Diaphragmatic spasm

Introduction

A diaphragmatic spasm is a sudden acute contraction and cramping of the diaphragm with sometimes very severe colicky pain and other accompanying symptoms. It can certainly also be expressed by simple hiccups.

Causes

The diaphragm is a muscle that is stretched in the chest under the lung and ensures that the lung fills with air when it contracts. It is partially vegetatively innervated, i.e. nerves lead to the diaphragm over which we have no influence. This ensures that it contracts even during sleep, allowing for proper breathing.

On the other hand, nerve tracts also lead to the diaphragm, which we can control and manage very well. For this reason, we can also actively take a breath by consciously causing the diaphragm to contract. Click here for more information about the structure of the diaphragm Sometimes a so-called diaphragmatic spasm or diaphragmatic irritation can occur.

The exact causes are unknown. However, stress or swallowing too much air is suspected as one of the triggers. Especially if you eat too hastily, it can happen that the amount of air that you have taken in, which suddenly enters your stomach, expands it.

Since the phrenic nerve is located near the stomach, an irritation can occur, which can then lead to a preliminary stage of diaphragmatic spasm: the so-called singultus or hiccups. This occurs because the diaphragm contracts jerkily, causing the air in the lungs to be pushed outwards. Other types of irritation or cramping can also lead to hiccups.

It is suspected that a hiatus or diaphragmatic hernia can also cause a diaphragmatic spasm. This is a rupture in the diaphragm through which a part of the stomach passes. The stomach can either slide back immediately or remain in this hernial orifice for a longer period of time. This in turn causes irritation, which can lead to cramps. There are also some rare cases in which diaphragmatic irritation or frequent cramps can be caused by a malignant new formation in the sense of a tumor.