Muscle pain treatments?

Since2010

Since2010

Established Member
Hi all

Haven't been on the forum for quite a while. Have recently sustained a big crash; most likely permanent, going by past crashes. My aerobic threshold is even lower than before, so the pain/burning/buzzing in my calves and feet kicks in earlier and is almost impossible to get rid of.

Hit me with your symptomatic treatments for this! Deep Heat and magnesium gel aren't as effective as they were before.
 
Pain is not one of my major symptoms, but the only thing that really helps my muscles feel a tad better is a hot bath (if able). I guess it depends what sort of pain you get. I get a lot of fascial pain, and that sort of lactic acid burn/pain in muscles from doing too much / overwork (which doesn't take much). If you've got neuropathic pain then you might need more than a hot bath!
 
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I too find hot water the only way to get rid of certain kinds of pain. I have a shower chair that partly reclines (actually a plastic garden chair), which I sit in and run water over my legs. I very slowly increase the temperature, as hotter water works better.

My wetroom's generously sized for a small house and freezing in winter, so I worked out a way of wearing a thick fleece on my upper body and holding the shower spray in my hand. I find this quicker and more comfortable than having to get completely undressed; also, using a shower doesn't leave me exhausted in the way baths used to. When I'm finished I wrap a towel round my legs and sit there until the skin's dried off enough.

Pain's always been an issue for me, and on bad nights I have to repeat this several times before it subsides enough that I can get to sleep.
 
I cannot handle hot baths but heat itself does help me a lot. I use a heating blanket, and have to make sure my legs do not get too cold when I am out of bed.
Also tried topical magnesium at some point but that didn't seem to help/fully stop it and just made my skin itchy.
 
My mainstay for fibromyalgia pain is capsaicin cream (0.1% capsaicin*). This works very well for me. Also good for mild, medium osteo arthritis pain areas.

I use a microwaved hot pack (my brand is My Bed Buddy) which is rice hulls. (Must heat it with a small jar of water so as not to burn the hulls).

I have a heating pad as well to use at the same time as the above two methods.

Hot bath with friction applied to usual bad areas. Wait 20 minutes before applying capsaicin, use heating sac and heating pad.

Additionally, if the above don't quell the pain I take the muscle relaxant tizanidine (I use 1 mg). It is most effective for true muscle spasms. I have clonazepam on hand as an alternative.


*If capsaicin gets in your eyes, rinse with eye drops or water, The burning sensation will dissipate without harm. You can remove it from your hands and fingers by wiping with vegetable oil. Same if you get it on genital areas.
 
shak8 said:
My mainstay for fibromyalgia pain is capsaicin cream (0.1% capsaicin*). This works very well for me. Also good for mild, medium osteo arthritis pain areas.

I use a microwaved hot pack (my brand is My Bed Buddy) which is rice hulls. (Must heat it with a small jar of water so as not to burn the hulls).

I have a heating pad as well to use at the same time as the above two methods.

Hot bath with friction applied to usual bad areas. Wait 20 minutes before applying capsaicin, use heating sac and heating pad.

Additionally, if the above don't quell the pain I take the muscle relaxant tizanidine (I use 1 mg). It is most effective for true muscle spasms. I have clonazepam on hand as an alternative.


*If capsaicin gets in your eyes, rinse with eye drops or water, The burning sensation will dissipate without harm. You can remove it from your hands and fingers by wiping with vegetable oil. Same if you get it on genital areas.
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Thanks I've already tried a capsaicin cream but it's not as effective now that I've sustained a major crash. I'm going to try a combo of oxygen from my machine and a heat pack over my legd, and see how it goes.
 
haven’t found anything whilst moving but for the after if I don’t also have restless leg and needing to find cool for the bits by any joint etc due to PEM then I second the heat which I do by heat pads underneath me or wrapping a heated throw round them (often with quilt in between)

I also find that using pillows to prop them and buying super soft pillows for the sore bits and help to relax round the ankle. I have a ‘feels like feather’ (but isn’t) under my ankles and bottom of leg as it helps to relax the rest of leg and foot a bit by them being on something super soft
 
I find temperature control to be important. Sometimes that's heating packs and sometimes that's ice packs. In terms of medication, cromolyn help prevent some muscle pain if it's the spastic, charlie horse kind.
 
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