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Anyone else experienced a paralysis feeling at the top of the back of the legs

Discussion in 'General and other signs and symptoms' started by AliceLily, Jul 6, 2022.

  1. AliceLily

    AliceLily Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
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    It only happened to me when walking up a hill. Also I only experienced this in my early years of ME (25 years ago) when I didn't know I had ME and I was still trying to hold down full time work.

    I never experienced it again after very severe ME. I am thinking that it may be that at very severe ME I became bedridden and since then have had to rest a lot.

    Just to explain further, when walking up a hill I would suddenly find it incredibly difficult to bring each leg forward. It felt like a paralysis at the top part of the back of my legs. I used look around to see if anyone was watching me because I felt like I was having to slow motion each leg forward. I wonder what could have been happening. It only happened when I was walking up a hill. I've never it experienced it since.

    Curious to know if anyone else has had this happen to them.

    Please excuse me if I don't reply to posts for awhile and thanks for any comment.
     
  2. Milo

    Milo Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    2,107
    It has not happened to me like this but I understand that walking uphill is a bigger demand on your body, specifically your leg muscles and it may mean that you are exerting beyond your capacities.

    In my case at my sickest, I have experience some sort of a 'wall' where my legs no longer wanted to walk, and just standing would make my legs fill up with lactic acid.

    I am avoiding going up stairs and walking up hills as much as I can, and certainly know to perform these slowly if I have to.
     
  3. MeSci

    MeSci Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    4,440
    Location:
    Cornwall, UK
    I'm not sure what feeling I get, but I have to stop and turn round and wait for about half a minute several times when walking up the long hill into town. There is only one place where I can sit and rest briefly before continuing (a low wall). Basically my legs run out of strength or energy. It's a bit like cramp.

    I feel the weakness/pain at the backs of my knees.
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2022
  4. Mij

    Mij Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    8,204
    @Rosie

    I've had some leg muscle issues and changes in my stamina since menopause. It's difficult to explain. Sometimes when climbing stairs I have to go full-stop.
     
  5. Wonko

    Wonko Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    6,674
    Location:
    UK
    Yes, but rare now that I do less, am housebound.

    Walking, uphill, stairs sometimes - oddly doing squats with a fair amount of weight never caused it, so it would seem to be a sustained repetition thing rather than purely a loading thing.

    I don't do hills these days (at least for now), barely do walking, and as all the local stairs are outside, a place I rarely venture...... - so it doesn't really happen anymore.
     
    MeSci, alktipping and AliceLily like this.
  6. DokaGirl

    DokaGirl Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    3,664
    I haven't experienced leg paralysis. But, I have often become so weak and fatigued that I cannot move much further, and have to rest. At these times, my legs feel leaden and almost too heavy to lift another step.

    Walking uphill as @Milo said, is also painful for me. Lactic acid build up I suspect. Even walking in my house can make my leg muscles burn.

    Debilitating symptoms and dysfunction, that is difficult to explain to the uninitiated.
     
    MeSci, alktipping and AliceLily like this.
  7. AliceLily

    AliceLily Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    @Milo @MeSci @Mij @Wonko @DokaGirl Thanks. After reading your experiences I think I must have been experiencing lactic acid build up. Most likely to have been that. I was trying to carry on a normal day in those earlier years, big mistake. Thanks again.
     
    Mij, MeSci, Wonko and 2 others like this.

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