Does anyone have any insight into why my right foot, and more recently, my left foot, have been cramping up during the middle of the night? Enough pain to certainly wake me up. I try and stretch my calves; sometimes have to get up and walk around to ease the cramp. It was random for a few weeks, but now it is occurring nightly. It's not restless leg syndrome, because I already have that, and take medication for it. This is definitely something else. It's around the arch of the foot where the cramp starts. Am very baffled by these recent occurrences. http://adrsupport.org/groupee_common...n_confused.gif

I also have this problem as well as cramping in the calf muscles. There are times when it hurts so bad that I'm on the verge of tears. I still haven't figured out what is causing it but I have noticed that if I'm not hydrated enough, I tend to get the cramps more often. Not sure if this helps, but it can't hurt to try it.

CindyLou and Karin:

I also have had cramping in the lower calves and feet. The cramping in the calves has been soooooo bad that it wakes me up out of a sound sleep and I fly out of bed to get it resolved. I notice I have to stretch nightly now before I go to bed to not have this happen. I put my hands on a counter and keep my feet flat on the floor and put them behind me some distance to get a good stretch in my lower calves.

I don't know if this is unique to ADR recipients but it has been quite painful. Any response from the great beyond?

Terry Newton

Interesting and terrible problem with myriad causes. Dunno if I can help, but I have talked to many other folks in the past few years that have similar problems. If you have other symptoms in addition to the ones not listed here, let's talk...call anytime.

Bottom line: the longer the list of symptoms, and/or the more unusual...the greater chance there is a singular but complex issue at stake.

Well, thank-you for the responses. I think I'll hydrate more, stretch before bed, and see if that helps at all.
Thanks again!

I haven't had ADR surgery yet as I'm trying to find insurance that will pay for it. When I mentioned the cramping to my OS & asked if this was related to my deteriorating disc, he said yes. This may or may not be the case, but I have to say that as the years progress, so do my symptoms. I hope that you find some relief soon!

Karin:

What's interesting though is that CindyLou and I have both had ADR surgery already. Why would we still have these God-awful cramps if we are supposedly fixed? This is a great mystery. I have almost injured myself by getting tangled in the blankets when trying to fly out of bed as it is so painful when the calves cramp up. It wakes me up out of a sound sleep and I go flying out of the bed. One calf muscle felt like it was ripped for a few days afterwards as it cramped up so bad. I wish I could find an answer. I hate taking any more medications. I'm already paying $150 a month for my co-pays on medications as it is.

Any answers anyone besides my stretching routine?

Terry Newton

I started having severe foot pain a few months ago. Pain in my arch and cramping. It turns out I have plantar facitis which is an over use injury of the band of muscles on the bottom of your feet from the heel past the arch. It's horribly painful. Now I have to be sure to stretch my calves real good everyday and ice the bottom of my feet, wear shoes with sturdy arch supports/orthotics, and I go to PT. I haven't had ADR but apparently this is from standing too much because I can't sit not coming from the discs. Could you possible have this?

Spotty:

I looked this up and it seems exactly what is wrong with me. I wonder if this is common with people who have spinal problems. You are now the 4th one of us in this post that has the same features. It's got to have something to do with our spine disease.

Thanks for piping in and now I have a firm idea what I have and how to treat it.

Something for Karin and CindyLou to look in to also.

Thanks again.

Terry Newton

Terry, well said. I've talked about this issue quite a few times with patients in the past three years, and touched on some of it in Sharman's post about facet problems.

More on this in a separate topic soon.