Things that make spasticity worse

[CatsandCars]

I was watching an Aaron Boster video about spasticity last night, and some of the things that make spasticity worse, like cold weather, were familiar. Then he mentioned that skin ulcers and constipation can worsen spasticity. WTH? I couldn't imagine what one had to do with the other, so I did a little poking around on the internet and found this article.

self.com/story/spasticity-t...

[MSFlea]

I would never have guessed most of those! Thank you for posting. I watched a video Boster did on 'Why Worse' (don't remember the full name, but basically why am I getting worse but my MRI is fine), and he did mention that cold can make spasticity worse, which makes sense, but the rest of those are good to know. 🧡

[CatsandCars in reply to MSFlea]

Thanks, MSFlea.

[Robsmom]

Sadly, I know most of these from experiencing them. Great article. Thanks for sharing.

[CatsandCars in reply to Robsmom]

I'm sorry to hear that, Robsmom. ☹️ I am glad you liked the article.

[bxrmom]

Great article! Thanks so much for sharing CatsandCars !

[CatsandCars in reply to bxrmom]

You're welcome. 😊

[RomCom87]

Thank you for sharing this article. I have been dealing with an increase in spasticity in my pelvic floor and thighs and I suffer from constipation due to medication. I have been going to pelvic floor physical therapy and that has helped but I have difficulty doing the exercises at home due to fatigue and because they are uncomfortable. I have a really strange symptom that is difficult to talk about but here goes…I have clitoral throbbing pain when I urinate. When it first started I thought I had a UTI but I didn’t. I’ve had all kinds of physical exams and blood and urine tests. The theory is spasticity but nothing seems to alleviate it. Has anyone else had this issue?

[CatsandCars in reply to RomCom87]

Hi, Romcom87. I have pelvic floor and groin pain (hip flexor, inner thigh area) too! You are the only other person on here I have "met" with this problem. I'm very sorry you're dealing with it, though.

I've had pelvic pain for many years, but I never sought treatment for it because I take pain meds for other things that also worked pretty well for the pelvic pain, and because it always went away eventually. A couple of years ago, when it got to be spring and the weather got nice, I went a few places and walked around a little bit. I started having excruciating pelvic and hip flexor pain that kept getting worse until I realized that walking was what was making it worse, because it sometimes took a few hours for the pain to really kick in. I saw a bunch of different doctors, got baclofen pump, tried physical therapy, valium suppositories, etc. I still can't go to the movies (our theater is really large) or go for a walk or go to the grocery store without being pushed in a wheelchair. It's been so hard to accept, because I am capable of walking, although I'm sure I am becoming very deconditioned since this has been going on so long. When I'm alone and a great song comes on the radio, I can't even dance without causing pain. 😢

I finally found a urogynecologist and a good physical therapist, waited forever for an appointment, and while I really like the doctor, I couldn't tolerate the physical therapy exercises. They just made the pain worse. I'm getting boxtox injections in my pelvic floor on Thursday, which is pretty much the last thing medical science has to offer, and they said it may not help. It's been so scary. Since I've been so anxious about it, I've discovered that anxiety, or getting angry also make me tense up and make the pain worse. So much fun!

My suggestion would be to keep doing the exercises as best you can. Find a urogynecologist. If your thigh pain is in the inner thigh/groin I would encourage you to walk every day if you can to make sure those groin muscles/hip flexors don't get any tighter. I didn't walk much over the winter, and I had a bad relapse where I had a lot of leg weakness/heaviness, electrical sensations when I walked , and the feeling that I was falling whenever I took a step with my left foot. So I just took it easy for a few months, which turned out to be a big mistake. Now I walk nearly every day on the treadmill, but I have to go so slowly that my husband says I have the treadmill set to "loiter". Even so, I can only manage twelve minutes or the pain flares back up again.

Constipation is a big issue for me, too, and the PT said it can make the pain worse, so my medicine cabinet looks like the laxative aisle at Walgreens! My doctor knows how much I use and is okay with it, though.

As far as the burning in the clitoris, I have not experienced that, but HealthUnlocked also has a UK pelvic pain site, and unfortunately there are many people who have a lot of burning pain in various places. I guess there are many kinds of pelvic pain. A lot of people are prescribed gabapentin or Lyrica for it, although those drugs make me feel like a zombie, so I've been able to avoid them thus far. Vaginal muscle relaxer suppositories like valium or baclofen can help some people, although my urogynecologist only gave me the valium 5 mg which didn't do much (although more would probably cause physical dependence) . I do take clonazepam and baclofen at bedtime, and that helps, along with the pain meds and a heating pad.

I don't know if you would want to check out the pelvic pain site, but it can be found here:

healthunlocked.com/pelvicpain

I hope that you're able to find a good doctor to help you! ❤️

[Greentime in reply to CatsandCars]

I am so sorry to hear this! You are a strong person! I hope the Botox works.

[CatsandCars in reply to Greentime]

Thank you so much, Greentime. I appreciate your support! 😊

[Greentime in reply to RomCom87]

I hope you find some relief!

[Tazmanian]

Thank you

[Contra21]

I have had aching burning in my calves, thighs abd knees is that spasticity ?

[CatsandCars in reply to Contra21]

I'm not sure, burning is not usually a part of it. It would feel stiff and tight, and it might hurt.

[Contra21 in reply to CatsandCars]

Mines aching, feeling pressure in knees amd muscle is being pulled on thighs. It's a heavy pain ful pressure. Ms related?

[CatsandCars in reply to Contra21]

That does sound a bit like spasticity, which is a way of saying tight muscles. I would recommend calling your neurologist and asking if it sounds like spasticity to them. If it's to the point that it's burning, perhaps they can prescribed you a muscle relaxer. Muscle relaxers can make you tired, so taking the least effective dose, or taking at bedtime may help.

If your doctor thinks it's spasticity, you can ask about doing stretching exercises. This article may be of use to you based on your description. Just go slow and make sure you hold on to something if you do the standing one.

verywellfit.com/quadricep-s...

[CatsandCars in reply to Contra21]

This article may help you understand the burning sensation. It's important to know that early in MS, during your first attack and months afterwards, you can have symptoms that may eventually heal and go away. The symptoms you have today may not last forever, so don't lose hope.

mymsteam.com/resources/unus...