Tendons etc

As Seenie says this is us trying our best to collectively get an angle on things so don't take anything that I say as knowledge based. I think Jon_sparky and Jules have come up with some good explanations though.

I was thinking you might be able to try out some exercises on your feet because you can see them clearly and can stretch and flex and wriggle them. The muscles and tendons around the ribs seem more hidden, more difficult to experiment on.

I took what Jon said to mean that anything that tenses the muscle will tense up the attached tendons too. And also that anything that relaxes one will be likely to relax the other because they go together. (I think tendons are the things that anchor muscles onto bones).

I bet that muscle relaxers would work as a quick fix for those that stop me kneeling because I think that they probably have just shortened & stiffened due to not bending my legs that much for years.

However, there's enthesitis to consider and that is inflammation at the places where tendons attach to bones. I'd guess that muscle relaxers would not necessarily help in that case unless they tackle inflammation, it doesn't sound to me as if that's what they do. Perhaps they'd help to a certain extent though .... a lot of things help so far and no further.

As soon as you mentioned your ribs I thought that enthesitis might be involved because so many people say they get that in this area. Whereas something about the way you described your feet made me think that you've just got tenser feet these days ..... a bit like my thigh muscles or tendons that don't bother me unless I try to crouch or kneel.

I've kind of gone round in a circle really 'cos I suppose that what we need to know is exactly what is causing what so that we can act accordingly. I think Jules' suggestion about getting a physio's advice might fit the bill. I think I'd look for one that understands PsA though.


Rachael said:

Ok so of I understand it correctly there is nothing but stretching to relax tendons. Muscle spasms are a side effect of the tendons being tight and those are treatable. I have used fexeril in the past which really knocks me out and leaves me almost druelling on the couch, lol. I have used methocarbomal as well but it did not work as well and still left me unable to fully function as well. I am back to flexeril which I can now use a pill cutter to take smaller doses because biting in half leaves your tongue half numb (big muscle stupid on my part) which is only funny to my kids. So new challenge to the medical industry we want tendon relaxers! Thanks the info was really informative!

I just had a great appointment with my GP on Tuesday. I finally got my feet xrays because you hit the nail on the head, Sybil, my inflation on my feet to toes has been nonstop for over a year now. Humira has done good for my back and hands but nothing has changed with my feet. I also see a podiatrist in two weeks. You are also right about the muscle relaxers not helping with inflammation.
Seenie I love these nuggets! Makes for good reading and thought. It reminds me of the operator vs engineering scinerio sometime the person who you uses the equipment can really understand how to make it run the best. I consider us operators.

Great news about the appointment, Rachael. Not great about the feet, but at least you are onto the issue.

Yes, you're right, we are the operators. The engineers know the technical details and the calculations and the theory, but they aren't necessarily the ones who know the most about what it is like to live with the disease. That alone is a great nugget!

I know a big swollen joint when I see one and I know that if we've got a few of those then the disease is almost certainly pretty active. Then there's all the other stuff that's a lot more complicated once you try to thrash it out as we've been bravely doing!

I think as long as we acknowledge we may venture up some blind alleys it's a good thing to have a go at understanding what's happening. Something that's dawned on me since starting this discussion is that although I keep myself fit I can't be complacent, there are still things I need to do to offset the effects of changed posture and more limited range of movement. Plus the disease does chug along even when it's well-controlled, which is sad but true.

Best thing is you getting your feet checked out Rachael! Please let us know what the x-rays show and what happens next.