spasticity

[notme]

Your doctor will know by looking at your legs if you have spasticity. It won't do any good for us to tell you when any of us get cramps or don't--it only matters to your doctor what YOU report as YOUR issues.

UMN signs are NOT missed on clinical exams--they just aren't. In fact, they are diagnosed in a clinical exam--not the EMG.

 

[mummy24]

My neurologist said very quickly that he could detect spasticity....on our first meeting he found hyper reflexes and he shook my legs and said they were spastic. Before this I had no idea I had spasticity although looking back I had signs. Mine started with a tight feeling in my calfs. My spasticity causes my feet to rest in a strange position, it's permanently disfigured my feet. It can be felt like a tight feeling in the muscles. Another thing it does to me sometimes is gives me very heavy legs, it feels i have weights on my legs. It can make your muscles cramp and tires you out quickly.

 

[mummy24]

...most people dont know they have spasticity, until a neuro tells them.....its more subtle than being just stiff. ..johnny

Very true, I had never even heard of spasticity prior to my first neuro visit. I assumed what I had was just weakness, was very shocked when I found out that most of my problems were caused by weakness AND spasticity. Looking back I can recognise the signs, but it was subtle for sure...weakness tends to be more obvious.

 

[Nighthawk]

Like Notme stated, UMN damage is easy to spot by a Neuro during a clinical exam, not even EMG is needed.
I think that's why they spot PLS more quickly than ALS.

NH