Unless the doctor advises otherwise, do your stretching and strengthening exercises while the muscle relaxers are working. That's the mistake most folks make with prescription pain meds. They don't take advantage of the pain relief to do the stuff that hurts too much without pain meds.

And, yup, that's what my mom's neurologist and pain management doctors told her to do. But she won't do it. She's allergic to exercise and pain. So she'll take the muscle relaxer and then hunch over in one position for hours over her tablet, reading the news and playing games, and then wonder 10 hours later why her back and neck hurt. It's practically impossible to get folks to change their habits at age 78.

But don't ride your bike while taking strong prescription muscle relaxers. Most of 'em can mess with coordination.