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Mon 30 Jan, 2006 10:15 am
Can anybody explain (the science of it?) to me why putting a heating pad or heat over a muscle spasm softens it up?
I thought putting ice over it would soften it up. Three doctors told me that too... I went on the net and looked at the gel pad package and they all said to put heat on it. At first I tried ice for a week... nothing. After I heated for a weak and 90% of the spasm is gone. How so? Thanks.
dunno, wong. I had severe back spasms last year and although I felt better after applying heat, the spasms didn't stop until I gave up on the heat and used 10 minutes on - 10 minutes off ice every waking hour for about three days. After three days I switched to heat and it was fine. Maybe the fact that you were icing it and then switched to heat worked for you too.
Try getting more potassium in your diet (bananas are a good source, there are also potassium pills you can take). Exercise is also a good cure for spasms... and don't forget to stretch afterwards.
... and if it's back spasms you're having, make sure you strengthen you abs. Most back spasms are result of having weak abs, which I unfortunately found out the hard way.
Yeah, I know what you mean luckily I have decent abs.... my back had minor pain when I got into vigorous exercise and healed pretty quickly... I guess that's thanks in part to my decent abs.
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