioterapia
• Anxiety clinic. (2021). Anxiety: the reason for the symptoms. Recovered from: https://clinicadeansiedad.com/problemas/introduccion/ansiedad-el-por-que-de-los-sintomas/
• Take care of yourself Plus. (2020). Tips to relax a stress contracture. R // curesplus.marca.com / well-being / 2020/09/19 / advice-relax-contractures-stress-174882.html