Re: Muscle spasms - more ideas

March 1, 2004

Hi again,

Some more ideas to help with muscle spasms:

1) Sometime during the evening, lie on your back on the floor

(preferably on a mat or carpet) with your knees bent. Pull the knee of

your good leg as close to your chest as possible, then rotate your

ankle and foot about 10 times in each direction. Your knee should not

move, just the ankle and foot. Do the same with the operated leg,

except that during the first six weeks you can only pull it up to a 90

degree angle from your torso.

2) Straighten your leg, and pull it as close to your torso as

possible. Then alternately point and flex your foot (i.e., bend the

food backwards and forward as much as possible), feeling the stretch

in your leg muscles, especially the lower ones. Again, be careful not

to pull the operated leg closer than 90 degrees during the first six

weeks.

3) When in bed, sleep on your side with your knees bent about 45

degrees or whatever angle is comfortable for you. Bend your bottom arm

about 90 degrees, so that your hand is lying palm up a few inches from

your face. Either lay your top arm on your side, or bend it and rest

your hand on the bed, whatever is most comfortable. Straighten your

spine and neck, as if you'd been told to stand at attention. Tuck in

your chin. Then relax a little. I read about this sleeping position in

a book on " Chi gong " (sometimes called " Xi kung " or other spellings),

and it does seem to help me go to sleep. Perhaps some other members

who know more about this Oriental practice could improve my description.

4) Breathing exercise to reduce anxiety and help you relax: Breathe in

as much air as you can through your nose for a count of 4. Make sure

the air goes right down into your abdomen, and hold it for a count of

12 to 16. Then breathe out through your mouth for a count of 8, making

sure that all the air is thoroughly expelled. Hold for a count of 4,

then breathe in again. Repeat several times, finally feeling more

relaxed after the last breath out. If a count of 8 or 16 seems too

long at first, even just a count of 4 will help you calm down and

release tension.

Hope these will help some of my fellow spasm and cramp sufferers.

Incidentally, I don't just get them in my legs; I suffer from spasms

in my back, shoulders, and neck occasionally as well.

n

rBHR Oct.03 McMinn

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