Pain & Stiffness
Due to the changes in the body caused by MS we tend to spend much more time seated which means the tendons and muscles down the back of the legs and also the area from the knee through the front of the thigh to the hip all shorten so that when we do try to straighten out the legs they go into painful twitches and spasms (most often in bed). We also keep our arms close in to the sides whilst seated, working at desks or driving and, over time, the tendons through the inner arms shorten pulling the shoulders forward and causing the chest wall muscles to shorten. This leads to an upper body stoop which in turn can cause painful shoulders and neck, restricted breathing and a change in the centre of gravity which can upset balance.
Many people report that spasms whilst in bed and stiffness when they first awaken is one of the most difficult of the symptoms they have to deal with and a great deal of these problems can be greatly improved by a regime of gentle stretches which ease the length back into the limbs shortened by limited use. I have one close friend who likens herself to the guy in the cereal advert who wakes up like neanderthal man and slowly becomes more human over the course of breakfast.
There seems to be conflicting advice on the treatment of this pain and stiffness - anti-spasmodic drugs v physiotherapy but the reality is that both these treatments are relevant. The drugs will deal with the immediate problems of spasms disturbing sleep and the exercise will slowly improve the length and tone in the limbs lessening the need for the drugs in the long term.
Below are SOME of the things directly related to impaired movement and a sedentary lifestyle;-
-Toes curling up or down
-Foot arch becoming more pronounced
-Ankles drooping and/or twisting and, in some cases, people walking on the front of the foot and barely using the heel
-Knees reluctant to straighten
-Stoop from the hip area
-Tail and pelvis tilting back causing back to arch
-Shoulders drooping forward and chest muscles shortening
-Fingers difficult to straighten
-(There is another alteration which does not belong in this category and will be discussed later where people push their knees too far back in an effort to remain steady)
I will be describing some simple exercises (see link to exercises) which can help alleviate many of these difficulties if practiced regularly. All of the exercises are extremely gentle with NO FORCE as we want the limbs to gently stretch back into shape NOT cause muscle stiffness, fatigue or further distortions.
All of these difficulties are addressed in the videos I have produced
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