Cramping leg muscle after spinal cord injury..please advise...?
I know this may not be the place to post this but thought you guys might know more about this kind of thing.
Since having a spinal cord injury 3 years ago which left me without the use of my right foot the hamstring muscle in my right leg has been playing me up.
Even though my consultant said the injury was permanent I have been regaining partial use of my foot once more through exercises.
But when I attempt the "step bridge" exercise my hamstring totally cramps up.it also happens at times while I'm sat at my computer but when I straighten my leg it goes away.
I can do squats & lunges without any problem to the muscle. I walk a lot & run some too plus cycle but don't have any problem then either.
Any suggestions please as I really want to get on with more exercises but this damned thing is holding me back slightly. D'you think it needs more stretching? it doesn't happen in my other leg, just the one that was injured.
Thanks guys for your help
Answers:
I was in an accident myself with spinal cord injury It affected my whole right side including the right foot. I have done extensive research and I think we are out of luck on this one. Its part of the central nervous system that is damaged and that cannot be repaired. Its the same affect as muscle spasms. Muscle relaxers might aid in your problem. I don't like taking any medication so I stay away from those. I just deal with it and I managed to get my right side movement back to about 95% where I was before with a lot less strength. Before my accident I was benching 380lbs now I have a hard time doing 200lbs this is 10 years after.
You can maybe try to a brace on your foot it might help. good luck and keep working on it.
Cramps might be due to poor blood circulation. I can recommend a health product which is macnufactured in Malaysia but using Japananese technology. It is a therapeutic mattress pad with 6 health therapies such as far infrared rays, bio-magnetic, thermal, natural jade, negative ion and spinal chord support. There are testimonials of those being bedridden due to stroke being able to move after sleeping on this mattress. It is selling like hot cakes here. Do contact me at elizah62@yahoo.com.my if you need more info.
First let me say I am so happy that your injury was not a worse spinal cord injury.
Stretching the hamstring daily should help with the cramping. When exercising, stand on the ball of your one foot, lean forward and hold onto something, then let your body weight stretch the tendon. Do this repeatedly in one session(maybe 16-20 reps). If there is no pain or worse cramping the next day, continue that. It will stretch out the tendon.Also, heat helps. They have heat patches at Wal-Mart you can use. Wear them at night around the part of your leg that spasms.
Good luck to you.
I don't know if this can help in your case, but it's worth a try. my yoga teacher swears by this. first pinch the fleshy part of your'e nose in the middle of your nostrils, do not close the nostrils, just pinch them for a minute whenever you take a cramp.It works every time for me. hope it helps.
It depends on the nature of the injury. It is possible that there is some scar tissue attached to the injured nerves. When the body gets into certain positions, the mechanical stimulus to the nerve causes muscle contraction. Also, within the spinal cord the reflex loops often get "miswired" after injury, and the nervous system produces inappropriate responses to stimuli.
If its the first, then stretching may eventually help. If it's the second, only time will tell.
Try to make note of what specific things trigger the cramp. I know you said the step bridge exercise, but at what point in the movement? What are the positions of your joints? That kind of information can help identify the trigger. Then you might be able to modify certain movements to avoid the trigger stimulus.
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Since having a spinal cord injury 3 years ago which left me without the use of my right foot the hamstring muscle in my right leg has been playing me up.
Even though my consultant said the injury was permanent I have been regaining partial use of my foot once more through exercises.
But when I attempt the "step bridge" exercise my hamstring totally cramps up.it also happens at times while I'm sat at my computer but when I straighten my leg it goes away.
I can do squats & lunges without any problem to the muscle. I walk a lot & run some too plus cycle but don't have any problem then either.
Any suggestions please as I really want to get on with more exercises but this damned thing is holding me back slightly. D'you think it needs more stretching? it doesn't happen in my other leg, just the one that was injured.
Thanks guys for your help
Answers:
I was in an accident myself with spinal cord injury It affected my whole right side including the right foot. I have done extensive research and I think we are out of luck on this one. Its part of the central nervous system that is damaged and that cannot be repaired. Its the same affect as muscle spasms. Muscle relaxers might aid in your problem. I don't like taking any medication so I stay away from those. I just deal with it and I managed to get my right side movement back to about 95% where I was before with a lot less strength. Before my accident I was benching 380lbs now I have a hard time doing 200lbs this is 10 years after.
You can maybe try to a brace on your foot it might help. good luck and keep working on it.
Cramps might be due to poor blood circulation. I can recommend a health product which is macnufactured in Malaysia but using Japananese technology. It is a therapeutic mattress pad with 6 health therapies such as far infrared rays, bio-magnetic, thermal, natural jade, negative ion and spinal chord support. There are testimonials of those being bedridden due to stroke being able to move after sleeping on this mattress. It is selling like hot cakes here. Do contact me at elizah62@yahoo.com.my if you need more info.
First let me say I am so happy that your injury was not a worse spinal cord injury.
Stretching the hamstring daily should help with the cramping. When exercising, stand on the ball of your one foot, lean forward and hold onto something, then let your body weight stretch the tendon. Do this repeatedly in one session(maybe 16-20 reps). If there is no pain or worse cramping the next day, continue that. It will stretch out the tendon.Also, heat helps. They have heat patches at Wal-Mart you can use. Wear them at night around the part of your leg that spasms.
Good luck to you.
I don't know if this can help in your case, but it's worth a try. my yoga teacher swears by this. first pinch the fleshy part of your'e nose in the middle of your nostrils, do not close the nostrils, just pinch them for a minute whenever you take a cramp.It works every time for me. hope it helps.
It depends on the nature of the injury. It is possible that there is some scar tissue attached to the injured nerves. When the body gets into certain positions, the mechanical stimulus to the nerve causes muscle contraction. Also, within the spinal cord the reflex loops often get "miswired" after injury, and the nervous system produces inappropriate responses to stimuli.
If its the first, then stretching may eventually help. If it's the second, only time will tell.
Try to make note of what specific things trigger the cramp. I know you said the step bridge exercise, but at what point in the movement? What are the positions of your joints? That kind of information can help identify the trigger. Then you might be able to modify certain movements to avoid the trigger stimulus.
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