Weak Leg when Standing/Walking

[johnsoncarter]

When I wake up in the mornings or am seated for prolonged periods of time when I attempt to walk my right leg feels as if it is very weak and about to buckle. However, if I walk on a thick rug or put on my running shoes that have an orthotic devise, after about 15 minutes this problem resolves itself and I am able to ambulate with a more secure, stronger and a more fluid movement.

My PT provided me with several stretching exercises to perform which leave me feeling wiped out due to the pain and discomfort. As mentioned he believes that stenosis and/or a disc problem underlie the problem with my legs. In fact it is his opinion that my symptoms are not so bad because he sees no evidence of clinical weakness. However his explanation for my fasiciculations, that they are driven by a hyper-adregnergic reaction to extreme exercise, is highly questionable and disregards the pain I experienced in my neck and shoulder prior to the onset of the twitches.

I am wondering if it may be a positive sign that my leg symptoms do improve, although temporarily. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Carl

 

[OCDanxiety2k]

I'm a new member here, but from what I've gathered, if your weakness improves as you say it is, it certainly isn't you-know-what! The dying muscle cells just don't grow themselves back when they feel like it - once they start going, they're gone for good. If I had a guess, I would wager that, since you have been twitching for a long time, the problem with your leg is unrelated to your diagnosis of BFS. I think your doctor should look into this possibility that your leg may just be from overexercise/disc issue/growing older problem/torn muscle or cartilage, etc. or something similar. But again, it appears that anything really nasty is out of the question.

Now that I think about it, do you have any pain associated with your leg after getting up? If so, this could be a problem with your sciatic nerve. I am only 18, but a little over a year ago, before all of this started (I've only been twitching for 2 months, less actually), I had a wicked case of sciatica that I never went to a doctor for since back then, my anxiety was nowhere near what it is today. It ended up going away after about 2 brutal months, but during that time period, whenever I sat down for long periods of time, the pain in my leg was excruciatingly bad, all the way down my leg. When I stood, it always took several minutes to get rid of the pain and walk correctly again without limping. I don't know if it was weak per say, but this could always be a possibility, especially if pain is associated. Just my two cents.

 

[johnsoncarter]

Hi OCD_Anxiety20,

You may be right! In addition to my right leg issue, lately when I am seated, such as when I am driving for prolonged times, I experience sciatic pain in my left cheek (the one I sit on ) and somewhat down my left thigh. This is a recent occurence that had its onset after my Physical Therapist gave me stretching exercises to attempt to decompress the disc.

Thanks for your feedback. Carl