MEmama Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 So I've never had this happen before...I'm afraid to even move. What is the best way to handle this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 (edited) Are we talking muscle spasms right and left of the spine? This happened to me last week. I am sorry to say it took almost a week to completely subside but you are probably younger than I am and it may resolve faster. I felt relief with hot packs and mostly resting. Try some gentle stretching. First day, I could do next to nothing, next day a little more, etc. I also tried walking again as soon as I could stand somewhat straight without too much pain. My first walk outside was just 15 minutes (I normally walk 30 - 45 min every day) but it helped to just move a little. I figured I slept in a bad position for too long. Do you know what may have caused it? Just remembered: Bathe in hot water with dissolved epsom salt - available at Right Aid, CVS, etc. It helped me a little. Edited March 10, 2018 by Liz CA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 Thanks. I'm not sure what caused it--I've been cleaning all day, purging stuff, etc. Nothing unusual for me. But all of a sudden it felt like my entire back just tightened up, like it was in a vice. I have a heating pad on it now and took some ibuprofen to help the muscles relax. It doesn't hurt, it's just very tight and I'm nervous to move. I guess this is one way of getting out of making dinner, anyway. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 (edited) Thanks. I'm not sure what caused it--I've been cleaning all day, purging stuff, etc. Nothing unusual for me. But all of a sudden it felt like my entire back just tightened up, like it was in a vice. I have a heating pad on it now and took some ibuprofen to help the muscles relax. It doesn't hurt, it's just very tight and I'm nervous to move. I guess this is one way of getting out of making dinner, anyway. Lol Yes, definitely Chinese takeout or pizza night. :laugh: Hope it passes quickly. Edited March 10, 2018 by Liz CA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 I had that happen last Christmas; it wasn't fun. I rested, iced and took ibruprofen (instead of my normal 1, I took 2-3 to help with reducing inflammation) for several days. This was also the time I started with tumeric. Once I felt that I was pretty much back to normal I started adding some light exercise/core strengthening activities. I had to take it easy at first but was able to get to a better place. I started with sitting on an exercise ball and light running on a mini-trampoline. I hope you feel better soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 11, 2018 Author Share Posted March 11, 2018 I had that happen last Christmas; it wasn't fun. I rested, iced and took ibruprofen (instead of my normal 1, I took 2-3 to help with reducing inflammation) for several days. This was also the time I started with tumeric. Once I felt that I was pretty much back to normal I started adding some light exercise/core strengthening activities. I had to take it easy at first but was able to get to a better place. I started with sitting on an exercise ball and light running on a mini-trampoline. I hope you feel better soon. Several days? Ugh. I'll stay on the ibuprofen and hope it helps overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 My husband had this happen and it took about a week til he could sit or walk normally. He got an Rx for muscle relaxers and than helped. So sorry!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 (edited) Several days? Ugh. I'll stay on the ibuprofen and hope it helps overnight. Sometimes it can take several days to feel better, sometimes the muscles recover quicker. A lot depends on what you did to your back, and what kind of condition the back was already in before this occurred. I always stick with ice the first 24 hours (20 min of icing, then 20 - 40 min without ice, then repeat), then introduce heating pads. You can lay on a cold pack, or place it behind your back while sitting. Edited March 11, 2018 by wintermom 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 If you don't want to take a bath with Epsom salts, you can also take magnesium orally or get a magnesium cream. Hope you get some relief. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 11, 2018 Author Share Posted March 11, 2018 Surpringly I was able to sleep well--I'm not sure I moved once!--and so far this morning there seems to be a little improvement. It's more sore than yesterday, but not weirdly seized. So that should be a good sign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 Depends what’s wrong. I had this happen last year - after an MRI, we discovered I had a torn disc and needed physical therapy where I worked on core strength. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 (edited) Thanks. I'm not sure what caused it--I've been cleaning all day, purging stuff, etc. Nothing unusual for me. But all of a sudden it felt like my entire back just tightened up, like it was in a vice. I have a heating pad on it now and took some ibuprofen to help the muscles relax. It doesn't hurt, it's just very tight and I'm nervous to move. I guess this is one way of getting out of making dinner, anyway. Lol I had that happen to mine this past week. I believe it was from sitting in the back of a truck for 8 hours with hardly room to move. It didn't happen right away, but it did a day or two later. I did use ibuprofen and heating packs, mostly because I didn't have ice. (I prefer ice as heat can sometimes do more harm than good, but in this case, I was pretty sure my muscles just needed to relax.) I am also prone to cramps in various muscles, so this was another reason that I thought heat would be okay. It felt on the verge of an almost-cramp to a nerve-related feeling. However, many years ago, I slipped a couple discs and my back also seized up. It's your body's way of protecting your spine from more injury. So move carefully (no round your back) until if feels normal just in case. When you get out of bed, to prevent rounding your back, roll to your side with your knees at a 90 degree angle and your face facing the edge of the bed. Then use your arms to push your torso from side-lying to a sitting position. This keeps your back flat the whole time. I learned that back when I had the disc issue and have done it all the time since. If it doesn't resolve or if the pain gets intense, your legs buckle, you have trouble with incontinence, or you feel nerve pain down your legs, call a doctor. It is probably a disc in that case and you'll benefit from steroids for a week, then PT. Edited March 11, 2018 by Laurie4b 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IvyInFlorida Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 This unfortunately happens to me all the time, sometimes severely. This is what helps me: heating pad. Advil. Gentle walking. No picking anything up, and especially no picking up and twisting. Don't be surprised if it takes at least a week to loosen up. The walking really helps!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 12, 2018 Author Share Posted March 12, 2018 I had that happen to mine this past week. I believe it was from sitting in the back of a truck for 8 hours with hardly room to move. It didn't happen right away, but it did a day or two later. I did use ibuprofen and heating packs, mostly because I didn't have ice. (I prefer ice as heat can sometimes do more harm than good, but in this case, I was pretty sure my muscles just needed to relax.) I am also prone to cramps in various muscles, so this was another reason that I thought heat would be okay. It felt on the verge of an almost-cramp to a nerve-related feeling. However, many years ago, I slipped a couple discs and my back also seized up. It's your body's way of protecting your spine from more injury. So move carefully (no round your back) until if feels normal just in case. When you get out of bed, to prevent rounding your back, roll to your side with your knees at a 90 degree angle and your face facing the edge of the bed. Then use your arms to push your torso from side-lying to a sitting position. This keeps your back flat the whole time. I learned that back when I had the disc issue and have done it all the time since. If it doesn't resolve or if the pain gets intense, your legs buckle, you have trouble with incontinence, or you feel nerve pain down your legs, call a doctor. It is probably a disc in that case and you'll benefit from steroids for a week, then PT. Thanks for the good advice on how to move "properly" while healing. I took it really easy today but did walk around the house and move about as much as I could. It's feeling better tonight than this morning, but I took more ibuprofen just to keep any inflammation down. I prefer not to take meds, but it does seem to be helping. I don't think it's anything serious like a disc issue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 12, 2018 Author Share Posted March 12, 2018 This unfortunately happens to me all the time, sometimes severely. This is what helps me: heating pad. Advil. Gentle walking. No picking anything up, and especially no picking up and twisting. Don't be surprised if it takes at least a week to loosen up. The walking really helps!! I'm glad to hear you find that walking helps--I'm a big believer that movement (as possible) helps facilitate healing. I do think moving around helped loosen it up today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Vitamin d3, k2, and magnesium everyday 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 12, 2018 Author Share Posted March 12, 2018 Vitamin d3, k2, and magnesium everyday Well, idk. It's never happened before so I doubt it was due to a deficiency. It's nearly 100% better today at any rate. Phew! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Well, idk. It's never happened before so I doubt it was due to a deficiency. It's nearly 100% better today at any rate. Phew! Have you been tested? Most people are deficient. Happy you are feeling better. My dh had leg cramps ( Charlie horse ) for years until he started taking magnesium regularly. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/12/magnesium-vitamin-d-supplementation.aspx 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Any kind of tight muscles can be helped by the following suggestions: Use a car polisher/buffer (for car wax) to massage your entire back, calves, glutes, and hamstrings. Sometimes the back pain results from knotted muscles lower down in the muscle chain. You can also use a lacrosse ball or baseball (or foam roller). Put it on the floor and lay on top of it. Wiggle around so the ball or roller massages the painful areas. It will be painful, but do it in multiple areas, maybe while distracted by TV or a podcast. Do it several times a day for several days. I suggest these to people in real life, but nobody ever wants to try them because they aren’t pills or surgery. I’d like to dare anyone reading this thread to try it for some sort of muscle pain. I’d really like to find one person (other than my DH and kids) who will try it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Any kind of tight muscles can be helped by the following suggestions: Use a car polisher/buffer (for car wax) to massage your entire back, calves, glutes, and hamstrings. Sometimes the back pain results from knotted muscles lower down in the muscle chain. You can also use a lacrosse ball or baseball (or foam roller). Put it on the floor and lay on top of it. Wiggle around so the ball or roller massages the painful areas. It will be painful, but do it in multiple areas, maybe while distracted by TV or a podcast. Do it several times a day for several days. I suggest these to people in real life, but nobody ever wants to try them because they aren’t pills or surgery. I’d like to dare anyone reading this thread to try it for some sort of muscle pain. I’d really like to find one person (other than my DH and kids) who will try it! I have tried it 2 weeks ago when I couldn't move much due to muscle spasms. It does help but it took forever to get into a position to roll a little since I could hardly stretch out. Dh ended up taking the roller and move it over my back. I roll piriformis muscle every day. Yeah for foam rollers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 So I've never had this happen before...I'm afraid to even move. What is the best way to handle this? Chiropractor. Seriously. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 13, 2018 Author Share Posted March 13, 2018 Any kind of tight muscles can be helped by the following suggestions: Use a car polisher/buffer (for car wax) to massage your entire back, calves, glutes, and hamstrings. Sometimes the back pain results from knotted muscles lower down in the muscle chain. You can also use a lacrosse ball or baseball (or foam roller). Put it on the floor and lay on top of it. Wiggle around so the ball or roller massages the painful areas. It will be painful, but do it in multiple areas, maybe while distracted by TV or a podcast. Do it several times a day for several days. I suggest these to people in real life, but nobody ever wants to try them because they aren’t pills or surgery. I’d like to dare anyone reading this thread to try it for some sort of muscle pain. I’d really like to find one person (other than my DH and kids) who will try it! We use foam rollers somewhat regularly. I don't find them terribly helpful but DH does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.