Do muscle spasms always hurt?
My Doctor said my back is in spasm, but its not hurting me any longer. Hes given me strong muscle relaxants to take, but I am reluctant to take them if he is wrong. These drugs are highly addictive.
How do you know if a muscle is in spasm, I always thought that pain was the sign? Does tension in the muscles mean the same as spasm and can you tell by just feeling if spasm is going on, or does it need to be scanned etc.? I was in excrutiating pain initially that twisted my back, the pain has eased down now, but the twist is still there and very debilitating. Thanks.
Yes, it's possible to have spasm without pain. For me, the pain going away is sometimes a sign that the spasm has gotten worse. What happens to me is, I get bad back pain for a while, when the muscle is only partly spasmed, or the spasm is coming and going. Then, if it locks up all the way, the pain there goes away, but I start feeling pain in other areas, like my hips and shoulders.
The easiest way to diagnose spasm is to touch the muscle. Muscles are supposed to be firm but soft. If it feels like a steel cable under your skin, it's spasmed!
Thanks for replying. I,m not sure with my back if it's spasm or not, although it has twisted/distorted a lot. But it doesn't come and go like it does for you, it is now permanently like this. Can you have a permanent spasm, I've no idea? My neck muscles feel rigid and they have twisted too, so I assume they are in spasm. I am trying to determine if this is just spasm or from a suspected infection I posted on another thread. Thanks for your help.
http://www.healthboards.com/boards/open-all-other-health-topics/914382-muscle-infection.html#post5040902
It's me Janewhite1, from shoulder infection thread. I just posted the link to it to you in my last response on here...lol...not realising I was talking to the same person!! I'm trying to explore every possibility for whats happened to me. If the doctors can't/won't I will have to just try myself. I just can't believe an osteopath could put me in this state without an underlying reason. Even a really bad one! Thanks for helping me on both threads!
