Experiencing painful spasms since knee replacement

julzmama

Please, can anyone help me?? 
I am 61 Years old and have mild spastic cp on my right side. I initial got diagnosed at 2 year old.
i have had many operations and wore a brace on my leg and hand when I was younger and also had a lot of therapy!!!
i had a knee replacement on my left knee that went well years ago, and recently had my right knee done, every since having the surgery I have had terrible painful spasms in my hamstring muscle & ankle.
I have tried different muscle relaxers through the years with no relief. Valiem is the only med that works but I am up to 15-20 mg a day. 
I have heard Botox could possibly help or acupunchure. I have always taken Valiem. 
Can someone please respond, I need help!!! Thank you so much!!! 

JennysDad

Hello @julzmama and a warm, if slightly belated, welcome to you. I'm sorry no-one seems to have got back to you sooner.
I'm not actually able to offer you any advice on this, but I would recommend that you have a look at our 'Dealing with chronic pain' thread and see if you can pitch into any of the conversations there. It would probably be a good means of introducing yourself to those who know most about what you are going through.
Very warmest best wishes to you,
@JennysDad

julzmama

Thank you so much and I will take your advice.

AndMac

@julzmama I've just spotted this. This sounds famiiiar to me.

I've got left sided CP (hemiplegia), and it's just my leg that's affected really. I have developed arthritis in my left hip, quite severe, but it's been made much worse over the last two years or so by muscle tightening (contractures). I've only just realised that these contractures aren't part of the arthritis, but are a separate issue.

My tightening is in my adductor muscles around my hip, and my flexor muscles, which makes it difficult to straighten my knee from a bent position.

There's another issue here though, I feel, and that is the amount of information available to us as older people managing our cerebral palsy..

There is so little literature on this, even academic studies that can be  hard to read are thin on the ground.

There is virtually zero information online on the effects of contractures on older people with cerebral palsy who haven't experiened these effects previously. We appear to be charting our own course with this, as we sail into unknown territory.

We've been dreadfully neglected in my opinion, the focus is heavily on the management of CP for children, but once you hit adulthood, you are on your own. Hemi-Help, a charity which was set up to offer support to parents of children with hemiplegia, offered some good support to adults too, but they have now folded and merged with a charity that supports families (Contact),

I did experience some contracture, in childbirth, (twice), but this was described as 'cramp', and I've described the contractures as cramp myself

They are not  cramp, of course.

I've just been prescribed Baclofen, which is helping, and I've looked on the Multiple Sclerosis website for advice on dealing with contractures,

I'm hoping to get another referral for physiotherapy to get muscles stretched.

Regarding the pain, I'd tried all the standard painkillers and I'm just relying on paracetamol now. Tramadol did nothing for me.

My hope is that I can get better mobility from stretches and Baclofen, and regain some fitness.

I was always fit, until I got tendonitis, I exercised for forty minutes every morning on getting up, to stave off arthritis, and it really helped. 

happy91

Stretches are amazing I do progressive muscle relaxation everyday I highly recommend. Sorry to hear about your pain ladies. Regarding knee pain, I rest with my legs elevated and also before bed. Have you tried this @julzmama? 

Waylay

I get back spasms, so I totally understand how awful it is .. I don't have CP, so not sure if this is useful: the most helpful things I've found for the spasms are to stretch my whole body 2-3 times a day, and CBD oil.