Spasm? Spasm!
April 16, 2013 7:49 PM   Subscribe

How do I deal with muscle spasms on a long, long flight?

Two days ago, I was walking down the street, when suddenly I had a sharp pain in my back that wouldn't go away. I went to a doctor, who said it was a muscle spasm, and that there was nothing he could do for me. He hypothesized that it was caused by sleeping on an unfamiliar bed, or perhaps sleeping on the bus on the way from NYC to Boston. My back and neck are always a bit stiff after sleeping on the bus, so this seems plausible to me.

OK, I get the message: I'm now in my 30s so I need to shell out for a hotel instead of crashing with friends.

But I don't really have a choice about sleeping on buses, because I get carsick if I read, and I can't focus on audiobooks.

This weekend, I am going on a 16-or-so hour flight for business. I expect to need to sleep during said flight.

How am I going to survive this? What should I do to actually prevent or correct spasming?
posted by novalis_dt to Health & Fitness (9 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Whenever you're having a muscle spasm, the quickest way to end it is to fight your instincts and contract the antagonist muscle to the one spasming (I.e. if you get a charley horse in your calf, push your toes towards the ceiling). This is counter-intuitive- you'll be afraid that the muscle will tear- but due to the tendon stretch reflex your body will force the spasming muscle to relax (to prevent the muscle tear from occuring). If the muscles are in your back, this will be hard to accomplish (especially sitting up), so go with the next quickest method -application of heat to the affected area. a hot pack or heating pad will help- muscle relaxants might help but I am not able to recommend muscle relaxant medication; please consult your doctor.

If you can get a doc, physio or RMT to take a look they should be able to tell you what muscles or muscle groups are spasming and what specific movements you should to to alleviate it. But until then, heat's your best bet. Take 5-minute (minimum) breaks from the heating pad every ten to fifteen minutes or it will stop working. It should be pleasantly warm, not painful. IANAD, TINMedical advice, please consult your doctor before implementing any of these strategies.
posted by windykites at 8:12 PM on April 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


The old school approach to solving this issue is to ask your GP for a handful (by which I mean like 4, two for each journey) muscle relaxants. Bonus: you'll sleep very well. But in reality, the evidence shows they won't be more effective than NSAIDs, so I'd take two prophylacticly. Bonus: you can wash them down with scotch, and you'll sleep very well.

Caveat: I am a firm believer in better living through chemistry.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:47 PM on April 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


Quinine works as a cure for leg cramps, so knock back a bunch of gin and tonics.
posted by 445supermag at 9:05 PM on April 16, 2013


Options:
- Take a muscle relaxant
- Or, experiment before the flight if a couple of glasses of wine helps, and if it does, do that
- Definitely get an aisle seat so you can get up and move around if need be
- Look into getting a massage before the flight
posted by Kololo at 9:36 PM on April 16, 2013


If it's a muscle thing, make sure you're adequately hydrated. Consider adding electrolytes to your water. The people who make Emergen-C have a similar product called Electro-Mix that's got calcium, magnesium, and potassium in it. I find this a lot more helpful than stuff like Gatorade which is just sugar and salt.
posted by bink at 10:24 PM on April 16, 2013


Hi, I have Spastic Paraparesis, which essentially means permanently spamming muscles. It sucks.

I find that hot baths before the flight help. Same with hydration, and exercise. Leg/muscle stretching, as long as it doesn't cause pain or trigger the spasm, is also good. And that can be done at the airport or on the airplane.

If you get prescribed muscle relaxants, and aren't used to them, I would seriously advise against drinking any alcohol. Because alcohol is also a muscle relaxant, and you don't want the two interacting in a very bad way while you're in the air. I also find that alcohol makes my spasms worse, not better - but that may be a personal quirk with me. If you need to sleep, Benedryl might help, it puts me right to sleep. But DO NOT mix that with alcohol!
posted by spinifex23 at 11:42 PM on April 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


Yeah, I had this last year when I went to London for business.

I went to my GP and we discussed how best to deal with it. I got a muscle relaxer and Vicadin. It worked nicely.

Steer clear of the booze though.

If your doctor isn't amenable, you'll need to find someone else. A doctor who won't address a very real pain issue isn't worth dealing with.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:12 AM on April 17, 2013


Several years ago, when I had bad back spasms, my MD prescribed me Flexeril. Not only did it relieve my spasms, it also helped me sleep. Good luck -- I have made several 10+ hour flights myself in coach, and I would not want to do it in your condition without prescription medication.
posted by elmay at 7:43 AM on April 17, 2013


Best answer: I have a friend with muscle spasms in her back due to an old injury. She flies overseas frequently, and one things she does (suggested to her by her physical therapist) is take a tennis ball with her and periodically stretch/exercise by going into the bathroom on the plane, leaning against the wall or the door, whichever vertical surface is available, with the ball between her back and the surface and moving around so the ball rubs/massages/stretches the sore parts. When she's at her destination, she does the same thing to relieve her back, only on the floor of her hotel room.

If you try this and it works for you: make sure the door is securely locked first! She's fallen out of the bathroom with the ball bouncing down the aisle of the plane before.
posted by telophase at 1:55 PM on April 17, 2013


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