Spasms

[teenyturner]

Can someone describe a spasm to me please.

[jensequitur]

It sounds very much to me like you're having spasticity.  Spasticity can cause your muscles to feel very tight.  I have fatigue issues with those muscles, too - I can't do very much before they get too tired.  Your description of your calf and foot - classic spasticity.

The nerve pain in your feet - did it feel like burning or prickly pain?  Or was it more of a pain associated with walking around, like you were walking on rocks?

The only reason I ask is because I had severe foot pain for about three months.  Every step I took was very painful.  Hubby grabbed my feet and started rubbing on them, and we found that the pain was coming from very tight muscles on the soles.  The massage relieved the pain momentarily, but it would come back.  

I'm concerned that your physician deemed you didn't need pain medication.  It sounds to me like you need something - putting up with pain can be bad for you!

Neuropathic pain, such as burning or prickly pains, is treated with gabapentin.  It seems to make the neurons less 'excitable.'  Fortunately mine isn't bad enough to need it.  My spasticity is treated with baclofen - if it's really bad, I take a tizanidine or a flexaril.

[nikki861]

I am fighting this so much lately. I had a horrible spasm in my back. I was sitting in the recliner and could actually feel the spasm against the back of the chair!! The only way I could put it into words was it was like being pregnate and the way your stomach would roll when the baby moved.

I just had 3 month MRI on Friday. I am waiting on results to see if progression. I think it has. My left side is in so much pain i can barely walk.
I had the "hug" (which I think should be called the python) a couple months ago. Waited days until I couldnt take it and the dr asked, how in the world did you wait this long? The spasms have been the worse for me so far!!

Take care,
Beth

[teenyturner]

Sorry, accidentally posted without finishing.

Anyway, enough moaning for now.

Thanks for listening.

Regards

[teenyturner]

Thanks for your replies.

My neuro has never offered me any treatment except for the overall medication for my metabolic disease.  I used to get severe nerve pain in my feet and I asked for pain relief.  He refused to order any, he said that my balance issues are so bad that any pain medication would make me more at risk of falling.  Thank goodness the pain has diminished on it's own over the last year or so but I used to want to scream sometimes.

At the moment I have a problem with my right foot "pointing".  The calf kind of tightens by itself and then under my foot tightens and my foot is pulled into a point like a ballet dancer and it turns in towards the other foot.  I have no control over it and it hurts. It's starting to become almost permanent. My mobility has become so bad that I haven't left the house in a month and I shop online and have my groceries delivered.  I live by myself so it's a very lonely existence and I sometimes think I would be better off not being here.

Ionly see my neuro every 6 months, my GP rarely but I used to see my oncologist every 3weeks when I had chemo but I have now refused any more treatment so no medical appts means no outside trips because I have no means of transport besides ambulance which, of course, is only for medical appts.

I find it hard to believe this has happened to me.  Just a couple of years ago I worked full time in a very active job, used to run 5 kilometers before work everyday and had an active social life. Some of my friends still phone occasionally and one friend still calls in to see me sometimes but it's amazing how quickly people abandon you when you can't participate

[COBOB]

You need to work with your doctor on this. Muscle relaxers (Norflex ,Zanaflex, etc.) work on spasms by relaxing skeletal muscles.  Baclofen works on CNS caused spasticity, but not skeletal muscle spasms. Many times, it requires a combination of drugs.  

There is also myclonic movements and myoclonic seizures that may require anti-seizure medications (I take Tegretol and Valium.)

Bob

[implodingspace]

you should look up fasciculations on youtube...when i was first in my limbo i called them spasticity or spasms because i had never really seen anything to judge against...what i was having was fasciculations a LOWER motor neuron sign, AND haha spasticity, the spasticity was when my muscles would just stay rock hard flexed (hypertone) painful, shooting pain done through the muscle, cramping major...but the whole time i didn't realize i had both motor neuron signs, I ended up being diagnosed with syringomyelia after 8 months...at first i felt frustrated sure it was probably in the spine, (MS hug symptom as well was spasticity in the intercostal muscles)...but as the months went on i started having muscle wasting  and finally got my Tspine MRI and they found a long syrinx...this is actually really rare ( .008% or 8.4 cases per 100,000) but like i said at the very least the youtube videos should help you have something to compare your body against, i remember being really surprised at "fasciculation" thinking it was some sort of hypertone like the rest

I hope that helps a little. good luck to you

[heartfelt77]

They do have muscle relaxers. I would talk to your doctor about this. If u get on something it could control them. I know the feeling.  I can't walk and I'm in a wheelchair and I get them a lot when I sit way to much.

I'm on zanaflex which does cause u to be very sleepy so I only try to take it at night.  And it usually works very good at night. So, your not tired in the morning.

I hope this helps you.

Happy new year
Misty.........      Also, I'm learning to take very deep breathes on they come on. And sometimes that works also. Depending on how bad they are. Try it and let me know if it works for you also.

Take care

[teenyturner]

Thanks Misty.

I have started getting really tight muscles when I walk.  I don't mean the hypertonicity that ive had for more than a year.  This feels almost cramp like but not quite the same. It comes on when my muscles have to do anything repetitive.  For instance, when I walk, the muscles under my feet (right foot mainly) gets really really tight to the point where I cant use it any more. The same with my shoulder muscles, if I hang two or three items of clothing on the washing line my shoulders get so tight and tired that I have to stop and rest for five minutes or so before I can hang another one or two items.

This is starting to impact on everything I need to do just to maintain independence.

I'm getting a bit frightened.

Regards.

[heartfelt77]

Hello.  I believe spasms are tightening and releasing of your muscles.  Not, sure if this is correct but, I believe this is correct. It's not a lot of info. But, I hope it helps some.

Happy new year
Misty