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Heart Palpitations Forum >> Symptoms and other concerns >> Could it be muscle spasms
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Message started by ger1234 on Aug 11^th, 2012, 7:28pm

Title: Could it be muscle spasms
Post by ger1234 on Aug 11^th, 2012, 7:28pm

Is it possible that heart palpitations are triggered by extremely tight back muscles or trigger points? The last few times when I got heart palpitations I started to work my shoulder and back muscles with a trigger point massager and my heart palpitations seemed to subside.
Could tight muscles in the upper back push on the vagus nerve and cause the palpitations?

Title: Re: Could it be muscle spasms
Post by richie on Aug 12^th, 2012, 9:09am

What I can tell you is that I absolutely understand why you ask this. I have chestpain for years. I have this pain a bit right from the Processus xyphoideus. (the thing just below and under your breastbone) on my ribs. I sometimes think this pain is from the attachment of my musculus rectus abdominis. (6 pack muscle) which attach himself on one of the ribs of my chest. This indeed gives pain to my back and shoulders. maybe intercostales. muscles between ribs. When I press on this point with my fingers I often can induce spasms and palps or skipped beats.

I know the nervus vagus is nearby, maybe its triggered also then..

I'm very interested what RLR has to say about this

Title: Re: Could it be muscle spasms
Post by Typer on Aug 15^th, 2012, 6:16am

I can also make palps happen by pressing lightly on my upper chest between my chest and my collar bone at a certain point. Also a point on my neck!!
:o

Title: Re: Could it be muscle spasms
Post by RLR on Aug 15^th, 2012, 4:19pm

Okay, this would be an example of subjective reasoning and although the proximity of the events may seem all too convincing, there is no medical basis for being able to induce benign palpitations by pressing upon various points of the skin or outer muscle layers. The fact that certain patients are predisposed to palpitations of this type also brings to bear the fact that they occur most always at unanticipated or unpredictable intervals, despite how it may appear. So it is highly likely that pressing areas of the body at intervals where palpitations might arise is all too probable, leading to the conclusion that one event causes the other.

There is, however, substantial evidence that certain body movements which are capable of inducing inappropriate stimulation of the vagus nerve and this has been described in patients who experience palpitations during or immediately following a bending over motion, as well as instances wherein excessive gas within the lumen of the intestines can cause upward pressure against the diaphragm and ultimately result in vagus stimulation. In other words, the resulting irritation of the vagus nerve is the consequence of secondary movements capable of causing a more direct influence deep within the body and near the nerve itself. The premise that this can be accomplished at the outer dermal layers of the skin or depressing muscle tissue would be inconsistent with the architecture of the human nervous system.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

Title: Re: Could it be muscle spasms
Post by martinpetersen on Aug 17^th, 2012, 2:19pm

While we're at "upward pressure" against the diaphragm; couldn't that also be caused by filling your stomach = eating too much?

And more diaphragm: Isn't it right that breathing deep "with your stomach" instead of breathing up in the breast region makes the diaphragm push down - and thereby maybe encounter that upward pressure that via the vagus nerve might cause palps?