Anee,

        To me, a muscle spasm is a painful cramp in a muscle, a "catch" if
you will. My muscles spasm after any of the factors you mentioned. This is
opposed
to muscle strain, or pain after you have over-used some muscle and it is sore.

Bobby


>Hi Bobby and All-
>
>Now you might think that someone who knows as much about CP and related
>issues as I do would know what a "spasm" is verses a "sprain/strain" or
>something elce...well I know plenty of book theory so I can tell you all
>about it in that mannor--(at least what I have learned from read many, many
>books and papers, and I can plainly see spasticity as oppose to athetosis and
>ataxia as well as other conditions in other people) but as far as being able
>to tell you what I am physicaly feeling I realy can't because I do not have
>refrence to judge a "spasm" or "sprain/strain" or "spasticity" and what the
>defrence is.  I meen I know the physiology and deffinitions of those and the
>anatomy of those but I don;t currently associate a defined physical feeling
>with those.
>
>What I am curently experencing is a pulling on the side (which has gotten
>better in the past 2 days), to be anatomicaly correct it is more or a
>dorsal-latteral location of my left hip/low back which occured after I had
>been streching for a few days after I had experienced a similer sination
>except with musculskelletal pain insted of just musscle pain (which is now
>gone).  It feels just like streching --another term I have never been able to
>grasp an accurate physical deffinition of---wich is amazing after 13 years of
>PT and 8 years of PE!  For me streching has always hurt--I know it is not
>spose to hurt; but, some how when a PT is always saying
>further...further...further it always felt like pulling a rubber band almost
>to the point of breaking and it always did hurt.
>
>I know also that I do have more movement problems if I have not gotten enough
>sleep or I am stressed and trying to do something quickly or to beet a
>deadline...as Bobby mentioned.
>
>What I am wondering is this yet another problem to be associated with ageing
>and CP and I am overdoing and doing incorectly--and this is going to be a
>contiuing problem; or maby it is just part of the CP packege from day one and
>not related to aging; or maby it is not realted to CP at all because TAB's
>(temporarly abel bodied) pull muscles all the time to...maby it is just one
>of those things.
>
>Yours,
>Anee
>http://www.geocities.com/aneecp/CPIC.html
>
>In a message dated 10/29/1999 9:45:23 AM Central Daylight Time,
>[log in to unmask] writes:
>
><< Anee,
>
>         I, like Kyle, am no PT. But I am older. When you say "muscle pull"
> do you mean a strained or spasming muscle. If so, I have had quite a bit of
> experience with those. I no take Motrin, rather than any kind of
> prescription medicine(I keep a bottle of prescribed pills for emergencies).
> I got them when I had a bad cough which caused severe back spasms. My
> muscles seem to act up when I am under stress and/or am very tired from the
> lack of sleep.
>
> Bobby >>