Do you suffer from back muscles that are hard as stone?

[Danimgw]

I get horrid aches in my back that is one of the causes of my migraines., My back muscles are like stone ? Anything to do with the thickness of the blood?. I have every two weeks deep tissue massage (and it is very painful), it relaxes my muscles. Since I've been on this treatment my migraines have almost disappeared.

[Eagle]

Yes, I often get that feeling....as if I'm solidifying slowly. Are you on Warfarin? I can imagine deep tissue massage helping a lot but I wasn't sure that it was the best treatment when the blood is thinned. Glad it's helped with the migraines - will have a think about it for myself again....thank you for mentioning it.

E

[Lesley_D]

The deep tissue massage can help, or even Indian Head massage - I am a holistic therapist, and am looking into what I can offer to fellow APS suffers who are local to me once my business is fully set up. There are certain essential oils used in massage that we need to avoid.

Keep well and warm smiles

Lesley

[pumpkincake]

I did not know what my tightness in my back was and it has caused headaches for years...but then again with APS headaches they all blended together and I just lived with it. Just recently I found I have a severe degenerative cervical spine issue...and that is the heart of my aches and pains in my upper back and neck. Wouldnt have know it ... as I just deal with the uncomfortable part of it.

I think I would let my doctor know...and they can look into it. Hopefully you have no issues like this but it is better to know this so you can address it. I had a few massages last year and was told that I should not have them with the degenerative issues as it can make it worse right now.

Better to know it isnt something else.

Best of Luck to you....

[MaryF Administrator]

I am sure with pain, it makes us hold ourselves awkwardly. I notice this at times and stay for a very long time in my very very large bath. I am lucky to have it fitted with a machine which massages me with bubbles, that normally makes things a whole lot better. I am worse if any form of infection going on. Mary F

[tassie]

Yes that is exactly how my osteo describes my neck and shoulder muscles. Like pumpkincake I also have a degenerative spinal issue in the neck that doesn't help but like Mary I think the stress and pain we carry also causes us to tense those muscles as well. So probably a combination of issues.

The massage from the osteo sometimes helps. with the headaches but not always.

[GinaD]

My physical therapist noted that certain of my back muscles were trying to compensate for weakness in the pelvic girdle -- which they are not designed to do-- and in his opinion this accounted for the back and much of the pelvic pain I was experiencing. Me? I think he was half right -- the other half being a non-therapeutic INR level allowing my damn antibodies to attack nerves/vessels/muscles in that area. But closely following his injunctions to stand erect with a neutral pelvis has helped greatly. Of course, with me, before raising the INR level, the problem was knowing what a neutral pelvis felt like.

So in conclusion -- can you get a referral to a physical therapist as well? You also may have my strange "Trendelenberg Gait" with back muscles which are trying to do the job of the glutes.

Gina