muscle relaxants - any thoughts??

[tom-selleck]

bot some muscle relaxants today... basically generic robaxiset sp???....

was wondering people's experiences.. mine has been good but i find it very pricey (thank goodness for the generic version).

my key question is this: is it dangerous to take muscle relaxants before you play??? the obvious answer is yes! you don't want to be under the influence of drugs and they might make you groggy.... but does anyone actually know if it's dangerous to take them before you play, like how you shouldn't take pain killers before playing as pain is an important message from your brain.

as always, thanks in advance!

[Shyyre]

i'm not positive about this, but i'm fairly certain that the job of most muscle relaxants is to get more blood to the muscles to help them rebuild and loosen up. i'm not sure if it dialates the capillaries or thin the blood or what, but in either case strenuous exercise would increase the heart rate even more and that can be VERY dangerous, like heart attacks etc on court beccause your heart just can't keep up.

if i were you i'd wait and check web md, but in the meantime i'd wait. serisouly, i could be wrong, but it hardly seems worth the risk. play a little slower, drink lots of water, stretch, and then takes the muscle relaxants when you get home.

[jimiforpres]

I'm not a doctor so I am not 100% sure about this. However, I think it would be okay to take a muscle relaxant before you play unless you are planning to play at a level where if you push yourself too hard, you will seriously damage your body. If you won't push yourself that hard it shouldn't be a problem. But, like I said before, I am not a doctor so I would first consult someone with more knowledge on this subject.

[tom-selleck]

shyrre and jimi,

thanks for the responses!!.. i am heading out the door and playing an important tournament match in a few hours... don't worry, i will NOT be playing my match under influence of muscle relaxants, but i was curious... and i was looking for somewhat informed opinions (which you both gave).

[Shyyre]

no worries tom! it's just one of those things that "the more you know"... seriously though, i've found web md to be an invaluable resourse... definately worth checking out.

[North]

Muscle relaxants generally have no direct effect on the muscles themselves. They affect your central nervous system and the messages sent back and forth between the brain and muscles. They actually depress the central nervous system, which is why you get sleepy with them. So, if you take them before you play, there's now a drug in you that is helping your brain tell your muscles to relax when you are trying to play. Although I've never tried it myself, I can't see how that would be helpful.
Good luck on your tournament!

[Kirko]

Muscle relaxants generally have no direct effect on the muscles themselves. They affect your central nervous system and the messages sent back and forth between the brain and muscles. They actually depress the central nervous system, which is why you get sleepy with them. So, if you take them before you play, there's now a drug in you that is helping your brain tell your muscles to relax when you are trying to play. Although I've never tried it myself, I can't see how that would be helpful.
Good luck on your tournament!
Thats exactly what I have read. They "trick" the mind into thinking the muscles are relaxed.

[netman]

North is correct. Muscle relaxants effect the nervous system and brain. Since the pain response is a very low precision system, this can help with muscle spasms and such. However they do not directly relax muscles.

Don't use them lightly. Better to practice some meditation and other relaxation techniques.

-k-

[Phil]

My preferred muscle relaxant is beer, with Jim Beam a close number two.