My wife has giant knots in her back

[Asafan]

Ever since I have known her, she has always had up to 6-7 hard knots in the muscles of her back in various areas that require deep massage to alleviate. The knots are golf ball to apple sized and, she is the only person I have ever known this to happen to.

 

She had an accident several months ago and since then they have gotten much worse. Last night she had two apple sized knots on either side of her tail bone that required 20 minutes of deep massage just so she could sit up without being in pain.

 

She sees many doctors including a physical therapist, a neurologist, and a chiropractor, and is on multiple medications including a muscle relaxer and pain meds. Has anyone ever heard of someone having so many knots all the time and is there anything else that either she or I can do to help?

[blind_otter]

She should see a licensed massage therapist. Or even better a physical therapist. IMO chiropractors are a huge crock. That's JMO, but I've never, ever, ever met anyone who saw a chiropractor for a short period of time and felt better and stopped seeing the chiro. Everyone I know who goes to a chiro has to keep going to keep feeling better. That's not therapeutic. That's a rip off.

 

But there's something called "rolfing" which I've had great experience with.

 

In massage school they taught us that not only do people store stress in their back, they build up scar tissue from old injuries. Did your wife have a bad back injury or car accident back in the day? And the recent injury aggravated the situation?

 

I had a bunch of scar tissue all over my back, when I was young my mom used to punish us by beating us on the back and legs with a broomstick. Then, I sprained both my trapezius muscles doing a headstand when I was in college (don't ask).

 

I couldn't move my head without searing pain for 6-8 weeks, and was on muscle relaxers and pain meds. What made it worse were the already existing old injuries.

 

The thing that helped me the most was pilates and yoga. Gently stretching the muscles while doing strengthening exercises. A physical therapist might be able to recommend other specific types of physical activity.

 

The biggest mistake people with old injuries make is not using the muscles, favoring the injured area unconsciously for years -- and the scar tissue can make the whole thing a big atrophied mess.

[Moose]

I have that too.

 

What it actually is, in my case, is several years ago, (12 I think), I ripped my Scapular, and Sub Scapular muscles away from my spine.

 

What happens is that when the muscles re-attache themselves, scar tissue developes and press against the nerves.

 

This blocks a lot of the signals to the muscles causing them to constrict and cramp.

 

There's nothing much you can do about it short of surgery. The best relief I've had are Cortizone shots directly in the muscles. They hurt like hell, and take a couple days to start working good, but lasts for weeks!

 

I feel for her. Mine doesn't flare up as much as it used to, hopefully hers will diminish as well....

[superconductor]

...several years ago, (12 I think), I ripped my Scapular, and Sub Scapular muscles away from my spine.

OWCH!!!!! Gawd... that hurts just thinking about it!

[Outcast]

Have you tried acupuncture?

[hotgurl]

I would also recommened massage & yoga.

 

my co-worker does rolfing and he swears by it. I have scar tissue from a car & skiing accident and the massage therapist did really help. If only I could keep going.

[Asafan]

B.O. and HG: I agree chiropractors are useless, but she is going under no-fault and it is a sort of last ditch effort. She did have an injury to her back about 11 years ago so I guess I can understand the little knots from time to time. It's just those ones last night on her ass! Sheesh! I couldn't believe it.

 

She just found out yesterday that no fault won't cover a massage therapist and she was very upset to say the least. She is adamant that that is what she needs and I agree. We are going to try and fight that one.

 

Moose: I ripped my Scapular, and Sub Scapular muscles away from my spine. Okay, how the hell did you manage that?

[Moose]

OWCH!!!!! Gawd... that hurts just thinking about it!

Well, what was so weird about it was that I couldn't raise my arms from my sides. I had to get help dialing the payphone to call Mrs. Moose to come and get me.

 

It really didn't start hurting until a couple days later. Then it was unbearable.

 

It'll flare up now and again and I'll get HUGE knotts back there. I now what this poor woman is going through......it suckiths!

[Moose]

Moose: I ripped my Scapular, and Sub Scapular muscles away from my spine. Okay, how the hell did you manage that?

I was upholstering couches on a production line, getting paid by the piece.

 

I had a japanese guy on the left, and a korean guy on the right, (very fast men). If I didn't stay caught up with them, they wouldn't get the maximum pay.

 

I pulled the material too hard, and heard a series of little pops and cracks go up my back. My hands fell to the side, all I could do was bend them at the elbows.....

 

It was just a fill in job for me during the slow months at my shop, wasn't worth it at all.....

[blind_otter]

 

She just found out yesterday that no fault won't cover a massage therapist and she was very upset to say the least. She is adamant that that is what she needs and I agree. We are going to try and fight that one.

 

IME though, recovering from muscle injuries requires exercise as well as medical attention. But the exercise should be geared towards strengthening those injured muscles.

 

I disagree very strongly with Moose with regard to nothing being available to treat those types of injuries short of surgery. Quite to the contrary surgical intervention provides only marginal improvement at best.

 

What kind of exercise is she doing? Something that is non impact would be best. Which is why I say yoga and pilates.

 

I swear by yoga. Not only has it really helped my body, it has really really improved my mental and emotional state.

[Asafan]

What kind of exercise is she doing? Something that is non impact would be best. Which is why I say yoga and pilates.

 

I swear by yoga. Not only has it really helped my body, it has really really improved my mental and emotional state.

 

I'm not sure what exercises, I know that she does bicycle arm exercises and I think some light weights and some very brief (not more than 5 minutes) massage along with hot packs. Other than that not sure.

 

What are pilates?

 

I would love for her to do yoga or meditation. I used to do that stuff to and I loved it. She would really benefit from it. It would be very very hard for her to find any time to do it though. She has the 2.5 year old at her feet constantly and the 7 year old is no picnic either.

[blind_otter]

Pilates was developed for ballet dancers, actually, but recently has been used more and more by physical therapists. Sometimes it involves the use of a machine called "the reformer", but I've never used it. I do mat work, where you lay on the ground and do various precise movements using your breath as the initiator of the movement. It's about gaining strength and flexibility while strengthening your core muscles.

 

IMO a lot of back injuries are due to weak core muscles (not just your abs, but all the muscles in your torso, front and back). It's not just about doing crunches!

 

Anyways, from wikipedia:

 

Instead of performing many repetitions of each exercise, Pilates preferred fewer, more precise movements, requiring control and form. He designed more than 500 specific exercises. The most frequent form, called "matwork," involves a series of calisthenic motions performed without weight or apparatus on a padded mat. He believed that mental health and physical health were essential to one another. Pilates created what is claimed to be a method of total body conditioning that emphasizes proper alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and flowing movement (The Pilates Principles) that results in increased flexibility, strength, muscle tone, body awareness, energy, and improved mental concentration. Pilates also designed five major pieces of unique exercise equipment that he claimed should be used for best results. Although the two components are often taught separately now, the method was always meant to combine both matwork and equipment exercises. In all forms, the "powerhouse" (abdomen, lower back, and buttocks) is supported and strengthened, enabling the rest of the body to move freely.

 

Pilates practitioners use their own bodies as weights in training to build strength and flexibility. This is targeted without a focus on high-powered cardiovascular exercise. Today, Pilates is used in the rehabilitation process by many physical therapists. Pilates is an old approach to movement re-education that is becoming popular in the field of fitness and rehabilitation. The Pilates environment can be used as an assistive environment that optimizes the acquisition of movement with a reduction of destructive forces and can be used to progress individuals through more challenging movements that represent their day-to-day activities. Pilates' focus on building core muscles and postural awareness are especially well indicated for the alleviation and prevention of back pain. Research and theories in motor learning, biomechanics, and musculoskeletal physiology help support the phenomena experienced by many Pilates-based practitioners; however, the Pilates-based approach needs to be subjected to the rigors of research to better evaluate its efficacy in the field of rehabilitation.

[blind_otter]

I know it's hard to find time, but honestly, she has to. Treating your body right is something that is essential. We find time to eat and sleep.

 

My sister has 3 kids, twins who are 5 and a 3 year old. She had her bloodwork done and her triglycerides were in the 800s, she had health problems, the doc said, you could stroke out at any minute.

 

She had let having young kids wear her body down. She wasn't eating right, she ate the food that the kids did -- which has waaaaaay too much fat and calories for an adult.

 

Realizing that she could very well die from her lifestyle she made a committment to herself to get better. She started doing pilates and yoga every day, just for 20 minutes. The kids just hang out with her in the room and learned to be quiet while mommy exercises. She sat down and talked with them about how it was really important.

 

She is very disciplined about her diet, too. 3 months later she looks great, and has way more energy and feels better. She even took a part time job, whereas before she was always "too exhausted". The funny thing is, if it's important, you make time.

 

Now SHE'S the one who jokes that a fat man ate her husband.

[Outcast]

Hey, Asafan

 

I just heard a health story tonight on the TV about 'Active Release Technique'. Seems athletes have been using it for quite a while and it works on the sorts of troubles your wife seems to have. The feature was on our news show and they do try to cover reputable therapies so perhaps this is one worth looking into.

[HokeyReligions]

There are some good suggestions and ideas here, but since we are not doctors and can't diagnose a problem I would suggest you take these ideas with you when you take your wife to her next doctor appointment. Maybe get a second opinion or see a specialist and discuss these ideas with them.

 

With your wife's pain I would suggest you not try anything without advice from a doctor first - they could do more harm than good.