36 weeks and painful muscle spasm in back - any tips?

[Elizabeth19]

Hi. I am 36 weeks pregnant and developed quite a sharp pain down the right side of my stomach/abdomen and going round into my back yesterday. I went to the local maternity unit who monitored the baby (which was thankfully fine) and diagnosed a muscle strain/spasm in my back. I have been given painkillers by the hospital but am reluctant to take too many as they are stronger than paracetamol. As the pain in my right side is quite bad, I just wondered if anyone else had experienced this? If so, how long does it usually last and what are the best natural ways to alleviate the pain? Many thanks for any suggestions!

Sorry to hear you are in pain Elizabeth. What painkillers have you been given? I haven't really got any suggestions, but to make sure you aren't twisting and lifting, make sure you use your pelvic muscles when you sit and stand, and try to get as much rest as you can.
Hope you feel better soon. XX

I had a terrible muscle spasm in my neck last week. It was literally paralyzing. I used lots of cold packs as heat made it worse. Dh also massaged in some ointment we have called BioFreeze. Don't know if you can get it in the UK but it kind of makes the area feel hot and cold at the same time. Hard to explain, but it really, really helped if you can find something similar. Since I'm 34 weeks pg I was reluctant to take any painkillers but did take a tylenol.