Back spasms help needed please

[Saffy]

I am so sorry ... Only thing that helps with mine are Diazepam and as you say, they have a sedative effect. When you are having a major back spasm you can't move anyway, so it won't harm you taking them during that time.

 

Cold pack of peas ... Not heat.

[namtaB]

The best advice that I can give you Pammy is go back to your gp and tell them to prescribe you Pregabalin (Lyrica) to go with the Naproxen and the Acupan. If you are still experiencing Shooting pains from your back down either leg, there is a good chance that you have a badly prolapsed disc and if it has not righted itself after 6 months then you want to be asking for an MRI scan and look at having a micro discectomy and decompression of the affected disc. Four operations down the line and I am still in extreme pain without the pain relief but I have had problems with the same disc twice now and am now left in a condition similar to HeadingNorth's wife (I do sympathise) where no more surgery is possible due to the risks involved. I was pain free after the first operation for about 4 years but had a bad accident and damaged the disc again. Getting back to your gp is paramount to get the spasms under control and further investigation into the cause of the pain to make sure that you are not doing anymore damage by not having it treated properly. I may get shot down for this but do not look into chiropractors as the symptoms that you have described look very much like a prolapsed disc and my physio at Thornbury said that without scans of the affected area, treatment could well be detrimental and cause more suffering.

Also I see that you are taking Naproxen. Do you take omeprazole every day to reduce the risk of ulcers from Naproxen ?? If not you should ask your gp about the risks of taking Naproxen..

[Mr Chips]

Hi

Don't know if it's the same type of thing, but I get spasms in the muscles between my ribs, causing my ribcage to pull in and extreme, breathtaking pain. Was checked out for heart problems at first before a different GP worked out that it was my muscles. He pressed between my ribs on my back until he found the painfull spots, then pressed on hard for 10 seconds or so. This causes the muscles to relax, and the pain was greatly relieved. I have regular deep tissue massage and swim to exercise the muscles. It still happens, but less often (and I know I'm not having a heart attack!) and I have a foam roller to use on myself to help relieve the pain.