Hi Guys,
I have been to Vocational Rehab. Hopefully they can find me a job I can do. I have been having neck, shoulder pain, and lower back pain. I can't stand for long or my lower back will hurt. Do any of you have this pain? Does this mean I may be progressing with My MG?

Barbara, I get that way when my muscles are "overused" and they get weak. Then they go into cramps or spasms. Do you have any "tight" spots on your back that hurt when you press them? If so, physical therapy can help get rid of them.

I've had to do PT a few times but now I do it myself. I have a very good massager that can "dig in" to those spots. I find that if I take care of them right away, and rest, they go away.

I have been so bad (2006) that I couldn't even stand. That's when I began PT. They showed me what to do. You have to have a professional tell you what to do.

I hope that helps. It's a constant battle for me.

Annie

Hey Barbera,

I have a lot of lower back, neck and shoulder pain too...I know that I have a lot of chest weakness, so I assume that I'm straining my working muscles on account of the 'dead' weight of my chest muscles...Do you have 'bad' posture? This might be a sign that your neck/chest are weak....

It might help to strengthen your 'working' muscles, especially your core....When I had a bit more strength in the past, I tried to exercise my stomach muscles as much as I could...It's really hard to do sit ups now, but it IS possible...Just a lot more rests in between sets...The stronger our muscles are in general, I figure the less pain we'll have...But definately don't over-do it, listen to your body, but sorta ignore it a teeny bit too (no pain, no gain).

What are your main symptoms, btw?

ttys and I hope this helped a tiny bit!

I have suffered from about the age of 16 with back pain. This has been put down to the fact that I have one leg which is half an inch longer than the other and I have a small curvature of the spine. (healthy aren't I!).

Since stopping work my back pain had virtually disappeared. However it has started up again since having a botched lumbar puncture. It left me with brusing on my spinal cord and paralysis of my left leg for 24 hours.

I have the same problem as you I can't stand due to the pain. I thought it maybe down to the fact that I dont stand very much and I have been trying to teach my husband to cook! It now hurts every night.

I also get shoulder pain. I sleep on my right side and it feels like my muscles just can't cope with me lying on my shoulder. Some mornings I wake up and can barely move my right arm.

I also get neck pain, mainly when the muscles are messing about and wont hold my head up, the pain spreads across my collar bones. But this is the least painful.

I end up taking anti inflammatories to ease the pain and apply heat packs. To me there is no corrolation with how bad my MG is to how the pain will be. So mestinon doesn't seem to help.

Back pains no fun and I sympathise.

Love
Rach

Hey Barbara,

I get pain in my shoulders and upper back. It seems to be as Annie said, from overused weak muscles...which doesn't seem to take very long anymore. When I'm not feeling well and go more than a few days not doing anything to speak of, and then just do some laundry, the pain is horrible sometimes. There is such a fine line in using the muscles to help keep them strong and overusing them and making them weak. I'm sure my age has a lot to do with them getting worse. Hope you find some relief soon.

Hugs,
Pat

I just started recently with the neck and back pain,mostly around the last month. My eye is droopy also. I have cervical spondylosis. Could this have come from the MG?

Barbara, None of us here, except Alice, are doctors. And you can't really get appropriate help on the Internet. You should be seeing a neurologist to figure out exactly what is going on.

When muscles get weak, they can cramp and spasm. So, yes, the back pain could've come from the MG. They can also throw off the spinal alignment, causing even more pain. What Nicky said about keeping the core muscles as strong as possible is correct. It is essential to keeping away "back" problems.

Since you do have cervical spondylosis too, you really need to see your neurologist for him/her to assess the situation. And if your MG is getting worse, you can have more back problems.

The thing with pain - or if it's muscles that are weak and spasming - is that it's better to get it taken care of right away. Otherwise it spirals into an even worse situation. These days I don't wait and it helps keep it from getting worse.

Annie