what do you do to relax muscle knots and spasms?

[Lysrin]

Acupuncture is a great one! Forgot that. It hasn't always been the complete fix for me but it always felt great and provided some relief. As @CMetaphor said, figuring out and addressing the underlying issues is key. Then lots of these suggestions help in the maintenance phase.

 

[FreeKnight]

I don't relax. My body is tight and ready to pounce like a tiger at any given moment.

Or like a spring ready to snap and fracture into a dozen pieces. Either one really

 

[Marzipan]

no tub...just a shower stall here. don't do mind altering drugs. guess I will talk to the wife about going out of the house. we're quite isolated to protect her parents from any possible exposure due to their age and ill health. we've been fortunate in that there has not been one case of COVID in Prince Rupert, but that doesn't mean we can't suddenly get lax.

I used to see a chiro weekly. I probably should see physio now...can barely bend over because of the sciatica flaring up at any attempt. it's so sad that going to the bathroom is such a difficulty now. can't stand. can't sit...

 

[Shadowmeph]

I should have mentioned I do 8 Brocades CHi Kung ( Taoist Yoga) every day which is really easy it basically is simple stretching and strength exercises and breathing exercises maybe takes 5 minutes if you do a short one it does loosen up everything I would do my Tai chi set but its 108 movements plus the side movement and I need room to do them and it takes a min of 20 minutes to do I used to teach the beginners this and had people actually just copying me when I used to do it at a local lake in Abbotsford I started out just doing it on my own then some kids were watching me and copying me so I showed them how to do it properly and that just grew I actually had to sometimes go earlier in the morning so that I wouldn't be watched after a while I moved and was going to a local park in Aldergrove but the same thing started to happen so now I dont bother I just do the 8 brocades . my off topic point I had allot of back issues and muscle spasms but when I started doing Tai CHi the back issues subsided .. allot I mean the 12 years of doing Tai chi I dont remember ever having spasms at all but when I stopped the spasms coming back and sometimes with a vengeance sometimes hehe. another thing Tai Chi worked for me I learned from a person who actually taught it properly and not like allot of people teaching they teach it wrong and what they are teaching can do more harm then good .

 

[Izerous]

I know when I was doing kendo regularly the day of a practice I was completely toast but unless I took some bad hits and had bruising around my arms the next days always felt great. In general a level of exercise when possible is one of the best things for you it's when you get into positions where you can't but need to.

Can't go for a long walk because it hurts too much but you need to go for a long walk to work it out, becomes a pretty vicious spiral. My mother in-law has trouble just doing the stairs to get into the basement some days and a long walk each day would do he wonders but it is gotten so bad even that is a challenge.

I was born with a slight hip defect so hip replacement when I get older is quite likely but if I can stay at a normal weight and stay semi active I shouldn't need to go thorugh that. But even then some days the discomfort will flare up that even a brisk walk for myself is the last thign I want to do.

 

[Cannon Fodder]

And more pricey, but when I was having a lot of low back/sciatic issues, my wife bought me an inversion table as my Christmas present that year. I didn't think it was the most exciting gift but after I started using it I was very happy to have it! It really helped a lot to stretch things out and free up the nerve impingement. I still use it when I have a flair up.

I totally forgot to mention that in my previous reply. Around 20 yrs. ago, my lower back was SOOOO bad, that Chiropractic wasn't even helping, but one day I was sittin', watchin' TV, and just happened to flip it over to The Shopping Channel, and the product they were showcasing at the time, was an inversion table. The guy doing the demo, was the owner of the company(Teeter), and I ended up ordering one, and it's been a life saver. I used that thing for about 10 - 15 mins. at a time, 4 times a day, and after a few days I noticed the difference.

 

[Marzipan]

I totally forgot to mention that in my previous reply. Around 20 yrs. ago, my lower back was SOOOO bad, that Chiropractic wasn't even helping, but one day I was sittin', watchin' TV, and just happened to flip it over to The Shopping Channel, and the product they were showcasing at the time, was an inversion table. The guy doing the demo, was the owner of the company(Teeter), and I ended up ordering one, and it's been a life saver. I used that thing for about 10 - 15 mins. at a time, 4 times a day, and after a few days I noticed the difference.

I'm to big for an inversion table...but would totally love to try one of those out!

 

[Lysrin]

I'm to big for an inversion table...but would totally love to try one of those out!

Too big? I'm 6' 4", formally 237 lbs (now 207, yay me ) and I can use mine. You don't have to completely invert either. I only go as far as about 45 degrees and that's sufficient to get the benefit.

PS. You don't need to tell me how big you are. Just giving you a comparison size to work with! lol

 

[Marzipan]

Too big? I'm 6' 4", formally 237 lbs (now 207, yay me ) and I can use mine. You don't have to completely invert either. I only go as far as about 45 degrees and that's sufficient to get the benefit.

PS. You don't need to tell me how big you are. Just giving you a comparison size to work with! lol

I'm 5'10 and 330lbs. I think the tables top out at 250lbs.

 

[KaptCrunch]

i see 400lb