Muscle Twitching and Spasms in Legs and Feet

[Maxkwak]

Can lumbar spine problems (or spine problems in general) cause chronic twiching and/or spasming of muscles in the calves and feet?

My background: Posterior interbody lumbar fusion (L4-S1) 7 months ago, anterior cervical fusion (C5-C7) about 4 years ago, and undifferentiated spondylitis. Leg muscles twitch constantly, regardless of activities, worsen when I first lie down, but then settle down to mild twitching all night long after being in bed awhile. If I do any physical activities (walking on treadmill, stretching, eliptical machine, etc.) the twitching goes into severe spasms in my calves and sometimes in my feet during the night. Sometimes the calves will spasm when I climb stairs during the day, but I immediately walk out the spasm. On bad nights, however, I have to get up every 10 minutes all night long to walk out the spasms. If I don't exercise, the spasms are infrequent, but the twitching is constant. With exercise, the spasms are chronic on a nightly basis. At night my lower back frequently tightens or spasms, and in my sleep I'll arch my back and tightly lock my legs in a stretch to counter the lower back spasm, and it will wake up in the process; this may, at times, contribute to the leg spasms, but it doesn't happen everytime. I'm still having moderate groin and hip pain since the lumber surgery, but benefits have far outweigh the discomfort, and the pain is slowly but surely diminishing. The twitching and spasms preceded the lumbar surgeries and have not abated since the surgeries.

I don't have MS and don't seem to fit the pattern for RLS. I've taken RLS meds, potassium, magnesium, quinine, heomeopatic remedies, etc. but nothing help. Flexeril 3x daily will help when spasms get bad, but the side effects are pretty intense, so I stopped exercising for the sake of trying to sleep at night.

I would appreciate any insight you may be able to provide regarding back problems and leg and foot muscle issues. Thank you.

[opus88]

hi there sorry for you're unwanted side effects..not easy to deal with!!
I have the same issues with my back and the nerve pain down the legs. I've never tried cymbalta however I've taken neurontin(gabapentin) for abt 5 yrs. its an anticonvulsant and works wonders for this type of nerve pain.
I have a few side effects especially like now when I am increasing the dose(2700 mg now)...feel sort of spacey and yes dry mouth. but otherwise no biggie, these side effects are minor in comparison to the pain...
BTW do you're homework on epidural steroid injections....
best place to find more info on them is the PAIN MANAGEMENT FORUM....
read alot before you go ahead with this treatment, ok
good luck to you

[NOLAKatie]

*UPDATE*

I wanted to update my last post.  I went to my orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday and we scheduled an epidural steoroid injection because PT and the anti-inflammatory did not help my pain.  She also put me on 30 mg Cymbalta for the "phantom" nerve pain/numbing/tingling, and not for depression.  Apparently it "blocks the pain pathway".  I have been on Cymbalta for a few days now and the side effects are intense.  My mouth is dry and I have a metallic taste in my mouth.  I am very loopy, which is affecting my work performance.  I am very drowsy.  I zone out frequently.  Sometimes I feel like I am going to throw up.  It's day 3 and I'm wondering when these side effects will cease.  My pharmacist said it takes some people 2-3 weeks, but my doctor said it will take a few days.  I am supposed to increase my dose to 60 mg in a week.  Have any of y'all ever taken this drug for your back issues?  Any advice?   Thank y'all!

[NOLAKatie]

I have suffered with chronic lower back pain for 10 years.  I had a sports injury in high school.  I am 25 now.  I am 5'7" and 130 lbs.  I went to a doctor when the injury initially happened, and things seemed to get better.  The pain came back tenfold a couple of years ago, but I refused to see a doctor.  For me to see a doctor, something has to REALLY be wrong.  I didn't think a doctor would want to be bothered with my back pains.  

I am in so much pain that making the bed, shaving my legs, bending over to pet my cat, and emptying the dishwater are things that I will be paying for for a few weeks.  Forget sweeping the floors and doing laundry!  I know there are some of you who understand what I am talking about.  

Well, a few months ago I started getting this twitching in my legs.  It would happen when I first lied down at night.  It would continue for about 20 minutes and then settle down.  My legs would just jerk.  Sometimes it would be caused by shooting pain down my legs and other times it just seemed like there was no rhyme or reason for it.  I didn't think it was muscular, though.  It seemed deeper than that.  I also found that if I lay a certain way, my legs would go crazy.  I had to find the right comfortable position before I could relax.  I always get what I call "phantom nerve pains".  For example, I feel my right foot toes go numb and then I get a dull pain in my left knee, then a slight burning in my right calf, and tingling in my left thigh, etc.  This is 100% of the time.  Finally, I went to an orthopedic surgeon spine specialist.  My doctor ordered an MRI, put me on Mobic (Meloxicam) and ordered PT 2 times a week.  The MRI showed 3 herniated disks caused by annular tears in my L4-S1.  The doctor also said I have DDD (Degenerative Disk Disease).  Clearly, my nerves were/are being compressed.  

I go to PT for core strengthening and traction.  Traction is amazing.  Traction is disk decompression.  They strap 2 harnesses onto you and hook you up this pulling machine.  One harness hold you in place and the other is attached to the pulling machine.  It pulls your spine apart and it feels divine!  It's my little St. Catherine Wheel.  It lasts for about 3 days, so I get it done twice a week.

I hope this helps someone.  The bottom line is my twitching legs and weird leg sensations are caused by nerve compression.  Traction (disk decompression) is a great thing.  I am still in pain, but the twitching stops because of traction.  Mobic is good, but the pain comes back at the end of the day.  I cannot take pain killers because I am a teacher, so I am dealing with this pain.  I am going back to the doctor to start epidural injections in 2 weeks, but this makes me nervous.  The procedure looks scary in writing.  I'm assuming that if the injections don't work, I am looking at surgery.  

I understand how y'all feel about chronic pain.  It is literally very depressing.  People tell me to stay positive, but I don't understand what the point of living is if every single moment of my existence is PAINFUL.  Back pain costs a lot of money and I have no patience for it.  Nothing seems to be working for the pain.  I also feel a lot older than I am.  Everything hurts.  I am only 25!  I should be going out and having fun on the weekends, but I am stuck in bed.  After work, I lie down in bed.  On the weekends, I am in bed.  This does not sound like a young bachelorette living her big city dream.  This sounds like my 80-year old grandmother is West Palm.  I am sorry to say that I have begun to lose all hope for being pain-free.

Again, I hope this post helps someone.  Take care.      

[CindyS2231]

I am sorry to hear you are suffering so much. I had the same problem 4 years ago. I got so desperate that I did try medication. It helped me sleep a little better, while I was finding other things that would help. I would not hesitate to use medicaton temporarily to keep your sanity. When your legs get so tight at night there is no way you can do enough stretching during the day to strecth them out. I have an old waterbed with a select comfort matress. My husband is handy and made wood braces for the bed for me to put my feet on, so my feet and legs would always be in a stretched position at night. I has done wonders for me, and I no longer use any medication. I can't remember the last time I had a cramp at night. My leg is still twitching but my life is back to normal, and I am very active. At some point I gave up trying to find why my leg twitched and started brainstorming about what I could do for myself to solve the problem. No doctor has ever offered anything but medication. Without meds I was up 5-7 times a night with cramps. With meds it was 3-4. That was not an acceptable long term solution. It is not a very common problem and I have never found a healthcare worker who ever understood how torturous it is. I wish you the best.

[Shannie40]

I have been experiencing SEVERE leg and foot spasms off and on for about 20 years. In the past 3 years it has become nightly and honestly, getting to be unbearable!

I am a 40 y/o active woman. I do alot of walking as I am a nurse. I am in good shape and stay well hydrated. I make sure to keep up my potassium intake and take B12 supplements.

I have had increasing, almost debilitating leg and foot spasms almost nightly for the past 2 years. I stretch before going to bed and have been given Baclofen 10mg- 2 T PO QID by my neurologist to take nightly a few hours before bedtime.
My recent MRI showed a lesion on my spine( sorry, my copy of the report is at work and am honestly so tired from last night I am drawing a total blank on what level it's at!).My neurologist states that he believes the lesion is a congenital defect, but is going to monitor it for progression and growth every 6 months. In the meantime he would like me to start a regimen of Zanaflex for the muscle spasms and Provigil for the daytime somolence and fatigue.

I am NOT into taking medication- even though I am  a nurse, but I am at my wits end. I need to be able to get a good nights sleep to be able to function in my nursing capacity. I am awakened  from a sound sleep nightly with the most severe pain in my feet and calves. My lower extremities spasms so severely I fall out of bed to the floor, unable to stand to try and walk them off. This ,in turn, wakes my husband who tries to massage the spasms out of my legs.

He has accompanied me to my neurology appointments and has told my neurologist that my nightly spasms and pain are interfering with both of our sleep. My neurologist has been made aware that my spasms are progressing to the point where I am beginning to get them during the day and even while driving. This is dangerous as I have no control over the muscle at all during these events. My spasms last anywhere from 10-20 minutes each cycle and usually happen at least once to twice every 2 hours all through the night.

I have tried every home remedy imaginable. I have tried vitamins, massage, water aerobics, stretching- all to no avail. I am planning on starting my samples of Zanaflex and Provigil this weekend, but am extremely nervous about doing so. I do not want to take anything that can be sedating or addicting, I just want to be out of pain.

Are there any others with the same problem? Does anyone have any advise? All information would be most appreciated and helpful. I am beyond desperate at this point.

BTW- the MRI and MRA of my brain did not show MS lesions, which my neurologist had worried might be causing my symptoms.My LE nerve conduction study also showed normal .
Thanks...and wishing you all a pain free day! :) Shannie

[Callmeteejay]

Hello Shannie! My mom, a nurse as well, has excruciating pain down her leg. Causing her foot to shake and toes to curl. She's now seeing neurologists, getting spinal shots and taking neurotin. It's been years since your post. It I thought I'd reach out to see if you've found any relief? Thanks so much! T

[Cynthia508]

Okay, you guys will probably think I'm nuts, but I have similar problems with my back and legs.  I was in a car accident in 1977 and have had trouble ever since, and the older I get the worse it gets.  I had been told for years that I needed to have back surgery, but had heard so many negative things about back surgery that I resisted (I prefer to use natural remedies whenever possible).  I eventually opted for trying disk decompression after my back got so bad that I couldn't even dress myself.  I needed to do something.  The amazing thing was that 5 weeks of disk decompression did wonders!  And after I quit the treatments, my back continued to improve.  After 20 years of terrible pain, I am now completely pain free.  It's been 3 years since I had the treatments, and I can honestly say that I feel wonderful.  I just recently started running every other day, and it feels awesome!  (I loved running when I was younger but was told 15 years ago by numerous medical professionals that I would never run again because of the damage to my back.  My disks were 50% gone.)  So if any of you have back problems, I would strongly suggest finding a medical professional that specializes in disk decompression and look into it.  It's absolutely amazing.

Regarding the leg issues...once I completed my disk decompression treatments, I also started having the leg cramping and twitching.  It was always much worse at night, and it was very difficult to get to sleep.  However, I found something very simple that worked very well for me.  Surprisingly enough, I found that putting an ice pack on my lower back completely stopped all the symptoms and gave me a good nights sleep.  I just started going to bed with an ice pack.  I can't explain medically why it would work, but I can tell you that in my case it most definitely did.  After I had done that for a while, the symptoms in my legs finally went away.  It took a few years though.  The symptoms went away as my back got better.  Anyway, maybe my sharing my experience will help someone.