Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Can AS cause lumpy knots in your back?

Jet,

I have no idea if they are AS related or not, but I know what you are talking about! I get my chiropractor to do actupuncture on me, and when the needles get poked right in the knot it feels a million times better. 1/2 hour of treatment, and I'm a new person:)

Sam

thanks for all the advice and explantions of what it is that is happening. Ive got PT booked for this wednesday and its going to be painful but worth it. My PT referal ran out last month and i havent been for 4 weeks. Ive got a new 12 month referal & think i will go back to PT every 10 to 14 days. I drank 2 bottles of wine last night after not drinking alcohol for ages - back didnt feel too bad after the 4th glass & i dont know if i slept last night or was passed out the whole time but knot hurts a little less today. peace to you all, Darryn

Jet, alcohol as a painkiller and muscle relaxant is not a good idea medically.

This is only a suggestion and not a prescription because I'm not qualified, but you may want to try valerian (if you can cope with the smell), chamomile, California poppy, hops, kava (make sure you have no liver issues before you take kava!), and passionflower.

All of these may cause drowsiness. Never mix them with alcohol!
You may want to try boswellia, ginger and/or curcumin for inflammation.

These are all, as I've said before, just suggestions. Let your Doctor know if you choose to try them.

do be careful w/ that kava! ive read some bad things about it.

The knots aren't specifically related to AS, but they can be a result of AS. Physical stress causes the muscles to contract and end up with "knots". Trigger point therapy is very good for it - deep muscle massage or acupuncture.

I know that the pain in my lower spine causes the muscles around that area to tense up and it eventually snowballs into the whole back and shoulders. It's the same thing when you tense up your muscles because of mental and/or emotional stress and end up with knots in your shoulders and neck.

I'm lucky to have an amazing massage therapist, although I don't get to see her nearly enough. To help in between, I have a very good sturdy "thumper" massager, and [url=http://www.fenixstopspain.com/][/url] I also bought one of these that helps quite a bit too. Oh, and my heating pad and I have a love affair going on!

Once you've gotten the knots out, light stretching is a very good thing to do. It won't completely keep them from coming back, but they won't form as quickly.

If you choose to try kava, Jet, ask someone at the health food or vitamin store to find you a brand made from the root only.

The extremely rare and isolated liver problems reported from kava were caused by a cheapskate European manufacturer which cut corners and allowed aboveground portions of the plant, which are quite toxic, to be ground up and put in their capsules. There have been no recorded problems since that firm folded in 2002.

On the whole it's better and cheaper than booze and much less likely to add to your troubles.

(There's also a potential skin condition sometimes seen in Polynesians-- unlike them, I'd guess you won't be ingesting 300 gm+ a month for years, so no worries.)