Hi,
I get terrible cramp in my left ankle. I have got drop foor in left leg and also wear a MuSmate to help with walking. Diagnosed with MS in 95 and its turned into SPMS. My left leg aches in the thigh muscle and chromic restless legs.
Just recently started to get terrible cramp in my left ankle, wakes me up at night. My whole left leg is verey restless, getting fed up with it. Got a prescripion for quinine, does not do the job forvery long, maybe 3 hours
Cramo isa driving me insane, I cannot concentrate on anything
2 questions, anyone get cramp and how do they get rid of it.
Patrick
Hi Patrick,
It’s a very common MS symptom. You don’t say whether you are already on any muscle relaxants.
I find baclofen helps. It’s not a complete cure, because I still get the occasional bad attack - but usually only when the baclofen is wearing off, and I’m about due for the next dose.
I also find the attacks are often linked to getting cold - particularly my feet.
I know some people don’t like hot baths, because it tends to exacerbate other symptoms.
But if I can’t shake off the cramps because I’m cold, I find it helps.
If you don’t want to go down the prescription meds route, eating bananas (for the potassium) or drinking tonic water (for the quinine) are said to help. However, I have not found these very successful for anything but the mildest of cases. They’ve never cured a really crippling bout.
You could also try taking magnesium supplements - particularly last thing at night - if that is when they mostly strike.
Tina
Hello Tina,
I will be more specific. I take 2 *10mg of Baclofen a day, reluctant to up the dosage cos my knees hyper-extend and walking becomes impossible. Hyper extension is where knee tries to bend wrong way and then locks, It makes going down stairs a bit tricky
The cramps happen at nght when legs and feet are warm and cosy.
I take a quinine pill last thing at nght but still get cramp at night. Apparently quinine levels in the bofy take a while to build up
I will try magnsium supplements - oh dear that is another pill to take.
Many thanks
Patrick
I find 750mg of magnesium helps with spasm & cramp, as does a fair bit of stretching. A FES is worth a look for preventing dropped foot, as it helps to keep the body more inline and builds muscle strength.
Take a look at the pleasingly effective Swedish Knee Cage (not hinged) for problems with hyperextension.
Its not quite the same but whlst pregnant I suffered dreadfully, to the extent that some days my calf would still be sore the next morning) I found that if I upped my intake of dairy (usually just an extra yoghurt) then this went some way to reducing it.
I find that OTC prepration Crampex helps
B