I have back spasms in my lower and upper back and shoulders.
Stretching is the only thing that works for me. I got a book from my doc called “Treat Your Own Back” that has done wonders. It has onset exercises as well as preventative ones.
I have a scrip for muscle relaxers that I take as needed (usually once a month or so, when it gets really bad), but they take me to a happy place so I only take them at night, right before bed.
I have chronic tightness in my shoulders (they’re hard like bricks most of the time) and periodic spasms in my lower back and in the muscles just below my shoulder blade, especially when I’m riding in Ardred’s car.
FTR, Flexeril made me a bit light-headed to first week I took it. After that it really didn’t affect me. It didn’t get me high, it just relaxed me. Also, Qadgop, really only two weeks??? I took it in the year 2000 and the doctor gave me five refills on a huge bottle, WAY more than I needed since my back troubles were essentially gone in about two weeks (go figure). I guess he shouldn’t have done that…was this common knowledge four years ago???
The drug labelling clearly indicates that it is for short-term use and that there is no evidence that it is effective after 3 weeks to relax muscles. Of course, doctors are not constrained to follow those recommendations, and if one has a patient who won’t leave the office until he gets his flexeril, well, guess what? Quite often he gets his flexeril.
Then docs get in the habit of just handing it out over and over, or writing for a bucket of refills.
It is really not a good medicine for management of chronic back troubles. Acute flares of chronic spasms, yes. But exercise, weight loss, physical therapy, and even manipulation by a chiropractor would be much higher on my list of beneficial things than chronic flexeril use.
And don’t get me started on Soma (carisprodol). Run a search on the term if you want, and you’ll find my opinion on the use of that barbiturate.
Guess that’s why the Workers’ Comp docs in California had me on it for six months. Two a day, plus Darvocet. I brought up the idea of a gym membership for its double-headed benefits of weight loss and exercise, and the response was as if I’d asked to get enough morphine for self-injection four times a day. :mad:
I’ve had 2 cases of back spasims and they were from different causes. The first was when I finished jogging. I walked into the house and as I was walking up the stairs my whole lower back just kinda spazed… It dropped me to my knees. A couple days later the pain was gone.
The second time this happend I was under LOTS of stress and It just happend.
So I don’t know if the stress or the physical activity caused my mess. Just to inform you’all.
On Monday (my 13th wedding anniversary), I was hugging my husband good-bye and pulled a muscle in my back.
I had already made a doctor’s appointment due to getting 4 migraines in 5 days. He put me on Norflex and Vicoden for my back. I made it to work today, but I’m guessing that I’m going to get my work done quickly and head back home. I’m still in a fair bit of pain here.
Hey, happy anniversary! Today’s mine (16 years). Unfortunately, hubby won’t be home until Saturday or Sunday. But when he comes home, we’re doing dinner and a movie to celebrate.
I woke up one morning all twisted up in a very strange position. Throughout the day, my back started aching. Then the spasms started. I tried taking a Flexoril, but that didn’t help. Then it got worse and worse until around 6pm I had to ask my dad to take me to the hospital. They suggested three days off of work, some light streching, some really expensive Ibuprofrin, and as much walking around as I could stand.
The next day, it was even worse. A few times I fell to my hands and knees it was so painful. I got my brother to take me back to the doctor, who this time gave me some Progesterone. That did the trick. I was back at work on schedule, and a week later it was as if it never happened.
Those back spasms were the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my entire life. If the OP has any, I feel really bad for him/her.
Well, like I said, I mistook them for kidney stone attacks, and those are horrible. The big difference was that with the back spasms, there’s no puking. But the pain is bad enough for me to lose my appetite (and that takes some doin’!). BTW, I’m a woman.
Well, just a little bit ago, I bought myself a lovely new heating pad; it even has an “aquifer”; a little felty pad that you saturate with water and tuck inside the pad, so you get moist heat, which is what my doctor recommended. I’ve been tired and crabby all day. I believe I’m gonna go sit in my recliner chair, crack a beer, and try out my new heating pad!
