Lower leg and feet muscle tightness

    • pammy
      January 8, 2021 at 4:22 pm

      I posted the cidp post covid above.
      Want to clarify, the discomfort is not a stabbing nerve pain , but decreased sensation, altered sensation, but predominantly muscle tightness, calves,
      bottom of feet, toe curling. If i do the usual towel stretch for tight achilles, or other exercises, my PT
      PHd says it from abnormal innervation, not just inflammation. So would prednisone do anything to
      to normalize innervation ? Does anyone have this tightness manifestation as pronounced. My neurologists
      really are of no help on this. I know prednisone is major anti inflammatory. If nerve does not heal or normalize a little more, i cant see how these drugs will help ? Does anyone have more knowledge than I on this ?

    • Ron Brunelle
      January 8, 2021 at 5:05 pm

      The tightness in the calves I’ve had for many years, one of many symptoms of my CIDP. Daily pt will alleviate the problem. I had partial paralysis in my legs and feet for the past few years, so for a while I couldn’t do much about it, now that I’ve regained my strength I’ve seen much improvement with the tightness.

    • pammy
      January 8, 2021 at 5:53 pm

      What exactly do you with your Pt ?
      Due to covid, mine comes to house due to covid rules NYC.
      I had covid, 8 mos. ago, not bad, recovered at home.
      This tightness thing is all since then.
      I had new elctrodiagnoatic studies, confirm regression.
      See my prior post from 2 days ago

      Thank you doe your input.

    • David
      January 8, 2021 at 5:57 pm

      I at one point used to get tightness in my forearms. So I would say that’s the same as calves since it’s the extremities. I’ve used prednisone and have had good success. Been on Cellcept since May 2019. I noticed I get the tightness if I started getting sick with anything else, like a cold or something which makes sense.

    • pammy
      January 8, 2021 at 6:57 pm

      Do has anyone explained to you why the tightness,
      that a symptoms worsens w you get cold makes sense,
      but why tightness, when the hallmark of the disease is muscle weakness ?

      I don’t know why, doc here n nyc are very reluctant for prednisone, especially if its the pts. idea, not theirs, its like asking for plutonium.
      Than you for your opinion.

    • David
      January 8, 2021 at 11:23 pm

      When your immune system is now fighting an infection or a virus, it changes your normal status cause your body now needs to fight the virus, and your antibodies target it. In the interim antigens that affect our condition don’t get knocked down to the level, we are used to when our body is in a healthier state therefore we start to feel symptoms of CIDP again. Hopefully, that makes sense and hopefully, I said it correctly.

      • pammy
        January 9, 2021 at 8:15 am

        Yes, thank you, i understand, just more curious
        why it is manifesting as tightness, when that was not
        a predominant feature for me in my lower leg in the
        5 ish yrs I have had this, it was muscle weakness.
        I have read elsewhere that tightness is sometimes a feature of muscle weakness. The muscle is weak, weaker
        that ones normal, and one is attempting to use it to
        perform more work than it is capable of doing, just walking, so as a result, it tightens up. Stretching it only will make it tighter ? I cant find anyone to corroborate or what to do other than attempt slow strengthening with PT. Its a vicious cycle, because,
        the tightness is so uncomfortable, and causes less balance while walking, so I walk less, which makes muscles weaker. I am also much more tired. Im in NYC,
        covid lockdowns, dead of winter cold, stuck inside.
        Only getting home PT, facilities are closed that have
        treadmills, and other sophisticated machines for this rehab. I have gone to in the past.
        Docs don’t know, really, the lack of coordination of care is stunning.

    • Walter K
      January 9, 2021 at 4:37 am

      I have exactly the same symptoms as you Pammy, decreased sensation, altered sensation,muscle tightness, tension, no toe curling. The tightness and tension started for me slowly after getting IVIG for a week but cannot be sure I can blame it on that.
      Prednisone did not improve the tightness/tension at all for me even though it helped in other ways.
      My neurologist even suggested it may have been caused by the prednisone.
      It is too early for me to say since I only came off it a few days ago.

    • pammy
      January 9, 2021 at 7:58 am

      Thank you Walter, I have been on ivig for 4 yrs.
      Severe Tightness, as opposed to weakness, only come on after having covid. When I first started ivig, i did experience some bottom of foot tightness and toes
      curled from that. But as i improved on the ivig, got Pt
      it subsided, until now and it is worse than ever.

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