Muscle spasms are typically treated conservatively with muscle relaxants and exercise therapy. Muscle relaxants inhibit painful contractions by sedating the muscle, while exercise stretches the muscles so they are less like to strain, tear or spasm.

If you are experiencing 'chronic' muscle spasms, it's time to call your doctor or a pain management physician to determine the cause.  There are so many conditions that produce muscle spasms that happen often, do not decrease over time and/or begin to affect your ability to work or your lifestyle that at the very least, an examination is required.  Do this before it becomes so bad that you have no choice.  Like most conditions, the sooner it is identified the faster the cause is determined  & quicker the treatment.

Facet joints are found at every level of the spine. They connect the vertebrae to one another, and play a role in twisting the neck and lower back. They also help stabilize the spine. Facet joint pain can be caused by osteoarthritis, muscle spasms in the surrounding muscles, and the normal wear and tear of the joints. Massage can help you deal with facet join pain.

It's difficult for most of us to visualize facet joints and the important role they
play when it comes to healthy spine function, below may help by illustration.

Normal relationships of facet joints

Abnormal relationships of facet joints

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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