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Laddo

Chronic muscle tightness and pain

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I have often heard that pain is a common feature of ASC but I was wondering what degree of pain is usual. I get a lot of fairly bad pain throughout my body and many of my muscles are often tight, despite my stretching several times a day. I also put the tight muscles down to anxiety but now I'm not so sure. I can get flareups of tightness and pain regardless of my current mood.

 

Does anyone else get this, and if so, is it related to ASC or something else? It may be worth noting that the pain and tightness is most often throughout my shoulders, neck, upper and lower back, legs and most recently my chest.

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Laddo, I assume you have told your doctor.

It sound like your muscles are in spasm, the only thing ibuprofen is good for is that sort of thing, it does nothing else for me. Also you did say some time ago that you were not eating much, undersize muscles are more prone to that sort of thing.

A note of further warning if your back and neck muscles are undersize and going into spasm then it is possible that your vertebra may become non aligned, leading to real problems, not least pain that makes a spasm feel as nothing. My neck went that way! I think my sisters back also went that way as well.

What to do, well thats you me and everyone else in this situation, get out and about and get fit, easy words, doing it is another thing altogether I know.

 

It may be as well that you have spotted this whilst young, you still have elasticity, it starts to go after 35 years, a physical routine you can keep, low impact to protect joints, non jerky to protect still weak or injured muscles and tendons from damage.

Do you have access to a swimming pool? I think that is the best way, and a way I could use if I could get to one. You may feel ok on your own, I do not anymore. I am terrified of people now.

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Laddo, I assume you have told your doctor.

It sound like your muscles are in spasm, the only thing ibuprofen is good for is that sort of thing, it does nothing else for me. Also you did say some time ago that you were not eating much, undersize muscles are more prone to that sort of thing.

A note of further warning if your back and neck muscles are undersize and going into spasm then it is possible that your vertebra may become non aligned, leading to real problems, not least pain that makes a spasm feel as nothing. My neck went that way! I think my sisters back also went that way as well.

What to do, well thats you me and everyone else in this situation, get out and about and get fit, easy words, doing it is another thing altogether I know.

 

It may be as well that you have spotted this whilst young, you still have elasticity, it starts to go after 35 years, a physical routine you can keep, low impact to protect joints, non jerky to protect still weak or injured muscles and tendons from damage.

Do you have access to a swimming pool? I think that is the best way, and a way I could use if I could get to one. You may feel ok on your own, I do not anymore. I am terrified of people now.

 

I'm quite active at the moment and stretch daily but it doesn't help. Lately even a little exercise leaves me feeling sick and drained though.

 

 

have u noticed any other symptoms with muscle tightness ?

 

 

Quite a few, although I'm not sure if they're related. I get quite a lot of tingling feelings in my arms and legs and my legs 'go to sleep' and lose feeling with only a little pressure put on the nerves. I quite often get brain fog too when I get the pain and tightness, sometimes with visual disturbances.

 

Today it felt like my back was on fire - the pain ranges from a dull ache to burning

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Laddo, you sound like you are in real trouble, has your heart been checked?

Are you on any medication that could be making things worse?

It sounds like your heart is weak or perhaps not beating normally, bodily decline affects everything, its a "me too" thing. Although you sound a lot worse than me.

Get your doctor or another doctor to take notice, try the "111" service, don't delay.

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Further possibles, really for other users, a doctor or doctors need to attend to Laddo.

 

Fluid intake, we need to drink about 2 litres a day, even in winter, more in hot weather.

Some of Laddo's problems can be attributed to too low a consumption of liquid, muscle pains can be due to "lactic acid" not being flushed from the tissues, I know about this as I have tried to take my own life by consuming nothing, the pain is quite something, I gave up at that point and drank, the pain quickly went. Low liquid consumption can also make the blood harder to pump, making the heart work harder than it should, again drinking quickly relieves that as well.

 

Food intake, we need enough, it varies from individual to individual and how we live, we should have a diet that supplies us with all we need, people do have digestive problems so getting a satisfactory diet can be a challenge, when in doubt food supplements should be used.

We should have a diet that leaves us strong enough to function as we need, and keeps us at a sensible sustainable weight.

 

ASD throws all sorts of complications into our lives, the medication taken for something can seriously interfere with basic human functions, leading to serious complications.

 

Other than that I hope Laddo recovers soon.

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I'm quite active at the moment and stretch daily but it doesn't help. Lately even a little exercise leaves me feeling sick and drained though.

 

 

 

 

Quite a few, although I'm not sure if they're related. I get quite a lot of tingling feelings in my arms and legs and my legs 'go to sleep' and lose feeling with only a little pressure put on the nerves. I quite often get brain fog too when I get the pain and tightness, sometimes with visual disturbances.

 

Today it felt like my back was on fire - the pain ranges from a dull ache to burning

 

 

I think you should see your doctor about this.

 

I get tingly feelings they took an b12 test but came back clear i think because i had started taking a multivitamin with b12 in. things can come into other factors i was surprised . I been quite fatigue and have muscle tight in myself to but i partial dislocate because of my hypermobility syndrome and i have arthritis. The doctor can send u off for blood tests to see whats going on

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Laddo can you say what you are doing to alleviate your symptoms and what else you propose to do next.

The symptoms you were describing were to put it mildly very worrying.

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I think you should see your doctor about this.

 

I get tingly feelings they took an b12 test but came back clear i think because i had started taking a multivitamin with b12 in. things can come into other factors i was surprised . I been quite fatigue and have muscle tight in myself to but i partial dislocate because of my hypermobility syndrome and i have arthritis. The doctor can send u off for blood tests to see whats going on

 

I had a full blood test recently but apparently the results were all normal. I don't have any diagnoses for any physical health issues apart from scoliosis.

 

 

Laddo can you say what you are doing to alleviate your symptoms and what else you propose to do next.

The symptoms you were describing were to put it mildly very worrying.

 

 

At the moment I'm just taking painkillers (which rarely work - I need something stronger) and trying to stretch the muscles as often as possible. I will probably go to a doctor at some point but I have really lost faith in them over the years. I've been to a few doctors about some of the symptoms but they always put it down to my scoliosis. It would explain the leg issues but not most of the other stuff.

I thought the symptoms were quite worrying too. It sounds a lot like MS but I'm concerned I'll go to the doctor, tell them I'm worried I may have MS and they'll just act patronisingly and say I shouldn't look up symptoms on the internet.

 

These are most of the symptoms I get:

 

  • Often feel tired and can get quite worn out from little exertion at times while I can keep going for hours at other times
  • Bouts of nausea and very occasionally vomiting. This seems to come and go for a few days at a time
  • Visual disturbances - blurred vision, mild 'swirling' patterns in vision sometimes, floaters
  • Tightness in most muscles and discomfort/pain in upper and lower back, neck, shoulders, upper arms, chest and upper legs
  • Frequent tingling sensations in legs
  • Arms and legs get pins and needles easily after being under pressure for only a few seconds
  • Brain fog - makes working difficult
  • Memory problems
  • Mood swings
  • Bouts of unexplained anxiety feeling. By this I mean what seem to be many physical signs of anxiety even when my mind is totally calm and rational
  • Bouts of unexplained depression. Usually I try to rationalise these feelings but somethings they really do seem to spring from nothing
  • Chest pains

Any tips on how to get the doctor to take me a little more seriously? I don't feel able to talk to any family members about this as I don't want to worry them

Edited by Laddo

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A lot of pain medication is hostile to the gut and intestines, the stuff I take I can only tolerate for a day before it makes me vomit. Are you on the stuff that can be got over the counter, ibuprofen, paracetamol. Or are you on codeine? Up from that is Tramadol which I use, or morphine.

With me

ibuprofen does little or nothing, yet does burn my stomach with continuous use, and will make me vomit.

paracetamol iffy, makes my feel generally yuk, and can not take more than one a time.

codine, the morphine that it is converted into, feels as if it stops my kidneys from working. Very unpleasant.

Tramadol works, but has a very low lethal dose, I can not use it for more than a day before it really makes me ill.

 

I don't think there is anything else, I have been tried on amitriptyline which is truly awful, I am allergic to it and the proton pump inhibitor, which is supposed to protect the stomach.

 

The opiates amplify current moods, making depressions deeper, flat mood whimsical, it also hangs around and can be "woken up" by alcohol or coffee, it general leaves me with a foggy head and generally woozy, so am glad the good effects diminish slowly and can still give good relieve with me two days later, maybe three.

 

The other things that are common are gluten problems.

 

Do you keep a food diary? It might help find things that help or make things worse.

 

Whats your body weight like? are you underweight?

​I am really, blood vessels get trapped next to bone and so get cut off for a bit, pane meds stuff actually makes this harder to spot.

 

The thing that worked for me, was moving to another doctors practice, and starting again, I have a female doctor of about my own age, good chemistry helps.

 

If you want to communicate in private, my PM is on

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I confess I am sometimes incorrect in my views and postings. I have looked up "scoliosis" on NHS pages, I should have done this before I posted my last posting.

Laddo all your symptoms that you have stated are consistent with "scoliosis", you need better quality treatment and not being fobbed off with pain killers.

As for exercise, the only safe on is probably swimming.

As for pain killers, the only ones that are likely to give any benefit are the likes of Tramadol or Morphine, which depends on wether it either causes problems or does not work. Codeine is converted into morphine by the liver, its usable and might be the one you are on? Naproxin is one I did not list, a possible one that prescribed to you, is not really suitable as it works as a muscle relaxer in me, and is also hostile to the gut and kidneys.

Do you have a physiotherapist? If not get one, somehow.

If your current doctors are being unhelpful, a new doctors practice is a must, move if you have to, if you can.

Also you need a good local hospital with good physiotherapy. I think they exist.

 

I hope things work out better for you in the future.

 

Ian

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It probably is all just the scoliosis and I'm just being a hypochondriac, now that I think about it.

I am going to start a bodyweight exercise routine and see how that fares me. I've pretty much given up on the idea of using weights so this is the next best thing and hopefully a lot safer. I would go swimming more but I'm not the best swimmer and feel like I'd make a fool of myself at the pool. Perhaps I'm being too self conscious though.

I'm not currently on any painkillers but perhaps it may be a good idea? I do have quite an addictive personality though so it's quite likely I'd end up hooked on them. It's a pain in the bum because ibuprofen and paracetamol do little if anything to ease the pain and morphine likely would become habitual for me.

I've had physio on the NHS before but have never lasted more than one session - I'm always forgetting appointments :wallbash: I didn't feel like they were really assessing the problem properly though. I wish I could afford to go private

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The best clinicians also work for the NHS, its finding a good hospital that would be of service to you. And working out how you could move into its catchment area. You could also probably find a more suitable occupation as well. Its possible, hopefully, think about it anyway.

I doubt somehow that you are being a hypochondriac, your condition is serious and should have been spotted and corrected in your younger years, and not being filled with toxic junk that was fashionable with the doctors.

 

The way doctors operate is the root problem, how can a GP be seriously useful in 10 or 15 minutes, I had a Consultant tell me I had just 25 minutes, its a "jobs worth" mentality, these types are of limited use. I have had a proper doctor, something really has gone wrong in the last 30 years, fortunately my consultant remembered his basic training when his stupid statement made me go blank.

 

I really hope something better works out for you. I wish I could be more helpful.

 

Ian

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