# I keep waking up crippled **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 13, 2007, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-waking-up-crippled/411709 "2007-07-13T21:28:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-waking-up-crippled/411709/21 "2007-09-26T19:32:14Z")
But that cam walker is so damned hideous…I think I’d only wear it around the house. Thanks–I won’t let things go so long next time. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2007, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-waking-up-crippled/411709/22 "2007-09-26T20:44:28Z")
I have sort of the same problem. My entire feet and ankles must tighten up during the night, and I hobble around like a 90-year-old when I first get up. Wears off pretty quickly, though. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-waking-up-crippled/411709/23 "2007-09-27T01:27:24Z")
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac] I have sort of the same problem. My entire feet and ankles must tighten up during the night, and I hobble around like a 90-year-old when I first get up. Wears off pretty quickly, though. [/QUOTE] If it’s a regular thing, do you tend to pull your covers up or otherwise expose your feet and legs ? Both I and my mother got charlie horses ( her more than I ), until I figured out that it was because our legs were getting chilled. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-waking-up-crippled/411709/24 "2007-09-27T12:14:02Z")
I don’t know if it will work for you,but in my case a therapist suggested to me that before I get out of bed to move my fingers and feet several times so the muscles relax and the joints get moisture, I found that moving around does help me. Monavis ---
**Author:** ![Ivorybill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ee59a6/32.png) [@Ivorybill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ivorybill)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-waking-up-crippled/411709/25 "2007-09-27T16:05:56Z")
I skimmed the thread after a bit thinking it was almost a zombie, but I’ll share my experience for those of you who are hobbling around first thing in the morning. About 13 years ago I severely sprained my left ankle and then a few years later fractured my right great toe. Soon thereafter, foot pain in both feet sent me to a podiatrist and then an orthopedist. I had orthotics made, but the pain and stiffness continued. I saw my GP, but he and I thought old age and bad foot injuries. This spring my knees started to hurt, then my back. I ultimately made it to a rheumatolgist and discover that I have psoriatic arthritis. My immune system is attacking my joints, eroding bones in my feet, building bone spurs in my feet, and doing its best to subluxate my right thumb. Psoriasis runs in my family, but as I did not have the skin condition, and did not know about the arthritis associated with it, I did not suspect it. If I’d known several years earlier, I could have gotten better treatment and my joints would not be as damaged. Short story: if parts of your body hurt in the morning and it takes a long time to get them “lubricated” and moving, go see your doc. Ask for blood tests that target immune disorders like lupus, psoriatic arthritis, spondolitis, and rheumatoid arthritis. YMMV, and all that. I’m not a doctor; this is not medical advice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-waking-up-crippled/411709.md?page=1)