Aa
Muscle Spasms and DMD Shots
Everytime I shoot my Copaxone in my arms, both now, I get painful muscle spasms. They last all night! You can see the muscles rippling in my arms after each shot, and it is quite painful.
Does anyone have this happen? Why does this happen? Have you found something to help with this?
Thanks,
Debbie
Does anyone have this happen? Why does this happen? Have you found something to help with this?
Thanks,
Debbie
Too funny! I know where "mine" are. These are two unwanted additions. Guess I'm not man enough to deal with 4 "golfballs." :-D
Bob
Bob
Oh boy Bob! Sounds like a painful and VERY inconvenient life interrupter. Not to mention it must be most difficult for a guy to mention that his 'golfballs' are .....?....... misplaced.
I remember an old movie where toe curling was a sign of true love found. You had to be lip locked to someone at the same time though. You weren't kissing when this happened were you? (No need for public confessions! Don't even want 'em.)
Hope you're evened out soon.
Mary
I remember an old movie where toe curling was a sign of true love found. You had to be lip locked to someone at the same time though. You weren't kissing when this happened were you? (No need for public confessions! Don't even want 'em.)
Hope you're evened out soon.
Mary
I have two "golfballs" that I constantly carry around. They are buried in my calf muscles. Started last week with my 4th and 5th toes on both feet curling under from a contraction of the flexor digiti minimi brevis on the lateral underside of both feet. Little tiny muscle smaller than my thumb, and you would have thought I was being skinned alive. They curled my toes under and dragged my foot down and now they have relaxed and the contraction has moved up to the big muscle of the calf (gastrocnemius.) Not too bad sitting, but a major pain walking (looks more like "flat footed" hopping") or laying down. Flexeril 10mg seems to help. Hope they leave soon.
Bob
Bob
Any more word Deb? Are you hoping for a prescription to use daily to prevent spasms or something you can have on hand for occasional episodes? Or something completely different? It does sound like you want more than his reassurance. Sometimes you have to be prepared to ask a more specific question to focus a doc's thoughts if you aren't sure they 'got it'.
As far as personal experiences, I usually only have spasticity (extra strong tone and tightness in some muscles) myself. I resist treating that because relieving it makes my arms and legs feel much weaker. I fear I wouldn't be able to walk very well if I lost my factory installed splints.
I had to think a bit to remember EVER having spasms in my life. Of course I was able to remember having a cramp here and there. It's only been the year of 2010 that brought with it a lasting breath-stealing jolt of muscle madness. Interestingly, it was in my back (just below and under (?) my right shoulder blade. It was a close mimic of the contractions my uterus utilized when it decided to reclaim itself by evicting babies. (At least that organ had the courtesy to build intensity slowly instead of land a devastating first punch.)
A few weeks ago I had some leg spasms that repeatedly awoke me (and not very gently, btw) over several hours. For some time now, I've avoided curling my toes or pointing my feet down like a performing gymnast. Gymnasts get extra points when they do it. I get spasms. (I'm okay without the extra points. I just need to be able to get my feet inside the shoes.)
My blood work looked pretty good for the non-MS stuff that could do this but I try to eat a balanced diet including plenty of water. I also went to some physical therapy sessions to learn the best way to keep my muscles stretched, relaxed, balanced (flexors against extensors) and strong. I'm trying to stay in prevention mode. It really has helped.
I have come close to starting Baclofen on a regular basis. You probably don't want to hear that I actually have the drug standing by on my medicine shelf. I just can't bring myself to convert ANOTHER reserve soldier to regular army at the moment. The active fighting core seems too big already. But my calves were pretty convincing that they were going to do the full uterine mimic and pop out some sort of snarling creature. I've seen that happen in a sci-fi film or two ;) Yuck! I'd have to call in full forces if they ever decided to get THAT serious on a regular basis!
Mary
As far as personal experiences, I usually only have spasticity (extra strong tone and tightness in some muscles) myself. I resist treating that because relieving it makes my arms and legs feel much weaker. I fear I wouldn't be able to walk very well if I lost my factory installed splints.
I had to think a bit to remember EVER having spasms in my life. Of course I was able to remember having a cramp here and there. It's only been the year of 2010 that brought with it a lasting breath-stealing jolt of muscle madness. Interestingly, it was in my back (just below and under (?) my right shoulder blade. It was a close mimic of the contractions my uterus utilized when it decided to reclaim itself by evicting babies. (At least that organ had the courtesy to build intensity slowly instead of land a devastating first punch.)
A few weeks ago I had some leg spasms that repeatedly awoke me (and not very gently, btw) over several hours. For some time now, I've avoided curling my toes or pointing my feet down like a performing gymnast. Gymnasts get extra points when they do it. I get spasms. (I'm okay without the extra points. I just need to be able to get my feet inside the shoes.)
My blood work looked pretty good for the non-MS stuff that could do this but I try to eat a balanced diet including plenty of water. I also went to some physical therapy sessions to learn the best way to keep my muscles stretched, relaxed, balanced (flexors against extensors) and strong. I'm trying to stay in prevention mode. It really has helped.
I have come close to starting Baclofen on a regular basis. You probably don't want to hear that I actually have the drug standing by on my medicine shelf. I just can't bring myself to convert ANOTHER reserve soldier to regular army at the moment. The active fighting core seems too big already. But my calves were pretty convincing that they were going to do the full uterine mimic and pop out some sort of snarling creature. I've seen that happen in a sci-fi film or two ;) Yuck! I'd have to call in full forces if they ever decided to get THAT serious on a regular basis!
Mary
Thanks for the suggestions. I have been putting warm things on before and after the shots. Today, I injected in the leg, and avoided my arms, though. There wasn't any problem with this area.
Your experience with the blood pressure cuff has me thinking . . . I wonder if my husband or myself have been too tight with the pressure when gathering up the flab of my arm. I am so glad that you mentioned that!
I developed a painful back spasm early this morning, unrelated to the shot, which prompted a call to my neuro. The office got back with me this evening, but no prescription!
The nurse sounded more concerned about the back spasms, and the she wanted to talk with the doctor to make sure there wasn't something else going on besides the MS (like something unrelated in my neck) to make sure an x-ray wasn't needed. So it means that there's no relief tonight!
I wonder if most people get spasms that come in spurts. I've never had this much problem with them before!
Thanks again, Mary.
Deb
Your experience with the blood pressure cuff has me thinking . . . I wonder if my husband or myself have been too tight with the pressure when gathering up the flab of my arm. I am so glad that you mentioned that!
I developed a painful back spasm early this morning, unrelated to the shot, which prompted a call to my neuro. The office got back with me this evening, but no prescription!
The nurse sounded more concerned about the back spasms, and the she wanted to talk with the doctor to make sure there wasn't something else going on besides the MS (like something unrelated in my neck) to make sure an x-ray wasn't needed. So it means that there's no relief tonight!
I wonder if most people get spasms that come in spurts. I've never had this much problem with them before!
Thanks again, Mary.
Deb
Thanks, Lulu. Happy Birthday--I hope that you have a wonderful day! Eat lots of cake and be sure not to forget the wishes!
I've called my neuro. It appears that my muscles are just altogether more exciteable--especially on the right side. This morning I developed a very painful back spasm underneath my right shoulder blade. I was just standing up and boom! If I sit down, it's worse. Every time I breathe it's worse. Enough complaining on your special day . . .
Anyway, thanks again for your help and have an awesome birthday!
Deb
I've called my neuro. It appears that my muscles are just altogether more exciteable--especially on the right side. This morning I developed a very painful back spasm underneath my right shoulder blade. I was just standing up and boom! If I sit down, it's worse. Every time I breathe it's worse. Enough complaining on your special day . . .
Anyway, thanks again for your help and have an awesome birthday!
Deb
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Multiple Sclerosis Community
Top Neurology Answerers
Australia
ON
Queensland, Australia
Queen Creek, AZ
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease
Do you try to hold your arm up while injecting? If you do, maybe supporting it will lessen the strain on it and decrease the tendency to spasm. I find it works well to rest my hand on my opposite shoulder or on top of my head. I've also supported my elbow on a chair or spread that 'flabby' part of my arm on the table (keeping it relaxed) as I inject.
Also, make sure you aren't injecting too deep or too far forward on your arm. If you are injecting into muscle it will be more painful and more likely to ignite a spasm. Most people don't need to inject very deep when using the subcutaneous (or fleshy) part of their upper arm.
Since we only have one hand to work with with injecting the arm and it takes some pressure on the autoinjector to release the injection lock mechanism, I found early on that I was leaving a depression in the skin with the injector (and therefore, probably injecting deeper than I intended to).
Here's what I do now. As soon as the trigger releases, I let up on the barrel pressure some so the barrel is just resting lightly on the skin (with no indentation). This has worked quite well and insures I get the medicine injected at the depth I want. I've been doing the same for my hips.
On my thighs and abdomen, I steady the bottom half of the barrel against the skin with my left hand as I depress the top half with my right hand to release the safety and trigger the injection. My hands are too small and arthritic to do this with a single hand. (Just as I'm not designed properly to crack and release an egg's contents one-handed.)
Somewhere in Shared Solutions written or verbal instruction I learned that if a circle impression was left by the barrel, I was using too much pressure. It was during one of my phone conversations with a nurse there that we developed the system I use for injections so I could be sure I was using a uniform technique regardless of the depth of the subcutaneous tissue at the site. Seems sometimes they do deviate from their script!
I'm glad you called your neuro's office and had this checked out. With an idea of the cause you can work on a solution. Do you think warmth applied to your arm before (or after) injections would help the muscles stay relaxed? Just trying to help you brainstorm.
Sorry this got so long. It's hard to draw word pictures for this procedure but I wanted to make it as clear as possible. Please let us know what ends up working :) or not :(
Mary