Spaciticty???

[dazedmom]

Can somebody describe spaciticity to me?

My daughter (the one with the wobbly ankle) says when she walks a long way--like across campus between classes--her leg has begun to "seize up" and it's harder than usual to walk.  After a 5 minute rest or so, it gets better.

Note:  Temps have been in mid to upper 90s all week.

But, that's just muscle cramps, isn't it?  Not true spaciticity?

dazedmom

[Amyloo]

Hi,  "Seizing up" is exactly what spasticity is.  (I used to think it was actual muscle spasms)  My legs, and many others here on the forum, do this.  They become uncooperative, tight, like all the muscles are working against each other.  I describe it just like your daughter does.  They seize up.

Hope this helps you,
Amy

[Sunnytoday]

Hi there, I did a bit of looking on Google, when I first had trouble with spasticity, and here is some of the info I found

according to University of Maryland MC

"Spasticity is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by muscle stiffness. Spasticity causes muscle tone to become exaggerated, which makes the normal stretching and flexing of everyday movement impossible."

I also found this at the National Insitute of Neurological Disorders...

"Spasticity is a condition in which certain muscles are continuously contracted. This contraction causes stiffness or tightness of the muscles and may interfere with movement, speech, and manner of walking. Spasticity is usually caused by damage to the portion of the brain or spinal cord that controls voluntary movement.....Symptoms may include hypertonicity (increased muscle tone), clonus (a series of rapid muscle contractions), exaggerated deep tendon reflexes, muscle spasms, scissoring (involuntary crossing of the legs), and fixed joints. The degree of spasticity varies from mild muscle stiffness to severe, painful, and uncontrollable muscle spasms. Spasticity can interfere with rehabilitation in patients with certain disorders, and often interferes with daily activities."

You can also look it up at good old wikipedia too! :)

I have it in my legs mildly- they simply feel tight, and my feet pull downwards toward the floor and I often stretch them out by pushing them flat up against something and it pulls the muscles in my legs and gently releases them (it's a daily fight).

Have a wonderful afternoon!
~Sunnytoday~

[dazedmom]

ouch.  Several of Sunny's descriptions fit to a tee.  Amy's too.  Except, I didn't think it would go away with just a bit of rest.

One more thing for the timeline!

Thanks for help.

dm

[Sunnytoday]

Well, to be honest, mine doesn't go away with 5 minutes of rest. It's a constant thing. I could be wrong, but it's always there, and always pulling. It's sorta like a cramp, and yet not. The stretching helps it in the morning, and massage can help it feel better, but in the long run excercise I'm told is the only thing that can truly keep severe spasticity at bay. Do try a bit of online research using "spasticity".

One word of caution, if a patient comes in with a timeline full of un-explained symptoms that are very medically correct, or it appears that are self-diagnosed it can harm instead of help. I mean, it can be seen as asking for a certain diagnosis. There are ways to get around this, simply describe what is happening, and put a date by it on her time-line. Also, as Quix mentioned, use the word occurance of symptoms instead saying flare. (oops, I know, I have to change mine yet). things such as this. This will keep the doctor's minds open and also help us get a better chance at them searching for all possible illnesses for those of us in limboland still.

~Sunnytoday~