Muscle twitching and cramping can be an annoying and painful condition, for which there can be several causes. Muscle cramps can be classified into three main categories: congenital abnormalities, acquired medical diseases, and specific acquired skeletal muscle cramp syndromes. The most common, are the acquired skeletal muscle cramp syndromes. These are: (1) exercise associated muscle cramps (EAMC), which are the most common among athletes; (2) occupational cramps, such as writer's cramp; (3) nocturnal calf muscle cramps - cramps that occur at night, mostly in the elderly and (4) pregnancy associated cramps. Although it's important to keep all four types in mind when dealing with cramping, EAMC, are the most commonly experienced by athletes.

Pickle juice has been used to prevent and treat muscle cramps for decades, if not longer. Like most folk remedies, it's unclear how or when it was started, or by whom. Other health care professionals also treat muscle cramps with mustard. Exactly how it works remains a mystery. But the key ingredient seems to be vinegar, because vinegar alone and mustard have yielded results similar to pickle juice. Two ounces of pickle juice also seems to be effective in treating acute cramps that occur during competition or practice. Generally, the cramps will subside within 30 seconds.

Doctors may feel they have to resort to drugs like Sinequin (Doxepin) or Klonopin (Klonazepam). Sinequin is a tricyclic anti-depressant and anti-histamine that can produce marked sedation. This medication may enhance the effect of Klonopin, but it can reduce muscle twitching all by itself. Klonopin is an anti-anxiety medication and anti-convulsive/anti-spasmodic. It is useful in dealing with muscle twitching, restless leg syndrome, and night-time grinding of the teeth (bruxism).