I still wonder that. I hope you don't mind all these emails. it's
hard to talk to people IRL because they - I don't know - just usually
tell me to move on with it. except for my therapist, who has wondered
about the CP also.
this sounds strange, but what I HATE the most is that when I walk, I
fight myself. I guess this is stiffness? My lower legs front (shins?)
don't want to move and I have to push them. It's this battle of who
will win, me or my legs, and I'm telling you, I feel absolutely
ridiculous because I'm talking about walking a city block or two at a
slow pace. but I'm in this fight; does that make any sense? the
harder I push, the worse it gets. I'm hoping the stretching will help.
it's seemed to help so far.
I had a scary experience last week where I took two short walks two
days in a row (Mon and Tues) and on Wed when I woke up, I felt like
someone beat me with a baseball bat. I was stiff from my lower back
down to my ankles, and eventually the stiffness traveled upward to my
neck and I got a bad headache. *everything* hurt. stretching seemed
to help with that, but I had a hard time with climbing stairs, taing a
shower, moving from a sitting to a standing position and back again,
and just about everything.
sometimes when my hands get tired I feel like I'm fighting them too to
get the typing done, but I have much better arm/hand use than leg.
I just don't like feeling that I'm in a fight when I walk. Is that
stupid?
MK
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 9:14 PM
Subject: Re: I'm new here - muscle stiffness
Mary, you might just have a weird case of C.P., because Premature
birth,
balance, co-ordination and stiffness problems are symptoms of C.P., and
mild
C.P. can sometimes fool doctors. Each case of C.P. is as individual as
the
individual.
-----Original Message-----
From: Cerebral Palsy List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of
Mary Katherine Powers
Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 8:19 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: I'm new here - muscle stiffness
Hello,
I hope you don't mind my being on this list. I'm new. I do not have
CP, but I have issues with chronic muscle stiffness that cause pain and
make movement difficult. I'm doing physical therapy for it. I was
hoping to get some suggestions on dealing with muscle stiffness that
might help.
what I can do is limited, so the stretches have to be really gentle.
I've tried doing stretches too hard and had a lot of trouble moving
after that. I've been told to take it easy and build up slowly.
I have chronic pain in my legs, back, neck, shoulders, arms, and
occasionally fingers. I'm overweight and I've been told that although
that does not help, it's not the cause of the problem. I was told I
was out of shape because people much more overweight than I am have
more mobility. I agree with this, but my muscles have always been
stiff. It's just the way I am.
I can walk but it is difficult. I'm hoping the PT will make it easier.
Also, I was a preemie (11 weeks early) and I have the typical balance,
coordination, etc. problems. my vision is not great and I have no
depth perception. that really is not the problem though, it's the
muscle stiffness that gets to me.
any suggestions on dealing with muscle stiffness would be appreciated.
when I tried googling it, all kinds of information on all kinds of
different conditions, like Parkinson's, came up, none of which I have.
another strange thing, and I was wondering if anyone could comment, is
that I've had no luck going to "regular" PTs who were recommended by my
doctors. they are at places like "sports and spinal" and some other
group, and they tend to be very cursory, don't understand what I'm
talking about, and then circle a couple stretches on a piece of paper
and tell me to do them, and usually I can't do the stretches they want.
It's weird. I went to someone today at a place called Pain and
Rehabilitation Medicine and I spent $250.00 for an appoinment that
lasted about an hour. It was like night and day - he was excellent.
he does not take insurance and still he has a waiting list about 2
months long.
Any experiences like that, where the "regular" PT places recommended by
doctors just don't work? I find that odd, like they should know a bit
more about what they are doing.
thanks,
Mary Katherine
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