When you need a quick relief product for neck knots or low back pain, try Epsom Salt lotion. I’ve always recommended a good soak in Epsom salts for achy muscles, but lots of people do not have time or the inclination – or the tub – to enjoy a 20-minute warm bath.

I’ll mention the store and brand here because I haven’t seen it at any other store – CVS carries an Epsom Salt lotion that retails for about $10 a bottle. The bottle should last a good long time. Just dab a dime-size drop on the center of whatever body part is aching. A few minutes later, the magnesium and sulfates should be working into your muscles, relaxing them.

How do Epsom salts work? Let’s just say folks in Epsom, England, figured out somewhere-round-abouts the 13th century that soaking in their local chalky water had very beneficial effects on muscle strains and aches.

Turns out Epsom salts contain magnesium, a muscle relaxer and calcium helper, along with sulfates, which boost oxygen levels in soft tissues.

Interestingly, modern foods lose a good bit of their natural levels of magnesium and sulfates in processing, leading some folks to think our diets lead to creaky, achy muscles. I love a good theory, although I pitch toward the theory we are also simply not designed to sit at computers for hours or drive in traffic, too. Twinkie, anyone?

I tried the lotion on myself and on my toughest test subject – my mother-in-law. She’s 85, she is not getting into any bathtub under any circumstances, and she aches all over. I rubbed some lotion on the zone in her low back, and she felt quite good just a few minutes later. Works for me.

It happens at this time of year – too much to do, not enough time to do it in and lots of deadline stuff due on the computer. That stiff neck has gotten a little worse each day. Now the head turns barely, as pain shoots into the neck and shoulder.

My name is Susan Peterson, and I am a licensed massage therapist. I see this type of problem almost every day. Let me share a story from one of my clients.

She’s very active in the gym and at work and nothing stops her from accomplishing her goals. She has new bifocal glasses and she has found herself squinting at the screen and tilt her head back to read. Her working posture is tight, focused and pitched forward. That stance strains muscles at the back of the neck and shoulders.

With a big report due, and a few extra hours of stress, that nice, long, stress-relieving workout has suddenly had the opposite effect. Her neck pain woke her up several times during the night. In the morning turning to the right seemed impossible.

During her massage we addressed the neck, back muscles and the arms. The scalenes, small stress-sensitive muscles on the sides on the neck, felt like iron rebar. They are supposed to feel like soft rubber bands.

After her massage, I suggested she call her optometrist and see about getting eyeglasses that would keep her from squinting or crunching to read her computer screen.

I called my client to follow up a few days later.

“It felt a lot better and I got a good night’s sleep.’’ she said. She has an appointment for new glasses, and is trying not to lean too far into the computer screen at work.

“I was thinking, one of the things that may have set it off is that I have to walk from my car to the house, and I had bags from the store. I don’t like to make many trips, so I loaded myself with like 10-12 bags and I think that may have aggravated it.”

“I have to remember that I am not Superwoman,” she said.

Getting sick isn’t fun, and I’ve heard from several clients lately that they are dying for a massage to deal with the body aches and pains that come from colds and flu and infections.

Trouble is, it isn’t a good idea to get a massage while sick or on antibiotics. The thought is that since massage increases circulation of blood and lymph fluid, it could accelerate spread of infection to other parts of the body. It might also interfere with the actions of antibiotics and the lymph system’s ability to contain and kill off infections.

It’s tough to turn down a massage when that’s exactly what your body craves. I suggest to people they think of alternatives to feeling better without a massage until they have finished their pills.

One great alternative is a good Epsom salt soak in a tub. Be careful not to have the water too hot, as raising your core temperature too high can mimic the actions of a high fever. Use warm bath water, tepid enough so after five or so minutes you add a little more hot water. Follow the directions on the container, usually one to two cups of Epsom salt per tub, and soak for 20 minutes.

Epsom salts have been used for muscle aches for centuries because they contain magnesium sulfate, which eases muscle aches. I sometimes wonder if the Romans fought their way into England not to grab land, but a good source of Epsom. The Romans knew a lot about fighting and soaking.

One of my clients wants to soak, but is on antibiotics for a bladder/kidney infection. Hot tub soaks aren’t recommended for these infections, but there are some good alternatives. One is to use Epsom salts in a foot bath. Again, easy on the water temperature, use a quarter cup, and stay in for 20 minutes.

If you can’t do a foot bath, try using warm compresses soaked in Epsom salt and water. The compresses go over the achy area, covered by a thick, warm towel and an insulated moist heat pack. I use microwave packs instead of the plug-in kind to avoid the risk of electric shock.

And I’ll see you in the office for a massage as soon as you have finished your pills!

The next time you have a late-night leg cramp, here’s how to fix it without getting out of bed. Bend your ankle so that your toes come closer to your nose. That’s it. Really.

That’s the tip, and here is the rest of the story. When we run around a lot, like during the holidays, chances are we are getting a bit dehydrated, we are walking a lot on hard concrete floors at places like the mall and we are skipping our usual stretches and workouts. That leads to tight, overworked, dehydrated muscles. Then we go to sleep, and as we relax the calf muscle actually tightens. A sudden movement, often a toe stretch, and the cramp is off and running. Instead of jumping out of bed and doing the cramp dance, try stretching the toes upward in the direction of your nose. “Toes to nose.” This forces the muscle to stretch, eliminating the cramp.

If you can’t avoid getting out of bed to fix the cramp, remember to gently place your foot down flat so the calf stretches. Then get a banana and a glass of water. Chances are you forgot to drink water and the vitamins in bananas are thought to prevent muscle cramps.

Come in and get massaged. Cramps can be a muscle’s cry for help when it is overloaded. I often massage the leg first to loosen muscles and flush out toxins, and then gently stretch it to make sure it is clear of knots.

A few unfortunate folks will get cramps in the front of the lower leg, in a muscle that runs along the shin. If this cramps, simply bend the foot down to stretch it. Same goes for other cramps, such as in the toes, arch or arms. Making the area stretch will shut the cramp off immediately.