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Charley horse - Symptom

Symptoms:

When a muscle goes into spasm it feels very tight and is sometimes described as a knot. The pain can be severe.

Signs and tests:

Your health care provider can diagnose muscle spasms by the presence of tight or hard muscles that are very tender to the touch. There are no imaging studies or blood tests that can diagnose this condition. If the spasm is caused by nerve irritation, such as in the back, an MRI may be helpful to find the cause of the irritation.

Reviewed last on: 8/6/2007
Thomas N. Joseph, MD, Private Practice specializing in Orthopaedics, subspecialty Foot and Ankle, Camden Bone Joint, Camden, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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Charley horse - Symptom

Symptoms:

Signs and tests: