My legs have become so irritating...

my quads (muscles in front of the thighs) stiffen when I stand up from bed or chair...which makes it difficult to get my bearings for the 5-10 seconds it occurs. This just began about 2 weeks ago.

My shins and top of the thighs start to ache after about 3-5 minutes of standing still. I think it's muscle spasms. It dissipates after about 3-4 min. when I sit down.
When it happened last night, DH said, "What exactly does it feel like?" It's hard to explain...just an ache...but it hurts so...
The aching usually increases as the day progresses...even some evenings they ache when I'm in the recliner with the chair reclined.
The shins also wake me up at night, aching...I occasionally will take a 2mg capsule of zanaflex if it's really bad.
I am extremely stiff when I first get out of the car...occasionally I have to use a cane. I loosen up after a minute or so of walking, but I don't walk as effortlessly as I used to...

This has been going on since September. If you recall in past posts, I had a flareup of severe leg spasms and pain from late September to the end of December. The stiffness has continued as explained above, but the pain and spasms aren't as strong as the flare up was.

So...is this an MS thing? Or is it peripheral artery disease?

I am reluctant to call the neuro as I'm going to see him in 2 weeks, and he and his nurse know that I'm having leg pain and stiffness. They've even okayed me taking darvocet for the pain if it becomes unbearable, but I don't want to get hooked on narcotics.

Any advice would be appreciated. I get so confused about these symptoms, not knowing what is going on...

As I live and breathe, D, I've been there and beyond. For my case, it is definitely spasticity and actually starts in my back. It's like an involuntary and unrelenting stretch like with a yawn. It hurts and it's irritating just as you said. I call it the Frankenstein walk.

The exact same conditions, such as major stiffness after being in the car, worse at night, and loosening up when I start to move some are present in my case.

If you want to see something freaky but kind of cool, when you first get out of the car, let the leg spaz have its way by hanging your leg loose just off the floor— if it's like mine, for a few seconds, it will move faster than any human should ever be able to move. It's just so weird but sort of funny.

Ask the neuro if you can up the Zanaflex, especially at bedtime and in the morning. Hope that helps. MMJ works very well for it, but strictly at bedtime for me.

This will sound weird, but there was a letter in my local paper about someone who kept getting muscle spasms in her legs. She took slivers of Ivory soap and taped it to the offending muscles. She said she got quick relief. It sure won't hurt to try it.

Thanks-my Neuro told me I can take 24 mgs max.

I've tried the soap routine; had one near my feet in bed. I forgot about it until we bought a new bed & I found it stuck under the mattress cover LOL.

This lady taped it to her skin. She said it worked.

When my legs hurt, I wrap them snugly in a towel and it helps considerable. But, my pain is neuropathic, not spasticity.

I'm having the same problems, it started in Oct and stopped the first week of Jan. now it's back, I wake up at night with it, last night I used a heating pad and it did nothing for the pain. I wonder if this is part of the progression and never goes away. I take 20 mg. of Baclefen at night, but it doesn't last all night.

Some time back we had a lot of discussion about the benefits of a cake a soap in the bed, and the prevention of leg spasms. There was even a poll : http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...highlight=soap

Maybe some-one else might recall more about it than I do.

i've had a lot of muscle pain over the yrs.
my pain dr started me on amrix. i think it's a long acting flexeril. it made me tired at first but your body gets used to it.

it may be you need a change in medications.

also, heat works well for my muscles but you'll need something more lasting since you can't use heat all the time.

Just read your question Debbie and it seems there are a lot of us with this problem. Mine seemed to get worse when the cold weather arrived. Even though I don't go outside, somehow it's made a difference.

Cindy -- Your description sounds like mine -- the involuntary feeling of stretching only to the point of pain and not being able to move anything for awhile. Don't you find it difficult getting dressed (only sweatpants) since your legs are so stiff it's hard to get them into the pant leg. Then each leg feels like it weighs 100 lbs., so they're difficult to lift. Even using my lift chair after lying down in it for awhile, will set off those spasms.

I never did the soap thing. My neuro gave me tizanidine which helped for awhile, but now it doesn't seem to do anything. I'd love to try MMJ, but so far it's not legal here in PA. It's supposed to help with nerve pain also. Sorry I don't have any solutions, Debbie, but maybe it will help some knowing you're not alone........and yes, I believe it's an MS thing.

I HATE THIS DISEASE AND DON'T WANT TO DO IT ANYMORE!!!!!!!

Take care......

Debbie, I get them when I get up from a recliner. I used to get that Frankenstein walk when I got up from bed, I don't get it anymore.

I shower before bed, then when the bathroom is warm (not hot) and my muscles are loose, I hold onto the sink and stand on one foot and swing the other foot back and forth slowly. I think It stretches out the muscles, the ones that tighten during the day.

Then warm blankets because it's cold here and we keep the heat low to sleep. But the muscles don't pull in bed, like in a recliner during the day. It's weird.

I wear leg warmers on my legs (like the dancers wear) to keep my legs warm during the day. It makes a big difference in the way my legs feel. When chilled the top of the thigh muscle pulls. I take no medication for this. Just do stretching exercises routinely increasing the reps every few days.

When I relapsed, I could not even do one leg stretch without losing my balance, even holding on. Now I am up to my original routine, since the relapse is gone a month now.

Warmth is important, but don't overheat or overdo. Maybe some of this might help. Start with two a night, swing the leg forward and in the same motion to the back, like a swing. Hold on to something firm, like a counter. You will feel the pull.