Leg pain

[slckjebw]

I woke up this morning with pain in my right leg. It was my entire leg and it was bad enough I had a terrible time getting to the kitchen to take a pain pill.

It is gone this afternoon. I have had this before but not as severe as this morning.

Is this something anyone else with MS has had? It was not a cramp but I do wonder if it could have been severe spasms.

[Carolinemf]

Hi, Yes i have had similar in mornings especially if i haven't slept well and maybe overdid it the day before causing increased spasticity at bed time. I have also had very bad spasming in the feet - like both feet in full cramp- extremely uncomfortable.

These have lessened and i have much less spasticity in general since i worked out a regime that helps with both the spasticity and staying asleep for a good rest.

Heat packs applied to the specific area and pressure/squeezing to soften the muscle can help in the short term.

All the best and hope this helps

[slckjebw]

Thank you!
I thought I was going to need to call for help. The pain finally let up when the pain medication started working.

I took a nap and am much better this evening. I swim 3 times a week to try and it helps a lot.

I tried to stretch it out this morning but nothing was working. Hopefully it does not happen again anytime soon.

Hi, Yes i have had similar in mornings especially if i haven't slept well and maybe overdid it the day before causing increased spasticity at bed time. I have also had very bad spasming in the feet - like both feet in full cramp- extremely uncomfortable.

These have lessened and i have much less spasticity in general since i worked out a regime that helps with both the spasticity and staying asleep for a good rest.

Heat packs applied to the specific area and pressure/squeezing to soften the muscle can help in the short term.

All the best and hope this helps

[Tia1]

I have had a painful right leg, the calf being the worse off and on for long time. I take baclofen and that helps a lot. It is worse when I do a lot of walking, starts off feeling really tight, fatigued and ends in pain, my hip area has the same feeling.

When I walk my right leg moves well, but with twice the effort, many times more fatigue, etc. I come home and take baclofen right away, maybe I need to take it before I walk, who knows?

I hope your painful leg improves. Are you taking something for spasticity?

[slckjebw]

I also take Baclofen 3 times a day. My right leg is generally my problem leg too. My legs feel very tight at times.

It all stinks.

I have had a painful right leg, the calf being the worse off and on for long time. I take baclofen and that helps a lot. It is worse when I do a lot of walking, starts off feeling really tight, fatigued and ends in pain, my hip area has the same feeling.

When I walk my right leg moves well, but with twice the effort, many times more fatigue, etc. I come home and take baclofen right away, maybe I need to take it before I walk, who knows?

I hope your painful leg improves. Are you taking something for spasticity?

[marti]

Could you be having some Sciatica going on? It's common with MS. I get it many, many times and it sucks!

[SNOOPY]

Hi LA,

I have had a leg do weird stuff like that a few times but it doesn't usually last long. It could have been spasticity, nerve pain or who knows what when MS is involved. You might mention it to your Neurologist simply because not everything is MS related.

Glad you are doing better

It all stinks.

I definitely agree.

[Waydwnsouth1]

I have leg pain in both legs all the time. I tried the usual meds, baclofen, neurotin, and lyrica. They did nothing to relieve the pain. Have been taking pain meds for years. Next week I'm having a pain pump implanted. Pain is a living hell.

[GardeningMSer]

My sympathies

I woke up this morning with pain in my right leg. It was my entire leg and it was bad enough I had a terrible time getting to the kitchen to take a pain pill.

It is gone this afternoon. I have had this before but not as severe as this morning.

Is this something anyone else with MS has had? It was not a cramp but I do wonder if it could have been severe spasms.

Your leg pain sounds awful, far worse than anything I've had to deal with so my comments may not be useful.

I was Rx'd tizanidine aka Zaniflex for spasticity in my right thigh that got worse throughout the day and could be awful by dinner time - acetaminophen/Tylenol had a very small effect.

Tizanidine is generic and cheap, but I could not take it while at work (I wrote software) or if I were going to drive - a small dose (3 mg) knocked me out and left my mouth feeling like I needed to drink a quart of water afterwards. I took a pill at bed time except on weekends when I knew I'd be home for the rest of the day.

Living in CA my former girlfriend helped me get started on medical marijuana. My neuro provided a recommendation.

MMj makes a huge difference, spasticity is no longer a problem, though when I first wake up and stretch my legs bounce so much that a hibernating grizzly would probably wake up and glare at me.

After years of using flowers in a medium price vaporizer, I decided to experiment with different forms.

I've tried liquids which became very expensive in a hurry.

I started vaping and find it a better way to take my meds. Now if I could only figure out how to take very small puffs my throat would be happier.

[jreagan70]

Hi slckjebw:

As was pointed out, not everything is MS. Leg pain with a short onset time or waking up with severe leg pain is also typical of a blood clot. If it happens again and doesn't get better in a few hours, don't pass it off thinking it's "just" MS. It could be deep vein thrombosis. If the pain doesn't improve in a few hours, a trip to the ER could be in order. If a blood clot breaks loose and goes to the lungs, it could be fatal. Better safe than sorry... or dead.

[slckjebw]

Thank you for all of the helpful replies.

I have not been on the message board for a while. I have not had that type of leg pain for a while now.

I am just having a lot of trouble with my legs being spastic now. I saw my neuro yesterday. I am on the highest amount of Balclofen he will give.

I swim 3 times a week and that helps some I guess. I can tell when I have not been in the pool. My lower back gets so stiff too.

He told me to always use my walker and he is setting up an MRI. Ahhh, life with MS.

[pennstater]

Thank you for all of the helpful replies.

I have not been on the message board for a while. I have not had that type of leg pain for a while now.

I am just having a lot of trouble with my legs being spastic now. I saw my neuro yesterday. I am on the highest amount of Balclofen he will give.

I swim 3 times a week and that helps some I guess. I can tell when I have not been in the pool. My lower back gets so stiff too.

He told me to always use my walker and he is setting up an MRI. Ahhh, life with MS.

Glad that pain disappeared and glad you are back! I am sorry to hear you are having so much rouble with spasticity. I don't know anything about the Baclofen pump, but wondering if that would give you more relief? Maybe if you start a spasticity thread, you can get more insight.

It's great that you swim. Keep it up as long as you can.

Welcome back!

[deadhead]

I have leg pain in both legs all the time. I tried the usual meds, baclofen, neurotin, and lyrica. They did nothing to relieve the pain. Have been taking pain meds for years. Next week I'm having a pain pump implanted. Pain is a living hell.

Kinda sounds like me except I don't have a pain pump. Baclofen, Gab, lyrica and cymbalta all sucked. Thank God my normal doctor has no problems giving me Ty#4 and Tramadol. I still have pain but i put up with it.