Clonus in the Morning

[Tmasgio]

I have tried Soma,Dantrium,Baclofen,Amrix, and Flexril and nothing can stop that constant tightness in my lower back.

At this point, I think I would like to try a TENS and or injectables. I am a year out but I do not anticipate this to get better as it has remained unchanged since the surgery.

Thank you all for the suggestions.

[drummer904]

I've tried baclofen, tizanidine, and dantrium (low dose so far), but my lower back spasms are killer. When i get out of bed after wrestling with my legs just getting dressed, i transfer to the chair and wrestle some more to stop the clonus and extensor tone, then after that it depends if im relaxed or not as to whether the clonus keeps up. anyone else have more clonus if they are uptight or nervous??

what is a "tens"?

[tc]

Tony, the literature with my TENS machine says this: "TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation . . . TENS devices deliver electrical pulses through the skin to the cutaneous(surface) and the afferent (deep) nerves to control pain. Unlike drugs and topical ointments, TENS does not have any systemic side effects." For more information, the website for Empi is www.empi.com.
My own personal experience: It took a few days of using it before my neck spasms stopped. My pain management doctor prescribed it for me. However, I didn't get much instruction from their office on how to use it. Physical therapists are often the best ones for instructions on where to place the electrodes. I figured out placement by trial and error. The sales rep told me to use the device for 4 hours a day for 1 hour at a time. She said to set the device at the point that it makes my muscles twitch, but it isn't painful. It's portable and comes with rechargeable batteries. It doesn't interfere with my daily activities or make me drowsy like some prescriptions did. I have found that it helps me a lot. I am still pre-surgery with my tumor, so perhaps post-surgery nerve pain isn't helped as much by this device. However, most insurance covers a 1 month trial of the device, so why not give it a try? (But don't give up with it after just one day.) If you have any more questions about it, feel free to ask.
Teresa

[Tmasgio]

Well, I am getting my trial TENS unit on Thursday. Wish me luck. If I can get my back muscles to loosen up I may be able to some more things. I will keep everyone updated how it goes.

[tc]

Hi, Tony.
I hope the TENS works for you. Don't give up quickly. Give it a good trial over many days (4 times a day for 1 hour each was recommended to me). I hope you get a physical therapist who knows what she/he is doing and can give you good instructions on electrode placement. I didn't get good instructions from the doctor's office. I finally called the sales rep who gave me lots of great tips and I've been very pleased with the TENS. It is difficult for me to put the electrodes on my back myself, but I have persevered. I was given a butterfly patch electrode (all one piece), but I find that using 4 small circle electrodes has been more effective pain-wise. Also, the small circles are much less itchy to wear, especially as the weather gets warmer.
Persevere and I hope it helps you. Keep us posted (but don't expect perfection after only 1 hour!)
Teresa