Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion Helpful Tips Muscle Spasms

Call me crazy, but I too have suffered years of muscle spasms, and that wonderful herb that God put on this earth, it has been a sanity saver. Whole AS thing started when I was 10, am 42 now and was only diagnosed 4 years ago. Meds and I have never been close friends and if I can avoid them, by all means I do. I am on Mobicox, Celexa and a couple of T3's on really, really rough days. Diet ist also a very important part of feeling healthier. The wonderful herb, both, relaxes and encourages eating if your jaw is too painful to chew. To some extent also eases "my" depression. Wishing you enough, always.

Hi there Warrior. Everyone has already made some extremely good recommendations. So, I'll simply say welcome to KA. I hope something someone says works for you. Those muscle spasms are horrible. I had them for three months, four years ago, which is what led to the beginnings of my diagnosis search.

I work with my chiro every two weeks, I dropped wheat and cow dairy from my diet, took good quality supplements recommended by my naturopath, Bio-K to even things out in my intestinal tract and the almighty herb. I use the herb every night before I go to bed. Relaxes my muscles beautifully and I don't wake up groggy in the morning, the way I did with chemical muscle relaxers.

Good luck,
Hugs,

Spiritwolf, I just wanted to welcome you to KA since I haven't seen you before. And to say that I love your user name. I have always had an affinity for both the spirit and wolves.

I agree completely about the 'wonderful herb'. Best medicine on this earth for what ails us.

Hugs,

Hi
I get a lot of muscle spasm in my back lower and upper. My dr has recently given me a muscle relaxant called baclofen to ease it but i can still feel the tightness and the spasm thru the muscle relaxant and painkillers. The only thing i can to to try and ease it is a hot water bottle continually glued to my back lol. I have just come to accept it as one of the, things that happens with as.
take care
heather

Hi, Jeff...

I just posted a response to another member and thought I'd repost it here to give you my take on muscle spasm relief. Though I can't seem to relive my spasms permanently, intese heat and massage do help.

Wishing you relief and relaxation!
Mad

(From my other post......)

I go the hot bath route and add Masada salts--they're dead sea salts that you can usually find at health food stores or holistic pharmacies. When combined with water as hot as I can possibly stand it, they help me more than Epsom salts or plain bath water alone. (I only wish a had a deep tub that I could sit in up to my neck and barrel of salt!!)

I've also been wanting to get a Thermaphore heating pad. It's a medical-grade heating pad that I've heard provides a more intense heat than a standard pad, which isn't as effective (or hot) as I'd like it to be. The Thermaphore also comes in a large size that covers a lot more area than a standard heating pad. It's a bit pricey, (like $75), but I WILL get one someday!

In addition to systemic inflammation, I also experience a lot of muscle spasms, so I spend in inordinate amount of time rolling around on a tennis ball. I don't have anyone to give me a massage, so I do the best I can to hit all of my pressure points, which really helps to ease the spasms. A Goosebumps massage ball (a very hard plastic ball with rounded "goosebump" spikes all over it-- check them out on eBay) can also be very effective--but it hurts like hell when you push yourself too hard against it. I've also seen curved, cane-like devices that can help you stimulate your own trigger points and relieve spasms. I have a lot of neck pain that is often eased by pressing on a trigger point in my shoulder. I need to get one of those canes.

Diet-wise, yes, try going no-starch and eliminate other toxins such as aspartame (diet soda). Many people notice at least some improvement within a week. I take Kaprex by Metagenics which is a natural anti-inflammatory that provides me with some relief. Omega 3's in the form of fish oil or flax seed oil are good for you and calcium/magnesium supplements can provide some pain-relief as well-- just don't take more than the recommended dose, as too much magnesium can have a laxative effect.

Lastly, as much as you may not want to...keep moving. There are days when I feel that I can not possibly even THINK about getting out of bed, because I'm in too much pain...but getting up (s l o w l y) and into a hot shower...or forcing myself onto the floor with a tennis ball....as much as I DON'T want to in the moment...is better for me in the end than staying still. My new mantra is...."Use it or Fuse it!".

Hang in there, and keep us posted. There's a lot of wonderful support here, and if nothing else, at least we can all empathize with you.

Take Care!
Madison

Hi
I am pl su have found something thats working for u rite now, but the thought (let alone doin it) of bein on the floor and rolling around on a tennis ball sounds excruitatingly painful for me! I am interested in these pressure point tho, if i can in fact reach them. Is there any particular location thats good for the thoracic and sacriolic ?
take care
heather

The dreaded muscles spasms are the reason that some doctors keep using the label "Fibromyalgia" and never seek other causes for the pain.

I am not sure about elsewhere, but you can get one of those big balls with the spikes here in Australia. They call them massage balls. You have to put air into them, and then just use them the same as any exercise ball. I must admit they do look tempting at times.

Also, I think that there is a lot of value in the Pilates style of exercises and stretches. I find that when I go into spasm that stretching the area gives some quick relief. Instead of using a tennis ball, I have a long door stop that is filled with "sand?" so that I can lie on it and stretch my spine. An alternative is to get a towel and roll it up and then place that underneath the spine. It helps to bring some relief.

When I am in spasm in the lower back I find that a good stretch is to lie on the floor and place one leg over the other then hold the stretch with my hand or elbow. This is great for the buttocks. Sorry if I am not explaining the stretch all that well.

There are some very good books on the market that give a variety of helpful stretches. One of them was written by Anderson. If people are interested I can give the name of several helpful books including some that are oriented towards Pilates.

I have been leading myself towards a Pilates program. At the present time I am doing a lot of arm stretches and exercises because I am very stiff in that region. I am stiff in the lumbro-sacral region and I am stiff around the knees, feet and ankles.

I get muscle spasms in my calves and ankles. To get immediate relief from these spasms I have to get out of bed for the stretch. To prevent the spasms in the feet I wear socks to bed (not in the heat though). Sometimes I have had that particular spasm when I have been swimming. (this occurred from the time of being a sub-teen onwards). I have learned to flex my foot in a stretch to stop the spasm.

When I first went into muscle spasm in my shoulders I had physiotherapy that included treatment with TENS. I found the treatment to be helpful but the work that I was doing at the time seemed to make it worse again. In other words repetitive work made the situation worse. Light exercises and stretching have brought the most benefit.

For my knees I find that knee squats are helpful. I cannot do the squats that were prescribed by the exercise therapist - that is I cannot squat into a chair and up again. However, I can do a semi-squat that is helping to give me flexibility around my knees.

The rheumy who dx'd enthesitis claimed it was due to muscle deconditioning. In part that was true since the pain was so bad that I have difficulty walking. It is a catch 22 situation. However, I think that his conclusions as to why I had enthesitis were were wrong because he ignored a lot of my history of pain. For example, at one point, in 1989 I managed to walk and exercise quite a bit until I came down once again with pain in the lower back/hip region. This would have been enthesitis and it was not due to muscle deconditioning.

Hi Maggie, I just read that you are looking to pilates. It's an amazing program to start. There are a few of us here who have found it to be extremely beneficial, as in strengthening our core ab muscles, we support our backs better. It works every muscle group in the torso, as well as the arms, depending on the exercise you are doing.

I searched the most recent discussion we've had on pilates so you can check it out if you care to.

Pilates Discussion

Good luck with it.

Hugs,

I love my Thermophore heating pad-I have the large one and have had it for several years now. The cheap Wal-Mart heating pads would burn out after 3 months use, and I use my Thermophore every evening.

Here is their website address: http://www.thermophore.com/