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Weird muscle 'gentle spasm' in upper back when relaxing - what is it?

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
I have a weird symptom that I've been noticing in the last few months. When I go to bed and lie down and let my body relax, I often get a kind of spasm - quite gentle, not painful, but definite - for just a second in my upper back as the relaxation is deepening.

I've noticed it usually as I'm lying on my side but that might be because that's my usual posture for going to sleep.

What is this?
 

Firestormm

Senior Member
Messages
5,055
Location
Cornwall England
Dunno but if like me you find that your muscles tend to hurt more in general when you are lying down and trying to relax - then join the club.

I tell you my legs and arms have been killing me lately especially. I put it down to the heat just so's I don't fret :)

Yours could be a trapped nerve perhaps? If it is specific. I get them too on occasion. I find if I can pin it down even in - especially in - my own wee brain cell; I can concentrate on something else.

It goes eventually. Sometimes some gentle stretching or sommink before resting will help. Most time not. Then I do have muscle relaxants which I take prior to resting - ah crap. I don't know Sash.

Not very helpful this morrow am I? :(
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
Sorry you're feeling bad! Pain is very debilitating.

My muscles don't generally hurt, though, and I'm in no muscle pain and have no muscle tension in my back. Whatever it is, it's over in half a second and it's not painful. 'Spasm' makes it sound painful and it isn't - it's an involuntary, transient tensing of that area and only happens when I'm lying down and relaxing. It's happening mostly in the course of first relaxing, i.e. as muscle tension is decreasing. It doesn't feel like a trapped nerve because there's no pain. It's not even unpleasant - it's just weird and I'm wondering if it's a symptom of something. I'd like to know its medical name, if it's got one.

Really don't know what to make of it. :thumbdown:
 

Firestormm

Senior Member
Messages
5,055
Location
Cornwall England
I'm just grumpy cause I had another bad night. Ignore me. Normal service shall resume :)

Off to check out the latest royal to enter our world :balloons: Probably wont cheer me up but Kate might :love:
 

Seewell

Senior Member
Messages
234
Had this happen for years.Mostly in my left bicep.And lower back/ tail bone area.
(My whole body will jump when in bed trying to sleep sometimes.)
This also happens around my heart area.But after its stopped i always feel slightly better.
So i dont worry about it to much.
Could be the body trying to cope/detox.Im not sure really
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
Had this happen for years.Mostly in my left bicep.And lower back/ tail bone area.
(My whole body will jump when in bed trying to sleep sometimes.)
This also happens around my heart area.But after its stopped i always feel slightly better.
So i dont worry about it to much.
Could be the body trying to cope/detox.Im not sure really


The word 'myoclonus' popped into my head on this an hour ago and your symptom seems to fall into one of the categories:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myoclonus

Not quite sure if mine does - quite possibly!
 

Seewell

Senior Member
Messages
234
Nice one Sasha.Sorry i couldnt be of more help. 'Myoclonus' sounds about right:)

Wiki :Rarely does myoclonus indicate anything other than arbitrary muscle contraction. Myoclonus may develop in response to infection
 

peggy-sue

Senior Member
Messages
2,623
Location
Scotland
The "myoclonic jerk" is the name given to that funny feeling of suddenly tripping over the pavement when you're falling asleep.
Some folk have postulated that it is an ancient reflex left over from when we were still chimpanzees, sleeping in trees.

It's to prevent us falling out of our trees, apparently. ;)
 

xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
Myoclonus can interfere with sleep if it's bad enough. Mine keeps me from going into rem so I take klonopin.
I was dx with noctural myoclonus via a sleep study.

The feeling of muscles contracting upon laying down is what I have identified as my upper body getting the blood
back after being upright. Hypoperfusion from oi causes these muscles, etc to contract so when the blood gets back in
the upper body begins to relax again. I'm not sure if the term hyperperfusion fits since the area was without
the blood it normally has.

I feel it throughout my upper body tho. My lungs are the last to relax. I can't get a deep breath until they've recovered. And this typically takes an hour.

That's my guess anyways. Tc .. X