hi from one jay to another. I'm from india too, kerala though bangalore used to be home and now working in muscat.
as sue said, you can;t mistake the second kind. it's just like a cramp which leaves you screaming in pain and it keeps recurring until you get the muscle to relax. my recent ones were lower back and stomach and lasted for something like 5-6 hours reducing in frequency from every 30 seconds to every few minutes. my last bouts lasted for almost 6 hours. can't imagine how you deal with 12+ hours sue! they leave you completely spent. i use heat but i think perhaps your cold pack might be worth a try. i had asked my doctor but he recommended heat.
the milder spasms tht sue mentioned are a result of extended trauma and leave the muscles much tighter and therefore less pliant than they should be. i have these in my upper back and on my neck and exercises under the guidance of an experienced physiotherapist is good as well as tns and ultrasound. i think physiotheraphy is the best solution for those. take care and stay well all of you. remember this needs to be fought on alifelong basis and that might mean lifestyle changes, diet changes and regular exercise
