Cramp in Tongue

[Cmitchell]

Hi Folks,

Anyone ever heard of getting cramp in your tongue? My boyfriend occasionally gets it and it is agony for him. When he gets it he seems to hold the side of his jaw, but he is in so much pain he can hardly speak. Does anyone know of anything he should avoid in his diet (or in fact anything he should try to increase in his diet)? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Many thanks in advance. Carol

[Sasha13]

Cramp in muscles is, so I hear, caused by lack of salts like sodium and potassium in the diet - the tounge is a muscle after all, so perhaps he could try eating foods high in these minerals - bananas are good for stopping cramp because they're high in potassium - that's why tennis players eat them a lot during matches.

[silly moo]

I have NEVER heard of this before - maybe he should see his GP ?

[Woodstock]

My mum suffers from trigeminal neuralgia which is inflammation of a facial nerve (third nerve, presumably, from it's name), and this is excruciating.  The pain erupts spontaneously and she suddenly has to clutch her face until it subsides.  It may be this that your boyfriend is suffering from.  My mum has had more help from her dentist than from her GP, so it may be worth asking for help from a dentist whatever the final diagnosis is.

[honkytonkman]

Sometimes when I yawn I get cramp in my jaw underneath my tongue.. I have to press on the 'knot' in the muscles under my chin until it goes. I'm not worried about it..

[mattvanduck]

I would plump for sasha's answer. If it is a salt problem, which is more likely to be if he is fairly fit and looks after himself, then it would only need a very small alteration in his diet.

But if it is a muscle spasm i would see a doctor for piece of mind.

[littleoldme]

honkytonkman - I get exactly the same thing! I thought it was just me. I'd always put it down to opening my mouth too wide when yawning (which of course I'd only do in private!). Certainly when I try and control it in polite company, I don't have the same problem.

[FP]

I also get it in the muscle under the chin.  I just take it to be a muscle spasm.   I have never worried about it as I know quite a few people who also get it.

[doofah]

Not to worry you because I might be grasping at straws, but I suffered horrendous tongue cramps over a long period, especially when trying to eat a bun or burger and needing to open my mouth wider than normal.

Then suddenly I experienced a TIA / Ministroke. It was horrible, loss of memory, loss of use and feeling in one arm, inability to make sense of the world. Lasted for about 2 hours and led to a few days in hospital, a drastic lifestyle change and 90 days of dread.

My advice is simple - tongue cramps aren't normal, nor are constant hiccups (another side affect that occurred shortly before) - go to a doctor and keep going till they investigate!

[executor32]

I had one once when I was a kid while I was trying to fit one of those huge jawbreakers in my mouth, but that's the only time it's ever happened to me. Given my experience, your boyfriend's cramps might be due to attempting to open his jaw too far; a common cause of cramps in other muscles is either hyperflexion or overextension of the muscle, I don't see why it wouldn't be the same with the jaw/tongue.

[nastybutnice]

I get this and have done for years... It's likely that it's 'just one of those things' - it's possible, but unlikely that it's caused by some neurological condition such as OMD. - as for avoiding it... Hard to say... Avoid things that are very chewy like toffee, and don't over work your tongue (like not whistling for a long time)... Hope this helps...