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Author Topic: How to relax muscles?
pH
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What are the best ways you guys know to get knots out of your muscles? If it is in fact a knot. I've been rubbing capzasin on it and applying a hot water bottle, but it doesn't really seem to be helping.

It's my jaw muscle, so I don't know if I should be putting popsicle sticks or something (I don't HAVE popsicle sticks, but you know what I mean) in my jaw to stretch it open more? I might go take another bath with these lavendar bath salts...I just don't know how to get the muscle to relax, and I feel like worrying about relaxing it is making it more tense, or something.

-pH

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BlackBlade
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baths with salts is a good way to deal with it. I personally prefer the hot bath method, Plan B is have my wife make it all better, she graduated from massage therapy school [Big Grin]
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ketchupqueen
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When I was seeing a specialist for my TMJ, he recommended a stretch called the "n-stretch." You say the "nnnn" sound (or pretend to) and then keep your tongue in that position and use it to gently stretch your mouth open. (The tongue is actually more for "balance" than anything else.) It might help you to do that stretch. Moist heat is also good.
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Launchywiggin
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that one makes my jaw go "POP!"

ouch.

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pooka
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Quinine water gets out charley horses. Neuromuscular massage involves applying additional pressure to the connections with the tendons near the ends of the muscle to reset the proprioceptors.
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Belle
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When I have something like that I arrange to see my cousin who is a professional massage therapist. Is there a school of massage nearby? Usually you can see one much less expensively that way.
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Elizabeth
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Ibuprofen, if you can take it.
Deep breathing.
Drink lots of water.
Exercise regularly, even a 20 minute walk each day, to keep your circulation going.
If it is the tmj, that is often a tension issue, so that's wht I mentioned the deep breathing.

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ClaudiaTherese
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Good advice here. One more thing is to consider inciting factors: whether you are a habitual jaw clencher, any new medications (jaw cramp is a side effect of some, both prescription and recreational), whether anyone has ever told you that you grind your teeth at night, etc. If there are specific inciting factors and you keep doing them, then the problem continues.
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pH
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quote:
Originally posted by Belle:
When I have something like that I arrange to see my cousin who is a professional massage therapist. Is there a school of massage nearby? Usually you can see one much less expensively that way.

My gym offers massage for problem areas pretty cheaply for members. Unfortunately, I'm still on painkillers from the surgery (apparently, I now know what a dry socket feels like [Frown] ), so I can't drive. Massage would be so nice.

CT, what if I feel like...I feel like I'm clenching my jaw on the side with the knot, but not on the side without the knot. Which I guess makes sense, but if I stretch my whole jaw, will that irritate the other side? I guess I just don't understand how, if the knot is caused by my jaw being pried open for so long...then why does stretching help it? Or why would that cause a knot in the first place?

While I was sleeping, the pain worsened, and I lost some of the jaw mobility I'd gained yesterday. [Frown] Maybe I did too much yesterday; I got so excited that I started eating small solid foods, like crackers and such.

-pH

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ClaudiaTherese
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quote:
Unfortunately, I'm still on painkillers from the surgery (apparently, I now know what a dry socket feels like [Frown] ), so I can't drive.
quote:
I guess I just don't understand how, if the knot is caused by my jaw being pried open for so long...then why does stretching help it? Or why would that cause a knot in the first place?
I take it you just had wisdom teeth surgery. (You've probably mentioned this here, but my reading has been erratic -- too work-busy). My sympathies. And if you have dry socket, you have my deepest sympathies. [Frown]

If a joint is stretched past its normal physiologic range, there can be microtears and irritation to the surrounding tissue. (Mind you, this may be necessary to do the surgery, but it may still be hard on the body. Cutting into one's belly is hard on the body, too, but it is sometimes necessary for certain surgeries.) The tissues just aren't made to bend and stretch that way.

When an area of the body gets inflamed and damaged, the body tends to react in ways to "splint" that area: muscles tighten up (voluntarily or involuntarily*), the tissue swells up, etc. You may be having this problem on only one side of the jaw because perhaps that side was probed a little more, or it was cranked open differentially, or maybe you just had a greater natural range of motion in the other side. Regardless, it's entirely likely that your body sensed "damage!" and reacted the best way it knows how -- to protect the damaged area and prevent further damage.

Unfortunately sometimes the body overreacts, or sometimes it just can't judge well what the right reaction is for this particular incident -- it just acts blindly. Recall also that most autoimmune disorders represent (we think) the body's over-reaction or inappropriate reaction to certain stimuli.

I think it was pooka above that mentioned resetting the receptors of the tendons/muscles through massage. Additionally, massage can loosen someof the developing strictures and micro-scar-tissue that start developing in the fascia around muscle fibers in spasm. Here you are sort of reteaching the body what is most appropriate for this situation.

I find anti-inflammatories like Advil (as noted above) work well for me. Helps calm the inflammation part as well as ease the pain. And less pain means less signalling to your body of "damage! damage! look over HERE!" so that you help break the cycle of response to pain causing more pain.

Make sense?

----

*The involuntary spasm of muscles in response to inflammation is what is responsible for the guarding response of the abdomen to (for example) a burst appendix -- the belly goes "stiff as a board." There is a similar response of the spine muscles when there is an irritation of the meninges (as in meningitis). Of course these are extreme examples, but they illustrate one end of the body's continuum of protective response to inflammation.

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pH
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That makes a lot of sense, CT. [Smile] I've been trying to massage it myself. Is it bad that it makes my mouth bleed when I massage it?

Oh, and I also soaked in the tub with lavender bath salts and have been lighting incense every once in a while to try to keep a relaxing mood.

Also, would using some kind of muscle pain rub or patch, like an Icy Hot patch or something help? As I said, I tried capzasin yesterday. It seemed to help at the time, but now that my jaw is clenched again I wonder if it did more harm than good.

Is it possible that it's some kind of weird ball of infection? It feels like it's smooth under the skin. Should it have striations(sp?) like voluntary muscle tissue?

-pH

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ClaudiaTherese
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I wish I could tell you for sure, pH. I also wish I were there to probe around and feel for myself, as sometimes you can isolate a few muscle fiber strands (like piano wires) that are behaving particularly badly and then cajole them into relaxation.

However, I suspect that if you are making things bleed, you are possibly doing more harm than good. (Remember, more damage ---> more splinting response ---> more pain, and additional bleeding likely means you are causing additional long-term inflammation.) If I were you, I'd closely follow the discharge sheet instructions as much as possible, using an anti-inflammatory and/or other pain medicine (if precribed or allowed) and hot or cold packs if they made it feel better (as recommended or allowed on your discharge sheet).

Unfortunately, I have little more than a consumer's knowledge of dental surgery, so I can't offer much more helpful advice than that. But good vibes! [Smile] And call your dental or other healthcare professional if things continue to get worse.

I hope you feel better soon, pH. I really do.

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ClaudiaTherese
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quote:
Originally posted by pH:

Is it possible that it's some kind of weird ball of infection? It feels like it's smooth under the skin. Should it have striations(sp?) like voluntary muscle tissue?

-pH

It is unlikely to have an abscess develop within a few days, although it's just impossible to say for sure. Tight muscles can feel smooth or wiry, depending on the muscle, the context, and the person trying to feel them.

I would worry most about infection if you start getting a really foul odor or taste from the area, develop a fever by thermometer (or shaking chills), or if you start draining pus. But there should be guidelines for things to watch for in the discharge instruction sheet. Did you get one?

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pH
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Thanks, CT! [Smile]

I had them out on Monday. I've been doing what they told me to do; they suggested warm heat and massage. But it's so frustrating that I still can't eat real food. Aside from the surgery, I went to the dentist twice last week, and I have to go back again Monday morning.

I did get an information sheet. I had a fever for the first part of the week, but it was low-grade, and it's gone now. They said a low fever was normal.

Okay, so I guess no more massage. Or crackers.

-pH

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ClaudiaTherese
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Poor baby!

I like the idea of lavender for relaxation. Olivia brought me some deliciously-scented lavender soap when she visited recently, and it's been perfuming my closet. I think I'm going to use it in a bath, too. (having tummy troubles)

Maybe somebody can massage your feet and hands, too, to help with general relaxation. Anything you can do to pamper yourself gently now seems well-deserved and well-earned.

[ September 16, 2006, 03:32 PM: Message edited by: ClaudiaTherese ]

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ChevMalFet
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I find stretching, or Yoga when you wake up and possibly before bed as well is especially good for keeping tension aches away. For me especially I get neck tension and stretches that open up my back below the shoulder blades help a good deal.
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pH
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CT, is there any way to tell if it's a knot from infection or a muscle knot? It doesn't seem to be getting any better. What they told me when I went back Wednesday was that I had an infection and to switch to clindamycin, and if my fever went up or the swelling got down to my throat, to go to the ER. I have a weird taste in my mouth, but I also can't fit a toothbrush in to get to much of anything besides the front of my front teeth. I've been rinsing with the disinfectant they gave me, though.

-pH

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ClaudiaTherese
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It sounds like you are seriously concerned about it and that it isn't getting better. That's good enough reason in my book to get it seen by a healthcare professional. Clinda by itself will give you a weird metallicy/powdery taste, too.

I don't think I can tell you something that will help you distinguish between the two, pH. Sounds like you'd have to have someone skilled look at it to tell.

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pH
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Would it be totally wrong of me to go to the urgent care clinic today? I'm not sure I can wait until my appointment tomorrow. The pain is keeping me from sleeping and making me cry.

-pH

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ClaudiaTherese
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I think that would be by far the most appropriate thing to do.

Take care of yourself, okay?

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Noemon
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How'd it go at the clinic, pH?
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pH
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Well, the doctor said that the lump in my cheek didn't feel like a muscle knot, and she said I shouldn't be in this much pain almost a week after the surgery. She was all set to do a blood test, call an oral surgeon, and ship me to the hospital, and then all of a sudden she decided to page the doctor who'd done my surgery.

He's apparently really, really sure that it is in fact a muscle knot and that the pain is normal considering the difficulty of my surgery. So I'm going to see him at 6 tonight.

And the clinic gave me a prescription for liquid vicodin because my mouth has shut tightly again, and the vicodin tablets won't fit between my teeth. The clinic doctor said that if it's just trauma from the surgery and nothing weird, it will still probably be a week until I can eat real food, provided I keep up with my stretching exercises.

So I got myself some chili cheese and bacon cheddar ranch fries, which get all soggy with the topings on them, and cut them up into little pieces and slid them into my mouth sideways on the side of my jaw that isn't hurting.

Oh, and I have fluid in my ear.

-pH

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ClaudiaTherese
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Thanks for going in. [Smile] I hope it gets better soon.

*fingers crossed

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Dan_raven
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I was going to suggest the following, but if you are on Pain killers, it may be a bit too effective:

Open mouth as wide as possible.

Poor in as much good tequilla as the open mouth can hold.

Shut mouth.

Swallow.

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pH
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Dan: [ROFL] I wish!

They stuffed the dry socket on the bottom with some magical brown paste that made me forget half my mouth for a little while. But they couldn't do anything for the one on top because it's still infected.

The doctor told me I need to chew things, except that chewing is about equivalent to someone jamming a dagger into my sinus cavity. So I'm gonna say no to that.

Ah well. It's a little better, at least.

-pH

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