# muscular contraction syndrome?



## Guest (Aug 4, 2000)

I'm new here. diagnosed as having muscular contraction syndrome...also, chronic migraine,muscular headache mixture,...question: is muscular contraction syndrome and fibromyalgia the same? related?,,was told 15 yrs ago I had cfs and ibs...also I dont know how to use this message board very well so hopefullly I'll learn quick...


----------



## weener (Aug 15, 2000)

Hi Lazybones1:Wishing you a warm welcome to our group. I am not familiar with the term "muscular contraction syndrome". I know that fibromyalgia goes by several different names. CFS and FM share a lot similar symptoms. Can you describe some of your symptoms to us? As you will discover this group is a very supportive, friendly, caring group of people. As for using this board, it is fairly easy. If you want to reply to a post, all you have to do is point your cursor to reply post and click. Then the next page will come up, and you just fill in the appropriate info and then click on "submit reply". That's it. Also if you want to add any of the symbols ie) smiley faces, thumbs, etc. just click on the one you want to add to your message. Anyone familiar with "muscular contraction syndrome"? Take care.


----------



## Guest (Aug 4, 2000)

I suffer migraines and tension type headaches. told they were muscular skeletal mixed in that my pains all over..also worst place is from the base of my skull across the very top of my back/shoulders (and then hips) 2nd worse is I feel like my hamstring muscles won't stretch 1/2 an inch and walking causes migraines.I'm very stiff and if I use my arm say in a motion as to run the sweeper (which I cannot do) then I'm in bed for days with my shoulder all drawn up /with a migraine.the Dr. says the muscles are contracting clear up to the top of my skull and a migraine is triggered..I suffer panic attacks (only seems to happen if I dare going into a big store alone)(so I don't do that anymore)..extreme fatigue, knees snap & pop & ache constant..I feel like my upper back muscles are hard as rocks but yet if someone would poke my arm it feels like it would hurt clear into my inner being (if that makes sence).I have anxiety (although i was given trazadone and 1 month later flipped out from it) (now I am trying Depakote and didnt have a migraine for 3 weeks but am now on day 6 of a dull headache from last saturdays migraine)..no energy, sometimes dizzy/lightheaded .was diagnosed years ago with CFS and have had IBS all my life it seems.I do seem to have more FMS syptoms than CFS tho..have insomnia, etc etc....


----------



## Guest (Aug 4, 2000)

Welcome Lazybones







I have not heard of muscular contraction syndrome. But, I can whole hardidly relate to muscle pain, migraine and muscular headache. I have FM (1985) and CFS (1989 diagnosed: 1992) With the CFS I have to be very careful about overusing the muscles. They burn out with to much activity. With a little exertion, the muscles don't know when to stop working, so it is like after a 15 minute walk, my muscles continue to work for awhile. Anyway, it sounds closely related by way of name, but we know that "names" are very decieving at best.DeeDee


----------



## Guest (Aug 4, 2000)

Hey Lazybones, by the time I finished my post, you had another one in!! Have you tried a program of easy stretches? Keeping my muscles stretched has helped me quite a bit, and have found my headaches "usually" haven't been as bad. I have been able to knock more of them out with just acetaminophin. DeeDee


----------



## Guest (Aug 4, 2000)

the Dr. is trying to get the migraines under control first and then suggests stretching and soon going to an exercise program..he says then aerobics (which I cannot even imagine being able to do)because if I would say jump up and down 5 times, I would spend weeks recovering from the migraines and the knot I'd feel at the base of my skull..I am looking for an easy start to stretching tho..the muscle part happened to me 7 yrs ago after a car accident..the muscles on the right side of my back were all just thrown up and over the left side in a jerked motion so I have been getting chiropractic treatment for 7 years and also now seeing a neurologist..have had 4 MRIs so the brain is ok but the muscles arent..sometimes the muscles twitch, tingle, cramp up..legs fall asleep easy..


----------



## Guest (Aug 5, 2000)

Hello lazybones,And welcome to the forum. I too have not heard of muscular contraction syndrome. But, lucky for me, I don't have migraines and that seems from what you are saying to be one of the strong features of that syndrome. Your symptoms are very suggestive of fibro though, for the most part. At least from what I've read about fibro.Anyway, I wish you well and please continue posting here as I think that together, we can learn a lot.Here is a website that I posted a couple of weeks ago from ivillage.com called "Keyboard Yoga". I think these are fairly gentle stretching exercises but in your situation it might be best to clear that with your doctor before doing them. http://www.ivillage.com/diet/tools/yoga/index.html


----------



## Guest (Aug 5, 2000)

Well, Lazybones, sorry to say I have not either heard of muscular contraction syndrome. It sure sounds like fibro to me. I have a friend that has had migraines for years and years and from all those headaches produced all the fibro symptoms. It turns out the poor girl had a slipped disc that was squeezing something so she lacked the flow of something else to the brain and it was causing the headaches. Sorry for all the "something elses" but I can't think of what it is. Hopefully, you get my drift here. Anyway, they injected her with a cortisone type shot and the inflammation disappeared and VOILA! no more migraines. She will have surgery to repair this before the end of the year. Anyway, welcome to the board. We have a great group here and I know that I learn something new everyday here. Come back to see us. Lynne


----------



## Guest (Aug 6, 2000)

The keyboard Yoga sight from Calida is great. Some of the stretches on there, my chiropractor gave me. Whether you have CFS or fibro, the aerobics is a bad idea. Especially CFS!! When I was first diagnosed with fibro, my doctor recommended an exercise bike. That worked wonders!! Just had to find a time limit that was do-able. I am still a fan of walking, walking, walking!!! I'm just jabbering here!







DeeDee


----------



## Feisty (Aug 14, 2000)

Hi, Lazybones! Your description of your problems sounds a lot like mine. I get a lot of migraines and I know the majority of them are from my stiff, sore, neck and upper shoulders. My hips bother me a lot, too. And this summer, for some odd reason, the bottoms of my feet hurt. For a couple of weeks it was hard to do much walking or standing on them. They are getting better, but they still feel sore all the time. I am forever flexing and stretching the ankles and toes, etc. It feels good and I think that is a good thing for all of us Fibros to do. Stretching daily is so important. Unfortunately, I sometimes just "don't have the time". That's a bad excuse, but it's my life's story!!!! My Doctor recommended walking and especially swimming in a heated pool for a good exercise routine. I did go swimming at a YMCA club for over 6 months last year and it is a wonderful and relaxing way to exercise those stiff and sore muscles and I really toned up big time.  Just thought I'd post these thoughts to you. Good luck, and keep us posted. This is a wonderful Board. Everyone is so thoughtful and kind and patient and so very informative. We all try to help each other whenever we can. And, we will listen--so if you need to vent, go right ahead. We all have those moments. Take care.


----------



## Guest (Aug 7, 2000)

did you say sore feet??? Thats one of my major problems..I was planning a wedding and went to a craft store, in cheap flat shoes, and I over did it on my feet..I knew it but thought I'd be ok..wanted to get everything done at once (so I fooled myself)..by the time I left the clerk was offering help to get me out of the store because I was starting to limp..well I spent the next 4 days in bed because of the pain in my feet, up the backs of my legs and with an excrutiating migraine...that was in April and my feet have still not recovered..I cannot walk very far at all (shopping is "out")or my feet begin to hurt and knot up, toes start cramping, and then the next day or two I'm in bed with another migraine..there is a definate connection..I went to a neurologist to find out why I suffer so much with migraines and within 10 minutes of telling him about my neck, shoulder, feet, hamstrings, what type of pain when in migraine, blah blah, he explains muscular contraction syndrome..I looked some of it up on the web...sometimes I walk just shuffling my feet and I did buy good tennis shoes (think reebok crosstrainer?)and I even wear them to church , unless I'm feeling real well...I wear them everywhere and have decided that I won't worry about opinions of others, afterall, they aren't suffering







..and I wouldn't wish this on anyone







yes, I have to constantly rub the feet or roll them on stuff..I am planning to start warm water swimming....I read that one thing thats a migraine trigger is when you hold you neck in any one position for more than just a few minutes, like when reading, sewing..you have to constantly slowly change position with neck movements......stretching is extremely difficult for me..even to sit on the couch and put one leg acrossed the couch and then try to lean forward to stretch my leg, well I can get my leg up but then I can't even lean forward...ouch ! I need alot of help....and justknowing that there are others who *understand* or have *been there* is already helping me mentally to deal withthis.......


----------



## Feisty (Aug 14, 2000)

Lazybones, Have you tried Physical Therapy? Perhaps your Doctor would write orders for you to go for Physical Therapy----then medical insurance should cover part or all of it. I did that a year ago because of all the migraines and it did help some after a while. I went 2 to 3 times a week for about 4 months. I only wish I could have gone longer. Besides showing me proper ways to do the stretches, she would spend at least 30 to 45 minutes massaging my whole back and shoulders and neck and even the facial muscles. Felt so good. It helped loosen me up and relax me for a while anyway. I also went for some Acupuncture and I think I'm going to go for more. Unfortunately the doctor who does the Acupuncture is an hour and a half away from me and he's booked solid for weeks in advance. He's an Internal Medicine doctor who also specializes in acupuncture. I'm lucky because when my health insurance found out he is a licensed medical doctor, they agreed to pay for the acupuncture! What are you taking to ease the migraines? I was taking Cafergot and Perfenazine(anti-nauseous), but had to take more and more of it so I ended up with rebound migraines. So, they took me off of it and they told me that once you rebound on Cafergot, it will never work properly for you again. Before the cafergot, I was giving myself Imitrex injections---it averaged out to 15 shots in 30 days, so they said NO MORE---you'll give yourself a heart attack. So then it was just pain meds like Advil, Extra-Strength Tylenol--didn't even touch the pain. So then I graduated to Darvacet and Vicodan, etc. and they just dope me up good and I walk around like some Zombie. I can now use the Imitrex again as long as I don't over use it. And I asked if I could try the lesser dose in tablet form because I hate those shots!!! They bite--like a very large mosquito!!! I was doing so well for a while and was going about 10 to 15 days in between bad migraines and just managing the other tension headaches with Advil, etc., but now I've been getting those da-n migraines all the time. I'm lucky if I can go 3 days without one. It's just a vicious cycle with nowhere to turn. I'm going to try getting some body massages. They are relaxing. Sometimes she massages the really sore muscles and it hurts, but it feels good. Know what I mean? Anyway, I guess we have to keep plugging away and hoping something crosses our paths that will help. Oh, I forgot. I'm also taking 480 mgs. of Verapamil which is a calcium channel blocker that is used for lowering blood pressure. My blood prressure has always been low and now I'm lucky I'm still considered alive!!!! On an average day, my BP is something like 80/40. I have to be careful about the way I move because if I move to fast, or bend over, etc.--then it's blackout time!!!! The theory behind having me on this is that I need more of a boost to keep the blood vessels open and blood flowing properly. It's a toss up, I think. I've been taking it for a little over a year now. It seemed to help for a while and like I said I'm now back to square one. So the million dollar question is whether it's worth taking any more. Keep us posted Lazybones, and don't give up. We've still got some living to do!!!! Take care. Karen


----------



## Guest (Aug 8, 2000)

Karen...I just read your post and felt like I was reading about myself...LOL..as far as pain meds I have tried so many and even lots of them that weren't even perscribed for me..for awhile Midrin worked real well,, then one day it just didn't work anymore.I tried zomig and hated it..I got "much" worse and then better and then felt very weird..tried percocet, Butal,800mgs of ibuprofen,etc etc...one thing that did help for awhile..i began taking an herb called feverfew..even once when i took it faithfullly for weeks at a time I went 2 months with no migraine..now it has to say "tenacetum parthenium" on the label or its the wrong flower and wont help..I'm trying to find the right bottle again because it seems not to work as well now...and I cant remember from one day to the next to take it..but there are books about it that its supposed to be a known cure for lots of people (but not everyone)...after I just went through a tramatic either allergic reaction or a breakdown while taking the trazadone (the neurologist wanted to try antidepressants to trick my brick into not having migraines) now I am chicken to take anything and am suffering greatly...when he gave me the trazadone I felt real good for one month and then WHAM it just messed me up and I was one big major panic attack and a cry baby and immediately went off it..then a few days of severe shaking (looked like I had parkensins) but then that stopped..I am on this anticonvulsant (Depakote) but only for another month...and then what?? thats the question that scares me....he says begin walking every other day..I keep telling people I cant walk and what happens and they arent hearing me correctly...I tried the keyboard yoga (found out I dont even know how to breath right LOL) but I did it and enjoyed it...and then proceeded to have a migraine about 4 hours later and its now a muscular headache...but I did the yoga on saturday..I just have to go really slow at this .....i have very low bp too...90/60 is my highest and I know what you mean about standing slowly or blacking out...a year ago I began having panic attacks...now what????? I really dont want to become a hermit LOL....thanks for the encouragement and keep in touch...I'm soooo glad I stumbled acrossed this message board..


----------



## andrea (Sep 11, 2004)

I had these muscle spasm headaches with neck and shoulder pain for 35 years. (I think it was really chronic myofascial pain syndrome)Although headache center said they were tension headaches and none of their medications did anything including Midrin and Prozac. Went to rheumatologist and was given Relafen 1500mg a day for new carpel tunnel pain. Well in about 3 weeks the daily headaches disappeared. Everything was great for about 6 months until a new doc changed me from relafen to Vioxx. BIG MISTAKE. By day 4 the neck spasms started to reoccur, and then the headaches started. After 11 days went back to the Relafen. It has taken a good 2 weeks for it to have everything stablized again. Relafen isn't suppose to control this type of pain but it sure works for me. It is an anti-inflammatory. Ask your doc about it. It could help mine was certainly surprised of the outcome.


----------

