Advice on the Use of Muscle Relaxants to Treat Muscle Spasms

QUESTION: Last month I went to the ER for severe muscle spasm pain in my thigh. While there, I got an injection of a muscle relaxant in that thigh and also a 50 mg dose of Tramadol. Symptoms improved in a few hours, but I don’t want to take Tramadol again—it made me feel weak and faint. The doctor sent me home with some muscle relaxants to take twice a day for a few days. I’ve heard for years that polio survivors should avoid muscle relaxants, but if I have another spasm, would it be okay to take just one tablet?

Answer from Marny Eulberg, MD: Muscle relaxants can be used for short term treatment of painful muscle spasms when simple treatments such as rest, massage, and heat/cold have not helped or not helped enough. They should not be used long term because it also decreases the contraction strength and thus will make the muscles appear weaker and over a long period of time could lead to increased muscle weakness. Also, it can “cover up” the symptom that may be telling you that you have overused the muscle and should try to limit whatever activity it is that led to the muscle spasm or explore whether some kind of external support or use of an ambulatory aid is indicated.

So, yes, it is okay to take one or even two doses if the spasm happens again, but it will also be important to think very carefully and perhaps write down how you have used the muscle in the 4–6 hours prior to the onset of the painful cramp. The cause may not be readily apparent as you ponder the events around one episode, but if there has been the same or similar trigger for two or three episodes, you may be able to identify the cause and then can seek to avoid that cause in the future.

Post-Polio Health (Vol. 42, No. 2, Spring 2026)