Accupuncture & Muscle Spasms

[kurphany]

Does anyone have any experience dealing with a muscle spasm?  I've had a muscle spasm in my trapezius for going on 8 wks now.  It's managed to form a bunch of knots, so even when it starts to feel better it ends up "respasming".  I've been in physical therapy for about a month and while it is certainly helping, I feel like I might need something

Comments

[makeit_sincere]

See a chiropractor unless you're the type of person (like me) that has trouble relaxing. I can't relax for a massage, so forget getting my spine adjusted. My chiropractor (who I work for) does electo stim for my muscle spasms (mid back) and told me that seeing an acupuncturist might be really good for me, since it would help with the spasms and the tension. Only downfall is that most of the places I've checked run about 75$ per visit. :(

[hardboiledblond]

I have the same problems. I see a chiropractor and I see a massage therapist regularly. the massage person does trigger point therapy for the knots. But something that really helps me between visits that my chiropractor reccomended is to take a tennis ball and put it up against the wall and sort of work the tennis ball along your traps where you have knots, so you'll have the tennis ball in between the wall and your back. I usually can work some knots on my own this way and get some relief.

[kurphany]

Thanks for the tennis ball idea. I'm not really interested in going to see a chiropracter, PT can do that and more to help me in the long wrong. But I'm contemplating massage but I need to get it to hurt a bit less first, I don't think I'd be able to handle it right now haha

[kurphany]

Thanks so much

[stess]

I have a theracane, and while it doesn't cure anything (for me), it makes me feel less like killing someone when my back hurts. I highly recommend it.

http://www.theracane.com/

[jezziedominique]

While other people on here are recommending chiropractors, I wouldn't. Chiropractors focus more on the bone structure and that doesn't seem to be your issue. Besides the fact that a good portion of chiropractors won't tell you but over half of what they do while you're on their table is reversed as soon as you stand up.
Acupuncture deals with the issue, and underlying issues that your body has. Massage therapy can help a lot as well. What typically happens with a spasming muscle is that it's so tight that it's fighting to maintain normalcy. Massage therapy and acupressure/acupuncture can help retrain your body as to where "normal" should be. It will take time.
You can find clinics where students are learning how to effectively work on the public. It's much cheaper because they aren't licensed yet but an instructor will check in on them/watch them to make sure everything is ok.
The clinic at the school I went to massage therapy for charged $25 an hour.

[kurphany]

Thanks. I agree about chiropracters, as a future physical therapist, I tend to want to look more at short & long-term benefits & want to correct the underlying problems which I am doing with all my exercises to improve my posture. A few people have mentioned accupunture schools, which is a great idea, I'm in Bosotn so I'm sure I can find some.