What's wrong with my back muscles twitching

The muscles of the back are relatively developed. Some people may inadvertently find that their back muscles are twitching. Any symptoms in the body will make people worried, fearing that this is a precursor to disease. In fact, people don’t have to worry too much. Sometimes it is just a very normal phenomenon. Worrying too much will have a bad effect on your health. So what's going on with back muscle twitching? Let’s analyze it in detail below.

The twitching of muscles is actually caused by the contraction of a group of muscle cells, which is medically called fasciculations. This type of muscle fascicle tremor can have different sizes and amplitudes. Some small tremors can be felt but not seen, while more obvious tremors can be seen with the naked eye. Muscle twitching is usually benign unless it is accompanied by muscle weakness or atrophy.

Most benign muscle twitches have no definite cause. They may occur when you are tired or stressed, and drinking tea or coffee may also aggravate them. This type of palpitations is mostly intermittent, but in a few people it may occur frequently due to physical factors. Many people have experienced eyelid twitching. In fact, eyelid twitching is a benign muscle fasciculation.

However, muscle twitching can also be a warning sign of some neuromuscular diseases. If muscle twitching is accompanied by muscle weakness and atrophy, you should see a neurologist as soon as possible. These disorders include lesions of the motor neurons in the spinal cord, peripheral neuropathy, and a few muscle disorders.

These diseases can cause problems in the signal transmission between motor nerve cells and muscles. As a result, the unstable nerves will release some redundant signals, which will cause the muscles to jump. The doctor must examine the area of ​​muscle weakness, assess the degree of muscle atrophy, and perform nerve conduction and electromyography tests to find the cause. Some diseases can also be treated with medications to reduce muscle twitching.

Back muscle training method

Before talking about training movements, it is necessary to understand the muscles we are going to train and their functions. The main back muscles include:

Erector spinae: Also known as the sacrospinal muscles, they include the iliocostalis, longissimus, and spinalis muscles. They are the main muscles responsible for extending the trunk (bringing the back of the trunk closer to the back of the legs). During movements like the deadlift and the back extension, the erector spinae muscles are actively involved.

Latissimus dorsi: The main function of the latissimus dorsi is to extend, adduct, and internally rotate the shoulder. The lats are engaged in all pulling movements, whether they are horizontal pulling movements, such as rows, or vertical pulling movements, such as pull-ups. Vertical pulling exercises stimulate the latissimus dorsi more strongly.

Rhomboids: The rhomboids are deep muscles located between the shoulder blades. The main function is to adduct or retract the scapula (pull the scapula backward). The rhomboids are actively involved in both vertical and horizontal pulling movements. Horizontal rows work the rhomboids more because the scapula is retracted more.

Trapezius: This diamond-shaped muscle is quite interesting. Its muscle fibers have several different orientations, and it can perform several different movements depending on which muscle fibers are recruited. The most common trapezius exercises in the gym are all for the upper part, whose main function is to lift the shoulder blade and clavicle. The main training movements are various shrugs. The smaller levator scapulae also helps to elevate the shoulder blade. The function of the middle trapezius (along with the rhomboids) is to retract the scapula. The simultaneous contraction of all muscle fibers also helps retract the scapula. Finally, the function of the lower trapezius is to depress the shoulder blade (pull the shoulder blade downward).