Question about spascity

[carrie235]

Hello,

I've asked questions before and here I am again.  I am being treated for Lyme Disease (positive thru Igenex but not CDC) but also being monitored for MS with yearly MRI's (20 lesions on brain).  

Anyhow, I have been having a very strange thing going on in my left leg and was wondering if this is at all a possible MS thing and if I should call my neuro.  It may be nothing, but I would feel better asking the pros here.

I have a feeling of tightness in my hip flexer/hip area and it seems to go all the way around my thigh.  It's hard to explain.  It's very painful and at times, the pain seems to go sometimes down the front of my thigh muscle and at other times down my hamstring.  My stride while walking is strained because of this feeling of tightness.  I've been doing all sorts of stretching and heating pad trying to get this to loosen up over the last few days but it doesn't seem to help.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated...

[maestro1959]

I have what you described in my hip flexors bilaterally, my left being worse than the right.

I have an amazing physical therapist who stretches me very well, and has taught me some ways of doing it myself.  The pain no longer awakens me in the night.  PT really is a key to getting ahead of this, and ultimately beating it.

I hope this helps.

Most sincerely,
Beth

[carrie235]

HI Sarahsmom and Kyle,

Thank you for your responses.  I am thinking I may see my ortho doc and get into physical therapy and see if that helps.  It is affecting my knee also like you mentioned...

I'm not sure what provoked it....I was doing a lot of bending heal and knealing last week...I guess that could have been it but this has been going on since Sunday and is not letting up.  It even hurts at night when I roll over onto my left side (on my hip area).  

Geezooo...it's always something!  ha ha  Ouch!!!

Thanks again!

[kwarendorf]

It might be spasticity, but what you describe sounds very familiar and in my case had nothing to do with MS. Have you had anyone look at your hip, from an orthopedic point of view?

I had many of the sensations you describe, and like you nothing seemed to help. Turns out it was arthritis. As it worsened, my gait became more and more distorted. This distortion put strain on everything and anything connected to my hip. My knee hurt so badly I was convinced it was kaput. My hip is now metal and works like a champ :-)

It may be spasticity, but it might help to look at other possibilities.

Kyle

[Sarahsmom46]

It could be spascicity.  Do you know what provokes it?  For example do you have this tightness while sitting or walking or all the time?  How long has it been going on?  

My spascicity is in my legs as well and is provoked by standing up.  Muschles tense up so that I can stand up and walk.  It can be painful, but mostly it is is severe tighness.  Initially I thought I just had arthritis, but when my x-rays came out showing no arthritis my doctor said it was more consistent with spascicity.  

The best way to know if it is truly spascicity is to have it evaluated by your doctor a physical therapist jsut to rule out anything else that could be causing it.  I hope in your case its not spascicity because although there are some drugs that can help with it, it is very hard to treat.  One more thought...If you have someone who can help you with stretching your legs, that might give you some relief.   I hope this was helpful.


Julie