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Is this spasticity?

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    Is this spasticity?

    I've had teeny little spasms in my toes or in my arches but something happened lately that makes me wonder if this is a new symptom for me. Over the past few months I've been awakened (or even up waking up normally in the morning) by hard 'automatic' stretches that seem to lock up and won't relax unless I make a conscious effort to not fight them.

    You know how dogs or cats look when they have a realllllly hard stretch? That's how I looked. And about a week after that kind of stretching started with me, my right knee started having severe pain. I've had the knee Xrayed and my doctor wants an MRI done on it now, but since making a conscious effort to not fight the stretch (thus, allowing it to end and relax naturally, w/o control) the pain in my knee has stopped. I wonder if fighting the stretch/locked-up muscles caused me to sprain a muscle or ligament in that knee?

    I don't know what larger spasticity looks like....meaning, anything larger than a little spasm in a toe or my arches. What is it like when your legs have it? Trying to get a better understanding of what is happening here and whether or not it's an MS-thing or not.
    Wendy
    "There are signs everywhere...."
    "Life is wasted if it's not lived as an adventure."

    #2
    Hi Wendy

    Originally posted by TheBeans View Post
    Over the past few months I've been awakened (or even up waking up normally in the morning) by hard 'automatic' stretches that seem to lock up and won't relax unless I make a conscious effort to not fight them.
    I experience the same thing on occasion, and it does sound like a muscle spasm. I was found to have spasticity way back during my initial neuro exam and MS diagnosis.

    From the MS Trust website:

    "Spasticity is a symptom of multiple sclerosis that causes your muscles to feel stiff, heavy and difficult to move. A spasm is a sudden stiffening of a muscle which may cause a limb to kick out or jerk towards your body."

    Originally posted by TheBeans View Post
    I don't know what larger spasticity looks like....meaning, anything larger than a little spasm in a toe or my arches. What is it like when your legs have it? Trying to get a better understanding of what is happening here and whether or not it's an MS-thing or not.
    I have spasticity in my legs, (stiff, heavy, difficult to move) but am fortunate that it is pretty much 'conditional' at this time. It's triggered by being too warm or too cold, when I get fatigued, or if I have a virus, infection, fever.

    I don't take Baclofen or Zanaflex, but I do stretching several times during the day which is very helpful.

    This article from Multiple Sclerosis Trust explains spasticity and spasms really well:

    https://www.mstrust.org.uk/a-z/spasticity-and-spasms

    Take Care
    PPMS for 26 years (dx 1998)
    ~ Worrying will not take away tomorrow's troubles ~ But it will take away today's peace. ~

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      #3
      Pain can bring on spasms too

      Wendy ~

      Want to add that pain can also bring on a spasm.

      When I had a sore toe, my leg would go into spasms several times during the night.

      The spasms stopped when my toe didn't hurt anymore.

      Take Care
      PPMS for 26 years (dx 1998)
      ~ Worrying will not take away tomorrow's troubles ~ But it will take away today's peace. ~

      Comment

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