well the itches are gone though there is still some redness. but man that second tear is slowing me up. my arm ws sore and tired most fo the day and I ahve been careful lifting things. but of course thats what I was doing all day but I kept it light. today it is better as it usually is each day. but as usual it gets stiffer and aches once I am done for the day. I don't want to use any more icy hot any more recommendations?
Muscle spacticity is the bane of my existence, having multiple herniated discs, nerve impingement/neuromuscular dysfunction in my back.
There’s a few easy things you can do- heat wraps or a warm shower. Gentle stretching/exercise - though you might want to avoid this if things haven’t healed sufficiently- don’t do anything that hurts. A nice gentle message is always nice. Staying hydrated is also extremely important. If you find yourself thirsty at any point through the day it means you’re already super dehydrated.
Sticking with NSAIDs will also decrease inflammation and increase blood flow, which can help with tightness. Another OTC option is to take Potassium Gluconate and/or Magnesium Oxide (note there are various salt forms, ie Magnesium Citrate- but that has more of a laxative effect so you don’t want that). Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking, especially if you have electrolyte imbalances, cardiac issues, or take diuretic medications. Or just eat a lot of potassium and magnesium rich foods.
There are of course pharmaceutical options. Again, gabapentin could be on the table. There are a bunch of non-narcotic muscle relaxers out there- most of them are garbage though and have profound side effects-
Mostly some level of sedation and often anticholinergic effects- dry mouth, constipation. Flexeril/cyclobenzaprine is the most commonly prescribed, but in my experience/observation it does little to relax muscles and just knocks you out- ergo I guess you don’t feel the pain if you’re unconscious? There’s also skelaxin, Tizanidine, baclofen, etc- all with varying mechanisms of action and side effects.The most effective is Soma/carisoprodol which is very effective, but it’s a controlled substance (schedule 5) and not commonly prescribed as a first line... especially now that it’s been discovered addicts like to abuse it with opioids for its synergistic effect. Benzodiazepines also are very effective muscle relaxants but again not a common first line treatment and also controlled (schedule 4).
There’s also painkillers- from something light like Tramadol or Tylenol-Codiene to more powerful things. Pain works two ways- it signals to your central nervous system that you’re injured, but your cns also has a reverse pathway that tells your muscles their in pain, which can cause unnecessary stiffness, which as a result causes more pain.
Zenny is actually right though, technically alcohol is a gabaergic muscle relaxant (much like Soma and Benzos). It also increases blood flow to the extremities. So in a pinch, technically it would work. But I’m sure your boss wouldn’t want you drinking on the job
Unfortunatelt, to some degree you probably will be uncomfortable as you have endured a fairly significant injury.