Is this hypertonia? Spasticity? Or just me?

[mgoerke]

Okay, I am not very up on spasticity, I guess. I thought that it was when my muscles spasm or cramp up when I walk or when I do nothing whatsoever.

There is the other thing that has been going on for years, but is becoming so distracting and uncomfortable that I've been trying to figure out what it is. Then I heard about something called hypertonia.

So...anyone else experienced the following?

My muscles clench all the time, but when I realize they are clenching I can tell the to release and they do. They will relax and it will feel really good, but as soon as I stop focusing on the relaxing they tighten back up.

Right now my shoulders and neck are all clenched up. My thighs and glutes and lower back are clenching and,..yup my calves are clenched too. I swear as soon as I stop thinking about relaxing them they go right back to clenching!!,

I used to think it was stress because it kind of feels like when you hunch over your desk at work and you are really under the gun and your shoulders and neck start to tense up and hurt.

Except it does it all the time all over my body. Even worse, I tried Ampyra again for the past 14 days and I am super-clench woman!!

I pray that I am not alone. I am going to big shot ms doc at Cornell next month for consult (my neuro is all about me seeing other docs who might have access to studies or hands on research) I'm hoping she can identify this.

My next question should be obvious. If you have or had this, have you found any way to make it stop?

[CaroleL]

It's not just you mgoerke!

I have some of this too. Mine is mostly when I'm stressed. As soon as I notice, I consciously relax the muscle, then before I notice, the muscles are tight again.

It doesn't feel the same as the other spasms and spasticity.
I mentioned it to my doctor years ago and he said it was my nerves. No surprise there! As for the truth... I'm still waiting for an answer on that one too.

[MSer102]

No of course it isn't just you! A lot of people with MS have the same thing. Here's what the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says: "Spasticity is a term that is often used interchangeably with hypertonia. Spasticity, however, is a particular type of hypertonia in which the muscles' spasms are increased by movement. In this type, patients usually have exaggerated reflex responses."

[mockmom]

I have it too. I would feel like ( for instance) my feet are curling under. Annoying!

My PCP prescribed Robaxin, It's a muscle relaxant. I take it at night . It's does'nt make me "loopy" at all, just alittle sleepy.

take care

[journeyman]

MS Ret. RRMS RN

It may be that a muscle is hyper (too much) tonic (tight). There is stiffness and tightening.

When I was first dx'd five years ago I was told that I was hypertonic when they tapped my rt. knee and it did not just jump it flew up. After I was confirmed with my dx they would tap my rt. knee and both would fly up. Now I have to warn them to keep them from getting kicked. Then they told me that not only was I hypertonic but that I had a lesion in the spine that caused my reflex to jump across the spine and reflex my lt. as well.

Almost without exception your body is divided in halves. All the nerves affect either the right or the left. The exceptions are paralysis. Depending how far down the damage is on the spine determines the "half" of the body that is effected. Such as..."... paralyzed from the waist down." Generally the damage is across the spine severing the important parts on both sides.

In my case I am now in pain, (continuous and shooting like cramping, increasing to severe intensity upon standing or pivoting) with spasticity that is primarily involves the rt. lower spine, the rt. pelvic crest and the rt. rt. leg down to the ankle. It is primarily on the back side of the leg which I am told is a hallmark of spasticity. It started with extreme tightness behind the knee and then spread. I am now having pain on both sides of the lower spine, pelvic crest and down the lt. leg. The only difference is that the lt. is much less than the rt.

I guess this all fallows the lower back lesion and both sides hypertonic symptoms that I suffered years ago. So I figure that MS has made itself known and is now gnawing at the back lesion.

Sorry to run on as I usually do but I hope this is of some value of my understanding of hypertonicity in a reflex, spasticity and paralysis.
Dave Tampa, FL
"Journeyman"
RRMS times five years,
Rx'd with Rebif for two years.
Dx'd and medically retired RN for five years.

[Karenkay]

Well duh! It never occurred to me! Of course there's a word for it! I get that on the left side of my body from head to toe. I also tend to lean left when walking and sitting and have to remind myself to straighten up so that I won't hurt so much from poor posture. I assume that because it is my weak side that it is "normal". lol