Find out how to ease painful muscles through the power of touch.

Muscle spasms (which happen most commonly in the feet and calves) can hit you out of the blue, and normally at the most inconvenient times too! Though they might give your colleagues a giggle as you hop around the office grasping at your ankle, they can be surprisingly debilitating.

Such spasms can be caused by a variety of factors, such as tiredness or overuse, particularly if the muscle has been in the same position for a while (and with most of us in sedentary jobs, that’s a risk!), as the muscle cell is running out steam and thus forcefully contracting.

Using the same muscle(s) again and again in regular activities, like stacking the dishwasher, for instance – can give you spasms in the neck, shoulder and back.

Exercise, chronic back or neck pain, menstrual cramps and a variety of other conditions can potentially lead to pesky muscle spasms. Sometimes they go away in a matter of minutes – sometimes the tightness and pain linger.

If these spasms are disturbing your daily life, a tailored massage can offer relief, says therapist Andrea. ‘Tell your therapist exactly where you have, or recently had, problems – and they can hone in on that area to relax tense muscles.

‘A classic deep tissue massage focusing (gently!) on the muscle in question, with fingertips, knuckles, elbows and hands, works to bring blood flow and oxygen as well as healing nutrients to the underlying nerve and muscle tissues, at the same time working to take away waste products.

‘That should leave the affected area less swollen, less painful and hopefully, more flexible again.’

So, the next time you get a muscle spasm which isn’t simply a short-lived burst of pain, or swiftly relieved by a spot of gentle stretching, don’t suffer in silence. Go get a massage, those poor, spasming muscles will thank you for it.