THE BEST WAY TO RELAX MUSCLES

According to Consumer Reports on Health, March, 2010 the answer is not a muscle-relaxant pill. Recent analysis showed those drugs are relatively ineffective and potentially dangerous. Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith, for example, both reportedly abused the muscle-relaxant carisoprodol (Soma and generic), in a combination with other drugs, before they died. Most muscle-relaxants can cause sedation, which increases the risk of car crashes, falls and other accidents.

Instead, people with tight muscles generally opt for safer, more effective treatments. Spasms stemming from back or neck pain, fibromyalgia, headaches, or other forms of musculo-skeletal pain often respond to heating pads or hands-on therapies such as massage or spinal manipulation. For lower-back pain, Consumer Reports National Research Center survey of more than 14,000 people published in 2009, chiropractic was the most effective treatment. Other research suggests that acupuncture, biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation, and yoga may help some people. If the non-drug measures do not work for you (Tylenol and generic) works as well as muscle relaxants. Avoid carisoprodol, because it may be more likely than other muscle-relaxants to lead to addiction and abuse. More free reports at ConsumerReportsHealth.org.