Question
Hi.  I am a 67 year old active retiree.  I have recurring problems with spasms of the large muscle over my right hip.  It happens suddenly and does not seem to be connected with any activity.  The muscle remains sore for anywhere from a few minutes to a few days and then goes away.  Can you explain this and suggest what I might do?

Answer
Yes, Mary,

Muscle spasms occur in muscles over which you have lost some control.  The reasons for loss of control are few, most often due to an injury that causes us to tighten up reflexivly against the pain; sometimes, it's the culmination of years of improper habits of movement and posture that lead to accumulated muscular tension.  The muscle over your hip is probably always tight and occasionally cramps up enough to cause burning pain.

In any case, a period of self-training in control of the involved muscles and movements is sufficient to resolve the problem.  People who teach such self-training are called "somatic educators".

I invite you to read an article or two on pain and stiffness at somatics.com.  From there, you may contact a teacher/practitioner or obtain one of the self-teaching programs.  (I recommend the one titled, Beyond the Myth of Aging.)

with regard,
Lawrence Gold