Muscle spasms

I'm 55 years old.  Started with back pain accompanied by muscle spasms in back and tingling in big toe, then in toes and in both feet--it's constant.  Sometimes feels like I'm walking on small pebbles. Progressed over a two-year period to muscle spasms in upper back when I would try to straighten up.  Started to have trouble walking at times.  Would last one to three days.  Worse when under stress or upset.  Stayed this way until two months ago, when I started having horrible muscle spasms in neck, upper back, stomach/torso, backs of legs and calves and feet.  Had MRI -- no lesions on spine or brain.  Doctor has put me on Baclofen with very good results as muscle spasms are very muted now.  Doctor suspects psychosomatic "Conversion Disorder."  So far hasn't been able to find anything else wrong with me.  My doctor has referred me to an internist and psycholgist.  The muscle pain all over my body is moderate to very painful.  Since being on the Baclofen, I'm sleeping better but still having some  slight muscle spasms upon waking and getting up.  I don't stretch anymore when I wake up because that used to set off the muscle spasms all over my body.  I'm on 20 mgs of Baclofen three times a day.   These symptoms fluctuate.  They are worse when I'm up and walking.  I have to use a walker or a shopping cart when I go out.  I'm exhausted by the time I get back and have to go to bed and rest for a couple of hours.  I'm going to have the psychologist try hynotherapy on me to see if he can make these symptoms go away.  What do you think this is?

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

How are you?
Conversion disorder is a condition where patient presents with neurological symptoms for which no neurological cause can be identified and they are considered as psychiatric disorder.
Diagnosis is based on exclusion. Since all the neurological causes have been excluded in your case this seems to be the likely cause.
However fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome also should be excluded as both these conditions can cause spasms and tingling sensations.

[kitty_female]

My two kids and I started having muscles spasms almost at the same time a year ago, and we still have them.  I have gone to several doctors and they could not find anything wrong with me. Now they are hesistating to give me referals, they may think everything is on my head, but it that's the case my head can not make my kids have the spasms, fatige and joint and muscle pain besides other minor symptoms.  I really wish that everything was in my head and forget about it.  But how to ignore the problem when I see my kids spasms.  The weird thing here is that the spasms are visible when the body is at rest usually at night time when we are sleeping, this made it difficult when I went with the neurologist because he could not see the spams and he really thinks is on my head.  Hopefully you can get to the root of your problem.