Neurogenic Muscle Tetany (contractions)

@sunnyflower
Hi Sunny, are these anything like charley horses? My mother has had bad bouts of them at times. She will often stretch her leg muscles as she stands against a wall just before retiring to bed. I think she also drinks quinine and has at least tried going to bed with bar of soap. Don't think the soap thing worked though. Not familiar with any other tricks. Best, Hank

HI Hank, these contractions are brutal. They last a long time. A very long time. Like about 11:00pm until about 10:30 AM this morning. So each time I tried to go back to bed, they started again. I got about 2.5 hours of interrupted sleep. I don't think they use quinine anymore for quite some time. What is a bar of soap meaning? Thanks for asking. Stretching ahead of time doesn't help. Take care and have a nice weekend, Sunny

@sunnyflower
My mom does still drink quinine (tonic) water, regardless of what the current thinking is and she does say it helps her. I am sorry for what you are dealing with, that sounds horrendous. Hope an answer comes for you. Hank

Hi @sunnyflower you will see that I have added this discussion to the Bones, Joints and Muscle Group so there is just one post where members can provide support and feedback in one place.

I wonder if you've ever tried Epsom salts for their therapeutic properties and magnesium benefits?

Hello Amanda, I was very intentional about putting the posts on both discussions in the two groups bc the Sxs are often neurogenic. I wanted feedback from both groups. These Sxs incorporate both neuropathy and muscles. If I had to pick, I would choose the neuropathy group discussion.

I 've done my homework about this over the years and am a medical person.

If you must only allow this discussion to be in one group, please return it back to the neuropathy group.

Thank you, Sunny

Hi @sunnyflower, your post appears in both groups. See the list of groups at the bottom of the email notification you received from this post. @amandajro merged both discussions into one thread that can be accessed by both groups, doubling the access, but keeping everyone together in one place. It’s like having 2 doorways into the same room. Cool, eh?

@sunnyflower Oy, so sorry. I have one thing that might help your calves that I learned in PT. Put one leg at a time, on top of a first stair of your house, and keep your foot up on it's heal. Reach the toes on that foot towards your ankle, as best you can. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat again. Do this for both feet. This will really give your calves a real good stretch. Do this several times a day. This exercise feels really good, too. Really stretches out the calf muscles. I have no idea what to do for arches. I have no idea if this will help, as you say doing stuff ahead of time is not working. Also, magnesium for cramping may help, but you have to get the right kind. I don't remember what it is. I am so sorry, Sunny. LoriRenee1

Thx Hank. I am so tired that I can barely see straight! Yes, quinine used to be used all the time.until 2006 I believe. Here is a copy and paste from health.harvard.edu:
"Q. It's been suggested that drinking 2 to 3 ounces of tonic water before bedtime can prevent leg cramps at night. Is that true?

A. Tonic water—and the quinine it contains—have been promoted for preventing leg cramps for decades despite the lack of evidence that they are effective. Quinine is FDA-approved only for treating malaria and is sold with a warning against using it to treat leg cramps or muscle pain, because it increases the risk of bleeding and heart rhythm disturbances. Tonic water contains no more than 83 mg of quinine per liter—a much lower concentration than the 500 to 1,000 mg in the therapeutic dose of quinine tablets. Drinking a few ounces of tonic water shouldn't be harmful, but it isn't likely to prevent your leg cramps.

Hope you and Linda have a good rest of your weekend, warmest wishes, Sunnyflower. 😊🙏

When that starts with me, I take extra calcium, magnesium, and potassium. And/or eat a banana. It usually works for me. I once got debilitating cramps all through my legs, but don’t any more.

I have the same issue, contractions that last a while when they occur- legs, arms, face, around the rib cage, back, hands, feet, hips. Labs come back fine, no deficiencies. I too will get bruising where the contraction was held too long. Muscle relaxers do not help me. Daily stretching & exercise, hydration helps. Pay attention to your posture, and gait...making sure that you are fully extending your legs when you walk and commiting to it, being aware of how you place your foot, not too hard..allowing the foot heel first and toes to roll. Wear a good supportive tennis shoes vs flats or walking around bare foot. I noticed a big difference when I switched to Dr schools shoes. I recently tried using a compression sleeve on my arm and elevated it for a while before bed, it helped the arm. I have found a tens machine helpful. I use the omron brand, it has multiple features to choose from. Stress has alot to do with it too. With the SFN, getting upset immediately makes my contractions worse, so taking the time to prevent stressful situations helps. I do breathing exercises before bed to help wind down. I also use an electric blanket and will take ibuprofen before an active day to help prevent pain.