Very Weird, My Spine Contracts During My Sleep! - Neuromuscular Diseases Message Board

BillyW · 07-18-2003, 05:46 AM

this has just happened to me. i was dreaming something and suddently my spine would contract in the reverse, somewhat violently.

this is very difficult to explain. it feels kind of as though my spine where my lower back is is tickled. or something the way the legs react and jerk when the knee is tapped on. it feels tickled and then it contracts but in a bad, not exactly painful, but definitely uncomfortable and disturbing way.

even now, my spine feels "funny", as though it's being tickled. it's weird that the contractions should happen when i'm having "verbal" dreams. i had two contractions this morning. and i can't go back to sleep.

anyway, i posted on this board before about random twitches all over my body which occurred especially throughout my legs. to be honest, i'm still not sure if it's completely muscular, because half of the time, the "twitches" that i feel feel more like blood pulsing in my veins, though at the same time, the other half of the time, when i feel twitches in my thighs and look to the area, i can actuallly see muscle strands contracting and so on.

my spine had been feeling kind of weird the past couple of weeks. generally it doesn't feel right.

can anyone possibly relate to what i'm writing?

this post is long so i apologize.

thank you for reading.

postedit: here's some more detail: i found that if i take my fist and burrow a knuckle or so into the muscles of my lower back adjacent to the spine, i get the same funny contraction. so it's not only random or mental.

any response would be appreciated. thanks again.

[This message has been edited by BillyW (edited 07-18-2003).]

Mystery_00 · 07-18-2003, 01:57 PM

sounds like restless leg syndrome. i get that too, but i think its from my piriformis muscle tightened so bad. in fact i read that piriformis is one of the main reasons for restless leg syndrome.

do a search on it on the net..you should find some answer. it feels like you have to tighten your spine, or flex it to get it to stop,and you always want to move your legs.and it usually happens at night. sucks, dont it?

Mystery_00 · 07-18-2003, 01:59 PM

heres what i found on piriformis and restless leg syndrome...

Piriformis originates on the sacrum and inserts on the medial surface of the head of the femur. It is the principal lateral rotator of the hip. The sciatic nerve may pass under or through the piriformis, causing entrapment. Much sciatic pain is caused by the piriformis, as well as restless leg syndrome. Its trigger points typically refer into the leg, the hip, and the low back. See below.

Translation:"Piriformis" means "pear-shaped." This muscle attaches to the side of the sacrum, which is the wide, flat bone at the base of your spine just above your tailbone. It lies under the large butt muscle (gluteus maximus) and goes across the buttock to attach to the top of the thighbone. Its main job is to rotate the leg ******d, but it also helps to hold the hip in joint when it's bearing weight. Your sciatic nerve, which is the nerve that goes down the back of your leg, passes under or through this muscle, so tightness in the piriformis can cause sciatica, which is pain down the back of the leg. It can also cause what's called "restless leg syndrome." Trigger points in this muscle can cause pain in the back of the leg, the hip, and the low back.

BillyW · 07-18-2003, 05:34 PM

Mystery,

Thank you. I think you're right. I have some case of sciatica and I believe I know what's been causing it. I've gotten into the habit of sitting a peculiar way where I lean to one side more than the other. This imbalance has cause my lowerback muscles to torque around my spine in an unnatural way. That is the best lay assesment I can give it. I didn't realize this sitting habit until I did some research of sciatica. I've shifted the way I sit so I lean more in the opposite direction than what I had been for a long time. and, now, the "tickling" "verge-upon-a-spasm" feeling has gone away.

Thank you. Your posts have answered my question.

moe146 · 10-19-2003, 08:09 AM

Thank you for detailing your condition so well. I have EXACTLY the same thing. It's worse when I finally lay down and try to sleep. Sometimes when its bad it continues on even while I'm awak in the middle of the afternoon. The "jerks" can be extremely violent but not really painful.

My doctor prescribed a mild sedative to take before I go to sleep. This helped a little bit but did not get down to the root of the problem. I notice a tightness and inflamation in my lower back/buttocks when it gets bad. I find over-the-counter muscle relaxers help. This exercise seems to target the exact area as well:
[url="http://danke.com/Orthodoc/pirif.html"]http://danke.com/Orthodoc/pirif.html[/url]

Holding on to somehting for support, raise the straight leg a few inches of the floor and rotate the whole leg from the hip - not just the foot -- so that the toes are pointing toward the other leg. Hold that position for ten seconds. If possible, rotate it further and repeat.

I have a desk job where I'm sitting all day and I'm going to try to get up once an hour and stretch and relax those muscles.

It's good knowing I'm not alone. My husband was afraid it was some type of neurological disorder or something but I'm convinced the tightening of the piriformis is the cause.