shoulder insanity

[cellomusette]

I've got a severe muscle spasm in my shoulder/upper back and can hardly move! Ouch. It started yesterday and got worse today. Doctor's appointment tomorrow, though I'm not sure what can possibly be done about a MUSCLE spasm. Gah.

Comments

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

they should give you a muscle relaxant. meanwhile i recommend heating up a SLIGHTLY damp towel in a microwave if you have one and draping it, that can help sometimes. *hugs* feel better!

heat good

[watercolorblue.livejournal.com]

oh yes. heat and ice treatments have both been tried with varying degrees of success. ice actually did a lot for pain relief. no microwave here, but we have saucepans and a stove. and a microwave in the attic, actually; I could hook that up in the basement probably.
I had to cancel an appointment with my psych med provider; when I told her about my muscle issue, she said, "try taking 2mg clonazapam, it may help unlock the muscle." I thought that would knock me on my ass, but I was actually ALERT after taking 4x my usual sleep-aid dose. paradoxical effect? what's neat is that she was right. Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine) didn't do anything, but 2mg Klonopin helped significantly.
do benzodiazapenes have any other special powers I don't know about, besides tranquilizing, anti-anxiety, and muscle-relaxing? I have considered going into the pharmacology field more than once; I find this pharmacology stuff fascinating.

(and now I am in a talky mood----the doctor generously gave me a script for 30 percosets and I have taken 2, they are kicking in riiiiight about nowwww. hee hee hee heeee....anyway, I'm a daily tramadol user and 1 percoset doesn't manage severe emergency pain when it comes up. )

Re: heat good

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

actually the only benzodiazepine *specific* for muscle relaxation is valium (diazepam). my guess is that your lockup was also involved in some anxiety, so helping that with the klonopin helped with the muscle stuff too?

glad to hear you are feeling better! :)

[watercolorblue.livejournal.com]

Mum has that massage background (as you might recall). It's very helpful. She's done some work, trying to release trigger points manually or with her elbow, and also helping me with passive stretching. The stretching seems more effective. At least...it's more comfortable!! Eyeeesh.

With manual trigger point release, do you know how long one should hold steady pointed pressure on the muscle point before letting go? I can use a therapy ball (or whatever's lying around, honestly) to press into my back/shoulder and I'm never sure how long to keep it in one spot. Or if I should move it back and forth slowly. What works for you?

Thanks for the well wishes, dear! *hugs back* <3

[watercolorblue.livejournal.com]

This is extremely useful, thank you!! It also makes total sense on an intuitive level, the way you've described it. I have a script for physical therapy too, with a great therapist in Gt. Barrington; if I can meet with her very soon she should be massively helpful.

[squibbon.livejournal.com]

It might be worth asking about trigger point injections. They really suck while they are happening, but they can work wonders to release stuck muscles.

[watercolorblue.livejournal.com]

This further supports my belief that my physiatrist here does not do real trigger point injections. With him, it's basically acupuncture with a little cortisone. WTF is that? My doctors here also insisted nothing could be done to relieve tension in my psoas and piriformis muscles using trigger point injections or cortisone injections because the muscles are simply too deep. According to them, nothing besides stretching will ever work. I am starting to think that the healthcare for chronic muscle/joint/nerve pain in my area is subpar and that's a big part of why I have gotten worse over time instead of better.
Fortunately I'm discussing an arrangement for moving to North Reading, at least temporarily (around 6 months). Seeking competent healthcare providers is a big motivation for going out that way.

[watercolorblue.livejournal.com]

You know, I have a physiatrist who supposedly does trigger point injections, and they barely feel like anything. They feel like acupuncture with a touch of cortisone. Which leads me to believe he is not REALLY doing trigger point injections, the idiot bastard jerkface. (Also, he is a f-ing tool, always asking "so what are you doing for work?". Last visit, he said "Next time I see you, you can tell me what you did for Valentine's Day!" which caused me to skip the visit entirely without even calling. Anyway...some doctors are huge assholes...we know this...)

I would happily endure REAL trigger point injections in order to get relief from chronic muscle tension pain. I suspect I will need to travel to the Boston area to get proper medical care for my chronic conditions---Berkshire County is very much lacking in decent specialists, and I am not making the progress I could be making.
(sorry for babbling, I'm on Percoset, it makes me all talky)