My sister is struggling with stiff muscles. They are all basically very stiff. But, her neck and shoulders are the worst. The muscles in her neck are solid. They literally feel like rocks when you touch them. I have been massaging her muscles at least every other day, sometimes daily for over a month now. I have also encouraged her to start doing some exercises for her neck. Every day she does the cat/cow yoga pose (arching and hunching back/spine) (it is apparently one of the best exercises you can do for bulging discs and she has a few bulging discs in her spine), puppy pose(core strengthener and spine/shoulder stretcher), and child's pose(spine/shoulder stretcher). But, none of this seems to be helping. And, her muscles are just getting tenser. Now she says the muscles around her ribs below her armpits are getting tight and it's getting difficult for her to breath.
She also goes walking once a day for 45 minutes to an hour, and I try to keep her moving throughout the day but it can be hard because of the pain she is in.
I'm also now putting celadrin on her muscles daily. But, I have only been doing that for a few days, so I can't say whether that's helping or not yet.
Does anyone have any advice for stiff muscles? Has anyone tried taking baclofen for stiff muscles?
My sister was prescribed 28 days worth of it months ago but refused to take it after discovering that it is extremely addictive and hard to stop taking once you are on it. But, I am beginning to wonder if she should just take it anyway.
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Twin4Life
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You are helping by massaging the muscles and by her doing the exercises. We are not medically qualified to say whether medication may help or not. For me, a deep tissue massage is only thing that helps when muscles are really tight (painful but helps)
Hi twin4life, sorry i dont have any knowledge if baclofen. Has your sister had an mot/review done bloods ect when this medication was prescribed? We need to not pass off any new or worsening symptoms as fibro, they should be investigated. Im worried and her problems breathing.
I have similiar muscle issues and see an osteopath regularly, i appreciate this isnt an option for everyone but i would recommend it. I hope your sister get some relief soon. Look after yourself too, you are a good sister.
I can definitely relate. How about your sister having a warm bath with some Epsom salts? That should hopefully to make her feel bit more relaxed and may ease some of the stiffness as well.
hey there, I experience a lot of neck and shoulder pain, mainly my own doing, looking down for 8 hours a day at work, I visit a chiropractor monthly for back pain and he also now works on my neck and shoulders, and ‘cracks’ my neck free as it’s so tight. This may not be the issue but may be worth checking out to see if something is going on, he also tells me what’s will work best, heat or ice, unfortunately it’s usually ice!! 🥴
Hi I have similar issues and have found a massage gun really helpful. You can buy them with different fitting heads and different speeds. This was recommended to me by a physiotherapist.
Hi Twin4Life , It may be a good idea for your Sister to check in with her GP , Fibromyalgia is a strange beast and can cause some strange symptoms, but what your Sister is experiencing does seem very extreme, maybe it’s something else that’s causing the very tight muscle spasm and pain she’s having.
I have taken her to see the GP about this issue multiple times now. No one would take her seriously until I got a note from a private physio that said they thought she needed an MRI. The MRI scan found that she had a few bulging discs in her neck one of which was compressing some nerves that affect the shoulders and neck, and one which was compressing her spinal cord mildly. Last week she finally had an appointment with a neurosurgeon who said that the compression was not bad enough to require surgery, and that there was nothing they could do except hope that the discs eventually healed themselves. The bulging discs might be causing her muscles to spasm because of the nerve and spinal cord compression, although the neurosurgeon didn't really discuss this.
Long story short, everyone in the NHS that my sister has seen, has basically said they can't help her.
My husband does massage my neck shoulders sometimes as it seems a very tight area for me, does she find heat more beneficial ie a wheat bag from the microwave, I use a rub in pain relief cream called Cannabi hemp cream extra strong I’ve stuck with this as seems too work better for pain and stiffness than anything else I’ve ever used. (Always check with pharmacist/doctor when trying or using any new product) I’m guessing she’s spoken too her doctor recently if pain is spreading around a new area? You sound a very caring Sister with helping her daily ,take care xx
First of all I am sure other members on this site understand your feelings and concerns about your sister. My muscles do this as well not all the time mostly flare-ups. My routine in controlling my muscles is a ten machine it take the pain away from the muscles and will ease the tension which is creating the muscles to go into a spams.
Look at your sisters diet and lifestyle there could be things that she is doing which is making her feel more poorly.
Keeping her muscles warm is good as they should stay relaxed. Stretching exercises will help her there are many videos on YouTube which will also support her. Your sister is doing very well by walking for at least 45mins aday . However if after her walk she is struggling she should cut back on walking a long time when feeling uncomfortable.
Wearing the right clothes which keep her body warm . Going cold will not help her muscles. Perhaps it's time for your sister to checked over again by her GP there is all sort of help out there which could support her.
Talking Therapies may also help her . Look on there website you can put yourself forward for a Referral it might help her
to talk about her condition.
My suggestions might help might not but worth looking into.
I would say when your body is sending you messages we offen do not look at our lifestyle or diets and from my own experience changes can make a difference. Good luck 👍 stay safe xx
A few thoughts from one who is currently experiencing a Fibro flare and very stiff muscles: perhaps your sister is overdoing it. That's a lot of walking! She might want to experiment and see if doing small amounts of walking two or three times a day, or every other day, helps. Obviously she needs to keep moving - perhaps just less/in less concentrated form.
Similarly, it may be a case of pulling back on the yoga and re-introducing it exercise by exercise, in small amounts - and see how she reacts. I tend to have a delayed reaction to over-exertion: my Fibro will get worse afterwards but may not reach its zenith until day 3 post over-exertion. It's a very individual thing, of course, and I don't know how it is for your sister.
Basically, I am suggesting that it is worth your sister approaching this rather like identifying food intolerances/safe levels of poorly tolerated foods (I follow a low to moderate FODMAP diet, if you are familiar with that). Try to get back to a safe baseline for a few days and then introduce something, one by one, and see where the the safe level is/can be maintained before trying something else.
I have also found microwaveable wheat bags to be of great help. I use one for my neck shoulders and upper back; my waist/lower back area; and I put one on my knees.
I can't recommend any meds for stiff muscles - totally outwith of my experience but a Fibro experienced physio might be of help, if you can find one on the NHS or are in the fortunate position of going private.
Has your sister been referred to a Pain Management Consultant? If not, it might be worth getting her GP to do this as her pain sounds like it is becoming uncontrollable with 'normal' measures. A Pain Consultant can evaluate your sister and make suggestions regarding possible treatments, which may include Baclofen. I myself take Methocarbamol and to be honest, it can be hit and miss. The best thing to do is get the referral and continue to massage (look into trigger point therapy/Myofascial release as this *may* help but I'm speaking from experience).
She has seen a pain management consultant. And, they have basically said they can't do anything to help her as she has fibromyalgia and there is no cure for it. They said they can put her on a 8 month wait list for pain management group session whatever that means.
I hear you. I'm in a similar position except that I have just started the pain management programme group sessions. It's very difficult and very frustrating.
I suffered for many many years with stiff neck and shoulder pain eventually diagnosed with cervical dystonia and I have Botox injected every three months which helps immensely I also have neck tremors causing head to move from side to side It’s worth just looking into as it is under diagnosed very painful and debilitating not many GPS are aware. It was a physio that eventually diagnosed me after years of pain and treatment
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