Archive for the ‘spasm’ Category

The Real Causes Of Neck Spasm Headache

Sunday, September 21st, 2008

Has you already know, a neck spasm headache also known as tension headache is caused by tension in muscles neck, creating pain at the top and the base of the head. But the real question to answer is what the causes of those tensions? Actually there are multiple possible causes for the spasm in your neck, all with different degree of severity.

Some of the most serious causes of muscle spasm in the neck are often related to car accident, like a rear end motor vehicle accident. Of course most of the cases are not that serious and are caused by less important factors such as:

- Bad posture
- Neck held in a bad position for to long
- Work at a computer
- Driving for long period
- Etc…

Available Treatment for a Neck Spasm Headache

There are of course multiple ways to treat a neck spasm headache. One of the most common or used method is “manipulative therapy”. The goal of the therapy is to reduce the muscle spasm allowing the spine to return to its normal position. This method is usually performed by quickly stretching the muscle. Other methods like “counter-strain” are also used to treat this type of headache. If you are the kind of person who doesn’t like to take medicine then manipulative therapy could be a good option for you to get rid of your neck spasm headache.

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The Truth About a Neck Spasm Headache

Saturday, September 20th, 2008

There is a wide variety of headaches all with different severity levels. But did you know that the most common type of headache is the tension headache? Tension headaches known also as muscle contraction headache are caused by spasms and tensions of the muscle located in your neck and shoulders. So I guess it’s fair to say that “Neck Spasms headache” is a fairly accurate description of the condition.

Although tension headache or neck spasm headache are amongst the most common type of headaches, they are difficult to treat. To help you overcome this situation, this article is going to resume the various ways that a neck spasm headache can be treated so if you are suffering from this condition you can then take an informed decision about the type treatment that best fits your individual lifestyle and condition.

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Muscle Relaxants

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Strains, sprains, and other muscle injuries can result in pain, stiffness, and muscle spasms. Muscle relaxants do not heal the injuries, but they do relaxmuscles and help ease discomfort and stop muscle spasms. The muscle relaxantcyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) is also sometimes used to treat fibromyalgia, a condition that involves aches, stiffness, and fatigue.

Muscle relaxants work by acting on the central nervous system. In the UnitedStates, they are available only with a physician’s prescription. Examples ofmuscle relaxants are carisoprodol (Soma), chlorzoxazone (Parafon Forte DSC),cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), and methocarbamol (Robaxin). Most come only in tablet form. However, methocarbamol (Robaxin) is available in both tablet and injectable forms. Some muscle relaxants are available in Canada without a prescription.

Muscle relaxants are usually prescribed along with rest, exercise, physical therapy, or other treatments. Although the drugs may provide relief, they should never be considered a substitute for these other forms of treatment. Thesedrugs may make the injury feel so much better that one is tempted to go backto normal activity, but doing too much too soon can actually make the injuryworse.

Muscle relaxants work quite well for relieving muscle pain due to injuries, but are not effective for other types of pain. Some people feel drowsy, dizzy,confused, lightheaded, or less alert when using muscle relaxants drugs. These drugs may also cause blurred vision, clumsiness, or unsteadiness.

Because muscle relaxants work on the central nervous system, they may add tothe effects of alcohol and other drugs that slow down the central nervous system. They may also add to the effects of anesthetics, including those used for dental procedures. For this reason, anyone who takes these drugs should notdrive, operate machinery, or do anything else that might be dangerous untilthey have found out how the drugs affect them.

People with certain medical conditions or who are taking certain other medicines can have problems if they take muscle relaxants. Diabetes should be awarethat the metaxalone (Skelaxin) may cause false test results on one type of test for sugar in the urine. People with epilepsy should be cautioned that taking the muscle relaxant methocarbamol may increase the likelihood of seizures.

Anyone who has allergies, who is breastfeeding has kidney disease, has suffered a recent heart attack or irregular heartbeat, has an overactive thyroid gland, hepatitis or liver disease, is a current or former drug or alcohol abuser, has glaucoma, or has problems with urination should discuss their condition with their doctor before taking muscle relaxants.

The most common side effects or muscle relaxants are vision changes, such asdouble vision or blurred vision; dizziness; lightheadedness; drowsiness; anddry mouth. These problems usually go away as the body adjusts to the drug anddo not require medical treatment. Methocarbamol and chlorzoxazone may causeharmless color changes in urine –orange or reddish-purple with chlorzoxazoneand purple, brown, or green with methocarbamol. The urine will return to itsnormal color when the patient stops taking the medicine.

Less common side effects, such as stomach cramps or pain, nausea and vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, hiccups, clumsiness or unsteadiness, confusion, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, flushed or red face, headache, heartburn, weakness, trembling, and sleep problems also may occur and do not need medical attention unless they do not go away or they interfere with normal activities.

More serious side effects are not common, but may occur. Anyone who experiences breathing problems, facial swelling, fainting, unusually fast or unusuallyslow heartbeat, fever, tightness in the chest, rash, itching, hives, burning, stinging, red, or bloodshot eyes, or unusual thoughts or dreams after taking muscle relaxants should seek medical help promptly

The muscle relaxant chlorzoxazone (Parafon Forte DSC) has caused serious, life-threatening liver problems in some people. The reaction is rare, but anyonetaking the drug should stop taking it and notify his or her physician immediately if any of these symptoms occur: fever, rash, loss of appetite, nausea,vomiting, fatigue, pain in the upper right part of the abdomen, dark urine, or yellow skin or eyes.

Muscle relaxants may interact with some other medicines. When this happens, the effects of one or both of the drugs may change or the risk of side effectsmay be greater. Anyone who plans to take muscle relaxants should let the physician know all other medicines, including over-the-counter or nonprescription medicines, that he or she is taking.

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Diazepan and Breastfeeding

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

Diazepam is in a group of drugs called benzodiazepines (ben-zoe-dye-AZE-eh-peens). Diazepam affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause anxiety.

Diazepam is used to treat anxiety disorders, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, or muscle spasms. Diazepam may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Diazepam can cause birth defects in an unborn baby. Do not use diazepam without your doctor’s consent if you are pregnant. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment. Use an effective form of birth control while you are using this medication. Diazepam may pass into breast milk and could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. The sedative effects of diazepam may last longer in older adults. Accidental falls are common in elderly patients who take benzodiazepines. Use caution to avoid falling or accidental injury while you are taking diazepam. Do not give this medication to a child younger than 6 months old.

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Origin of Muscle Spasm

Sunday, July 20th, 2008

Muscle spasm of local origin needs to be clinically differentiated from spasticity and sustained muscle contraction in the setting of the central nervous system (CNS) and upper motor neuron injury. Baclofen (Lioresal) and dantrolene sodium (Dantrium) are two agents whose use is indicated in the setting of spasticity of CNS etiology. Dantrolene sodium is of particular interest, as its mechanism of action is purely at the muscular level where it serves to inhibit the release of calcium form the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Casale studied the effectiveness of dantrolene sodium, 25-mg daily, in the treatment of low back pain and found patients to demonstrate significant improvements in visual analogue scores, pain behavior, and electromyographic (EMG) evaluations of “antalgic reflex motor unit firing,” when compared with the placebo group. The findings of this study are interesting in that they demonstrate improvement secondary to a pure muscle relaxant, which does not possess other outside anti-nociceptive properties.

Baclofen is a derivative of gamma-aminobutryic acid (GABA) and is believed to inhibit mono and polysynaptic reflexes at the spinal level. Treatment with baclofen was compared to placebo in a double blind, randomized study of 200 patients with acute low back pain. Patients with initially severe discomfort were found to benefit from baclofen, 30- to 80-mg daily, on days four and ten of follow up. Forty-nine percent of treatment patients complained of sleepiness, 38% of nausea, and 17% discontinued treatment.

Sedation Side Effect

Sedation is the most commonly reported adverse effect of muscle relaxant medications. These drugs should be used with caution in patients driving motor vehicles or operating heavy machinery. More absolute contraindications do exist to the use of carisoprodol, cyclobenzaprine, and diazepam. Rare idiosyncratic reactions have also been reported to carisoprodol and its metabolites such as meprobamate. Benzodiazepines have potential for abuse and their use should be avoided. By initially prescribing muscle relaxants at bedtime, the physician might take advantage of their sedative effects and minimize daytime drowsiness.

These agents have been found to be effective when used either alone or in combination with an analgesic/anti-inflammatory agent within seven days of symptom onset. The prescribing physician should monitor patients receiving these medications and tailor dosages in an attempt to minimize the drowsiness and sedation often associated with their use. The use of benzodiazepines does not appear to offer any significant benefit to patients experiencing acute low back pain. Further research is needed before the role of baclofen and dantrolene sodium in the treatment of muscle spasm of local origin can be more clearly defined.

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How Relaxants Work?

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

Strains, sprains, and other muscle injuries can result in pain, stiffness, and muscle spasms. Muscle relaxants do not heal the injuries, but they do relaxmuscles and help ease discomfort and stop muscle spasms. The muscle relaxantcyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) is also sometimes used to treat fibromyalgia, a condition that involves aches, stiffness, and fatigue.

Muscle relaxants work by acting on the central nervous system. In the UnitedStates, they are available only with a physician’s prescription. Examples of muscle relaxants are carisoprodol (Soma), chlorzoxazone, cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), and methocarbamol. Most come only in tablet form. However, methocarbamol is available in both tablet and injectable forms. Some muscle relaxants are available in Canada without a prescription.

Muscle relaxants are usually prescribed along with rest, exercise, physical therapy, or other treatments. Although the drugs may provide relief, they should never be considered a substitute for these other forms of treatment. Thesedrugs may make the injury feel so much better that one is tempted to go backto normal activity, but doing too much too soon can actually make the injuryworse.

Muscle relaxants work quite well for relieving muscle pain due to injuries, but are not effective for other types of pain. Some people feel drowsy, dizzy,confused, lightheaded, or less alert when using muscle relaxants drugs. These drugs may also cause blurred vision, clumsiness, or unsteadiness.

Because muscle relaxants work on the central nervous system, they may add tothe effects of alcohol and other drugs that slow down the central nervous system. They may also add to the effects of anesthetics, including those used for dental procedures. For this reason, anyone who takes these drugs should notdrive, operate machinery, or do anything else that might be dangerous untilthey have found out how the drugs affect them.

People with certain medical conditions or who are taking certain other medicines can have problems if they take muscle relaxants. Diabetes should be awarethat the metaxalone (Skelaxin) may cause false test results on one type of test for sugar in the urine. People with epilepsy should be cautioned that taking the muscle relaxant methocarbamol may increase the likelihood of seizures.

Anyone who has allergies, who is breastfeeding has kidney disease, has suffered a recent heart attack or irregular heartbeat, has an overactive thyroid gland, hepatitis or liver disease, is a current or former drug or alcohol abuser, has glaucoma, or has problems with urination should discuss their condition with their doctor before taking muscle relaxants.

The most common side effects or muscle relaxants are vision changes, such asdouble vision or blurred vision; dizziness; lightheadedness; drowsiness; anddry mouth. These problems usually go away as the body adjusts to the drug anddo not require medical treatment. Methocarbamol and chlorzoxazone may causeharmless color changes in urine –orange or reddish-purple with chlorzoxazoneand purple, brown, or green with methocarbamol. The urine will return to itsnormal color when the patient stops taking the medicine.

Less common side effects, such as stomach cramps or pain, nausea and vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, hiccups, clumsiness or unsteadiness, confusion, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, flushed or red face, headache, heartburn, weakness, trembling, and sleep problems also may occur and do not need medical attention unless they do not go away or they interfere with normal activities.

More serious side effects are not common, but may occur. Anyone who experiences breathing problems, facial swelling, fainting, unusually fast or unusuallyslow heartbeat, fever, tightness in the chest, rash, itching, hives, burning, stinging, red, or bloodshot eyes, or unusual thoughts or dreams after taking muscle relaxants should seek medical help promptly

The muscle relaxant chlorzoxazone has caused serious, life-threatening liver problems in some people. The reaction is rare, but anyonetaking the drug should stop taking it and notify his or her physician immediately if any of these symptoms occur: fever, rash, loss of appetite, nausea,vomiting, fatigue, pain in the upper right part of the abdomen, dark urine, or yellow skin or eyes.

Muscle relaxants may interact with some other medicines. When this happens, the effects of one or both of the drugs may change or the risk of side effectsmay be greater. Anyone who plans to take muscle relaxants should let the physician know all other medicines, including over-the-counter or nonprescription medicines, that he or she is taking.

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Origin of Muscle Spasm

Monday, May 19th, 2008

Muscle spasm of local origin needs to be clinically differentiated from spasticity and sustained muscle contraction in the setting of the central nervous system (CNS) and upper motor neuron injury. Baclofen and dantrolene sodium are two agents whose use is indicated in the setting of spasticity of CNS etiology. Dantrolene sodium is of particular interest, as its mechanism of action is purely at the muscular level where it serves to inhibit the release of calcium form the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Casale studied the effectiveness of dantrolene sodium, 25-mg daily, in the treatment of low back pain and found patients to demonstrate significant improvements in visual analogue scores, pain behavior, and electromyographic (EMG) evaluations of “antalgic reflex motor unit firing,” when compared with the placebo group. The findings of this study are interesting in that they demonstrate improvement secondary to a pure muscle relaxant, which does not possess other outside anti-nociceptive properties.

Baclofen is a derivative of gamma-aminobutryic acid (GABA) and is believed to inhibit mono and polysynaptic reflexes at the spinal level. Treatment with baclofen was compared to placebo in a double blind, randomized study of 200 patients with acute low back pain. Patients with initially severe discomfort were found to benefit from baclofen, 30- to 80-mg daily, on days four and ten of follow up. Forty-nine percent of treatment patients complained of sleepiness, 38% of nausea, and 17% discontinued treatment.

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Types of Muscle Relaxants

Saturday, May 17th, 2008

In an attempt to determine the mechanism of action of carisoprodol (Soma) in the treatment of low back pain, a double blind study was carried out comparing its effectiveness to that of a sedative control, butabarbital (a sedative), and a placebo in the treatment of 48 laborers with acute lumbar pain. Carisoprodol was found to be significantly more effective in providing both subjective pain relief and objective improvements in range of motion when evaluated by finger to floor testing. The results of this study suggest that the effects of carisoprodol are not secondary to its sedative effects alone.

In 1989, Basmajian compared the effectiveness of cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) alone with diflunisal, placebo, and a combination of cyclobenzaprine and diflunisal in the treatment of acute low back pain and spasm. During the ten-day study period, the combined treatment group demonstrated significantly superior improvements in global ratings on day four, but not on day two or seven. This study suggested some effectiveness of combined analgesic and muscle relaxant therapy when utilized early in the initial week of pain onset.

Borenstein compared the effects of combined cyclobenzaprine and naproxen (Naprosyn) with naproxen alone and also found combination therapy to be superior in reducing tenderness, spasm, and range of motion in patients presenting with ten days or less of low back pain and spasm. Adverse effects, predominantly drowsiness, were noted in 12 of 20 in the combined group and only four of 20 treated with naproxen alone.

Cyclobenzaprine and carisoprodol were compared in the treatment of patients with acute thoracolumbar pain and spasm rated moderate to severe and of no longer than seven days duration. Both drugs were found to be effective, without significant differences between the treatment groups. Significant improvements were noted in physician rated mobility and in patients’ visual analogue scores on follow up days four and eight. While 60% of patients experienced adverse effects in the form of drowsiness or fatigue, these differences were not significantly different between groups, and only eight percent of patients from each group discontinued treatment.

Baratta found cyclobenzaprine, 10-mg t.i.d. (three times per day), superior to placebo in a randomized, double blind study of 120 patients with acute low back pain presenting within five days of symptom onset. Significant improvement was noted in range of motion, tenderness to palpation, and pain scores on follow up days two through nine. Sixty percent of treatment group patients reported drowsiness or dizziness compared with 25% of those in the placebo group.

In an earlier study, diazepam (Valium) was found to offer no significant subjective or objective benefit, when compared to placebo, in patients treated for low back pain. Carisoprodol was found to be superior to diazepam in the treatment of patients with “at least moderately severe” low back pain and spasm of no longer than seven days duration. In this study, the overall incidence of adverse reactions was higher in the diazepam treated group but was not of statistical significance.

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Range of Motion

Friday, May 16th, 2008

Muscle relaxants are often prescribed in the treatment of acute low back pain in an attempt to improve the initial limitations in range of motion from muscle spasm and to interrupt the pain-spasm-pain cycle. Limiting muscle spasm and improving range of motion will prepare the patient for therapeutic exercise.

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Spasmolytics

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

The generation of the neuronal signals in motor neurons that cause muscle contractions are dependent on the balance of synaptic excitation and inhibition that the motor neuron receives. Spasmolytic agents generally work by either enhancing the level of inhibition, or reducing the level of excitation. Inhibition is enhanced by mimicking or enhancing the actions of endogenous inhibitory substances, such as GABA. Because they may act at the level of the cortex, brain stem or spinal cord, or all three areas, they have traditionally been referred to as “centrally-acting” muscle relaxants. However, it is now known that not every agent in this class has CNS activity (e.g. dantrolene), so this name is inaccurate.

Because of the enhancement of inhibition in the CNS, most spasmolytic agents have the side-effects of sedation, drowsiness and may cause dependence with long term use. Several of these agents also have abuse potential, and their prescription is strictly controlled.

The benzodiazepines, such as diazepam, interact with the GABAA receptor in the central nervous system. While it can be used in patients with muscle spasm of almost any origin, it produces sedation in most individuals at the doses required to reduce muscle tone.

Baclofen is considered to be at least as effective as diazepam in reducing spasticity, and causes much less sedation. It acts as a GABA agonist at GABAB receptors in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in hyperpolarization of neurons expressing this receptor, most likely due to increased potassium ion conductance. Baclofen also inhibits neural function presynaptically, by reducing calcium ion influx, and thereby reducing the release of excitatory neurotransmitters in both the brain and spinal cord. It may also reduce pain in patients by inhibiting the release of substance P in the spinal cord as well.

Clonidine and other imidazoline compounds have also been shown to reduce muscle spasms by their central nervous system activity. Tizanidine is perhaps the most thoroughly studied clonidine analog, and is an agonist at α2-adrenergic receptors, but reduces spasticity at doses that result in significantly less hypotension than clonidine.

Neurophysiologic studies show that it depresses excitatory feedback from muscles that would normally increase muscle tone, therefore minimizing spasticity.Furthermore, several clinical trials indicate that tizanidine has a similar efficacy to other spasmolytic agents, such as diazepam and baclofen, with a different spectrum of adverse effects.

The hydantoin-derivative dantrolene is a spasmolytic agent with a unique mechanism of action outside of the CNS. Dantrolene reduces skeletal muscle strength by inhibiting the excitation-contraction coupling in the muscle fiber. In normal muscle contraction, calcium is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum through the ryanodine receptor channel, which causes the tension-generating interaction of actin and myosin. Dantrolene interferes with the release of calcium by binding to the ryanodine receptor and blocking the endogenous ligand ryanodine by competitive inhibition. Muscle that contracts more rapidly is more sensitive to dantrolene than muscle that contracts slowly, although cardiac muscle and smooth muscle are depressed only slightly, most likely because the release of calcium by their sarcoplasmic reticulum involves a slightly different process. Major adverse effects of dantrolene include general muscle weakness, sedation, and occasionally hepatitis.

Other common spasmolytic agents include: methocarbamol, carisoprodol, chlorzoxazone, cyclobenzaprine, gabapentin, metaxalone, and orphenadrine.

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