Remedy for Muscle Spasms

By Sue from Raleigh, NC

Archives: Request: Remedy for Muscle Spasms Archived on 10/23/2009 Is there a natural remedy for muscle spasms? PMM from MO Feedback: RE: Remedy for Muscle Spasms My husband has incomplete spinal cord injury. He is paraplegic. He has muscle spasms even though he is on medication for it. Physical Therapy tells us that the muscles have to be stretched, which means daily stretching exercises of his legs. Once the muscles are stretched, the spasms ease. Also, I have found that an electric hand massager does wonders. vguy (10/12/2008) By vguy RE: Remedy for Muscle Spasms Drink plenty of water and take potassium. I personally take 99mg a few times a day instead of one of those honker pills with 350 mg. Potassium citrate is pretty inexpensive and has done wonders for me. Before taking any supplement, contact your doctor if you are on any medication or have health issues. (10/12/2008) By yaffadreams RE: Remedy for Muscle Spasms I have been using soap in my bed for several years and it always works for me. I do still get some cramps and that is only when I'm not in bed. (10/13/2008) By Cathy RE: Remedy for Muscle Spasms Eat bananas-a natural source of K+ (potassium). Also, when you get a cramp, resist pointing your toes. Keep your foot flat to reduce the likelihood of a cramp and to minimize it's duration. (10/14/2008) By Diana RE: Remedy for Muscle Spasms Calcium allows muscles to contract (form a muscle spasm), while magnesium allows them to relax. In order for the body to properly absorb these minerals, they must be taken in a 2:1 ratio of 2 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium. Most people are magnesium deficient, so many have a problem with spasms. Eating chocolate, cooked spinach, and lots of other stuff prohibits magnesium absorption. After taking these supplements for a while, you'll be amazed at how much better you feel. Make sure you have adequate potassium intake too. Eat a banana a day. (10/14/2008) By susanmajp RE: Remedy for Muscle Spasms It depends on what kind of muscle spasms you are having. Do they happen at night? If so, you might try some extra magnesium. It's a natural muscle relaxant, that's good for the heart. Also, most people think calcium supplements should be way more than magnesium. Do you crave chocolate? This usually means a magnesium deficiency. Get a balanced mineral supplement and add magnesium. If you are younger, you can take magnesium citrate, if you are, say, older than 35 or so, take magnesium carbonate. No matter what anyone says, as we age, we become more acidic. Therefore adding acidic things make us feel and become worse. Buffering is important. Also for relaxation, St John's Wort, tryptophan, 5-htp, among others. I would try the minerals first. There is another area that you might try. I have adrenal fatigue and this can have all sorts of symptoms. Not being able to relax is one of them. Taking kelp helps a lot. I'd try Nature's Way, it is the whole kelp, dried. Iodine is helpful, too. Iodoral is a good supplement for this. There are so many things, without knowing more, these are some avenues to try. Hope this is any help. (10/14/2008) By Chris T. RE: Remedy for Muscle Spasms In my experience, muscle spasms comes from a lack of potassium. Eating a banana or baked potato usually works. Banana works faster if chewed and held under the tongue. I've found it works in minutes and sometimes seconds to relieve muscle spasms/cramps in the legs. Also, my Air Force training reminds you to keep well hydrated. I hope this helps. (10/15/2008) By Biblequest RE: Remedy for Muscle Spasms I know this'll sound crazy, but I had bad leg cramps and would wake up nightly. I recalled someone writing about cramps and said they found a spoon in bed did the trick, so as silly as it sounded I gave it a try. I'm thinking it's the cold metal that eases the cramp, but whatever it is it works. I place the spoon right on the cramp and presto gone. I haven't had a cramp in quite a while, but that big serving spoon is right under my mattress, ready to grab when needed. I like the sound of the soap cure, too, although I haven't tried it. (10/25/2008) By Jan from Bangor, ME RE: Remedy for Muscle Spasms I thought you all were crazy about the bar of soap. I have a very physical job and have very sharp spasms in my back, almost always, to where I am practically "crippled up". Because of this, I am unable to do much of anything on my time off, but try and "rest" my back. I decided I had nothing to lose, so I tried the soap. Nothing short of a miracle. I have not had one since, and it has been over a week. I even worked a 10 1/2 hr. shift, no lunch break and sitting a total of 10 min., and my back is wonderful. I feel like a young person again. I carry a bar of soap under my clothes and I am doing things I haven't been able to do in a very long time. I really don't don't get it, but it really does work. Don't knock it till you try it. (11/08/2008) By Patty RE: Remedy for Muscle Spasms To lessen the pain and discomfort during muscle spasm, press your finger on the area right below your nose and above your lip, the pain will subside rather quickly. I do not know how the soap remedy works. Is it simply put a bar of soap at the foot of the bed will stop the muscle spasm? Thanks. RY (12/02/2008) By RY RE: Remedy for Muscle Spasms Hey everyone. I suffer from constant muscle spasms in my shoulders and neck. I am in constant pain. I have found that using hard rubber balls to massage yourself works very well. I have looked around for several different sizes I found some solid rubber dog toys and hard rubber balls like a super ball work really well. I stand with my back to a wall or door and reach over my shoulder put the ball on my back or for lower back reach around under my arm or for really lower back put one on your butt. Sounds silly, but really works. You can also do the back or your neck this way and for the top of your shoulder you need a bigger ball like the size of a soft ball so you can lean into the top of your shoulder. Once you try it you will understand what I mean. I have maybe 20 or so knots in my back. Before I started doing this I could not function sometimes the pain was so bad, but I've gotten much better because of this approach. I also mix heat and cold in as well. (02/14/2009) By Charles C. Report Spam or Abuse Request: Remedy For Muscle Spasms Archived on 10/12/2008 I am looking for any home remedies that anyone might have on what to do for muscle spasms. I have had some problems with my sciatic nerve on the left side. The muscles in my left leg were in spasm for 6 days and nights. My back is better, but the muscles in my leg have been traumatized. Any tips concerning this matter would be greatly appreciated. Tuey Answers: RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms Hi Tuey, First, a nice warm bath before bedtime might relax the muscles. But it sounds like you sciatic nerve is still a bit wonky. I've had problems with sciatica over the years and the best cure is to strengthen the muscles to hold lift your bones off the sciatic nerve. To do this is simple. Stand against a wall and push the small of your back into it several times, and repeat this several times a day. If you need to push in on your stomach to get the small of your back there, that's okay. Or you can do the same thing lying on the floor. The important part is to get the small of your back flat with the wall or floor. In a day or two your sciatica will be better. It's very easy, non invasive, safe and really does work. It kept me from being on bedrest for my last two pregnancies. Susan from ThriftyFun (01/19/2005) By ThriftyFun RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms Go go google.com and search: piriformis stretch - for ideas on stretching the piriformis muscle. It's deep in the buttock, and when it gets tight, can really cause problems with the sciatic nerve. Sitting on a tennis ball can help release it too. Heat, tennis ball, then stretch. Be sure you have enough calcium in your diet and it wouldn't hurt to have a doc check your electrolytes. Are you double jointed? This can contribute to "pain in the butt" syndrome. You should also have an xray to rule out arthritis or problems in the hip or back. Good luck! (01/19/2005) By beanygurl RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms Magnesium and potassium, I had severe thigh spasms. Read article about magnesium, started taking it and haven't had one since. These were horrible spasms. You need to drink plenty of water. Muscles need to stay hydrated. (01/20/2005) By jehosky RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms I use an ice pack on muscles that are in spasm. The ice makes the muscle get numb, and it releases the spasm. I keep ice packs in my freezer always for back and neck spasms. (01/20/2005) RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms Use Ice Packs for 20 min. once every hour. Then use heat for 20 min. Rotate. Also Ibuprofen for the inflammation can help. (01/20/2005) By Sherri RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms I've had sciatica for years. I will get lower calf cramps that are killers! My mom has the same thing and has taken a product called Qville, a generic name. Qville is basically quinine. So I've been drinking up to 2 liters of tonic water and since I don't like the flavor too well, I mix it with a little cranberry juice. You may not have to drink so much, but I've found that it does in fact keep the spasms away. (01/21/2005) By kassi59 RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms Just try this; put a bar of soap,any kind , at the foot of your bed next to your legs and feet. Just try it. What in this world would it hurt? An old remedy for leg cramps. Maybe this will help. Let me know, good luck. (02/06/2005) By CAROL F RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms (sent by email) This sounds very strange, but in the Fresno Bee Newspaper some time ago a Doctor wrote; If you have leg cramps, put a bar of soap in your bed. Not anything like dove or oil of Olay but plain soap. It works for me. bj (03/29/2005) By ThriftyFun RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms Take one 5 mg tablet per day of manganese (do not confuse with magnesium) manganese. No more than 5 mg this is not a water soluble product. Your spasms will disappear as long as u take this once a day;do not exceed once a day. This will not cure your back pain or back problem. It is used to get rid of spasms ONLY! (11/30/2005) By CONCERNED RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms All of the ideas here are great with the exception of the "soap" remedy, I'm not quite sure that one will work for the onset of the occasional leg cramp, which is what I suffer from. I was hoping to find a quick spasm relieving remedy to apply for my occasional night time leg cramps. So far the only thing that I have come up with that works pretty quickly is heat. By heating a washcloth in the microwave for about 10 - 15 seconds and then applying it directly to the effected area. I have found in my case almost instant relief. The hotter you can stand the cloth on the area, the quicker the relief, but be careful not to scold yourself. The moist heat feel good and brings about almost instant relief. If someone else has another quick relief method I would love to hear about it. (02/26/2006) By pgood33605 RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms I recently tried the soap remedy and it has worked. I can't imagine why. Does anyone know what would be in soap that would do this? I also take l/2 tsp of cream of tarter (It is pure potassium) in just a little water, and it will stop the cramps almost immediately. Also put a few drops of lobelia in water and drink it. (04/15/2006) By Evelyn F. RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms I get "charlie horses" in my legs sometimes at night. I used to take a quinine tablet with a glass of water and it would work immediately. I got to wondering how that quinine tablet could dissolve and get into my system so quickly. So tried just the water, no tablet. It worked the same! So now I just get up and get a glass of water and the cramp goes away. (04/16/2006) By wendee RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms My mom recently told me about the bar of soap. I was eating bananas for potassium to try and stop leg cramps. Tried the soap about two months ago and haven't had a cramp since, until this last weekend. We went out of town and I forgot to put soap at the end of the bed. Didn't sleep more than 2 hours at a time each of four nights. Returned home last night to my soap, and slept nine straight hours. Might be an old wives tale, but it works for me. Sleeping like a baby in Washington State. (06/20/2006) By jdcurrie1952 RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms We have great success using the homeopathic remedy Magnesium phosphate (mag.phos.) It stops the cramping in seconds! Really miraculous. Please try it. Nancy S Connecticut (06/29/2006) By Nancy S magnesium taurate Just went through weeks and weeks of sciatica spasms. I took 600 mg of Magnesium Taurate and when I went to bed, I realized that for the first time in weeks my spasms were gone. I had read about it but didn't believe it till I tried it. (01/07/2007) By nospaz RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms I get muscle spasms in the back of my calves and what helps me is to straighten my leg and pull my foot toward me. Sometimes moving it toward me can be painful but it stops my cramping quickly. Now when I feel a cramp coming on I just pull my foot forward and it stops cramping. (01/11/2008) By nicole RE: Remedy For Muscle Spasms Hi Tuey, I, too, was a skeptic re the soap in the bed trick, however, it truly works. I was in misery (not just with leg cramps, but every muscle I had and not just at night but also all day long) for about 4 weeks and was literally begging my m.d. for relief. All my blood work kept coming back with everything within normal range, so no meds. My m.d. told me about the soap to help with night muscle cramps but said we would have to work on finding something else for daytime muscle cramps. I decided that if it worked at night maybe I should try it during the day so I used one of the little motel sample soaps in my pocket during the day. In one day and 2 nights I was a believer. Still not taking any meds for it. I have had a couple of tough cramps since but I've found it is always when I don't have soap near or on my body. (07/23/2008) By buttonsorbows Report Spam or Abuse