child who 'twists'

[trishs]

I have a daughter who has done this twisting thing since she was 5 months old.

This happens daily and she is now 8 1/2 yrs old. She twists her upper body to the right and her legs to the left and presses her left hand into her right groin. She goes through worse episodes where she can do this up to 6hrs/day (not straight) and when she is in a good cycle it's probably around 10 minutes.

Initially drs thought it was seizures (she goes tense and red in the face). There is pain involved with this too. If I pick up on a bad cycle quickly, I can reduce the severity by giving her tylenol right away and keeping on top of it. She has had high levels of calcium in her blood and urine (no kidney stones) but they aren't high enough that they are worried about it.

She is not on the growth chart for her age. I'm not sure if this is related. She's not a good eater and had a severe sleep disorder as a baby. She is on track developmentally and very bright. A tic has been ruled out as has autism/aspergers.
Just wondering if anyone has heard of anything like this. No specialist we have seen has ever seen anything like this.

[Dr. Smith]

Originally Posted by trishs

I have a daughter who has done this twisting thing since she was 5 months old.

This happens daily and she is now 8 1/2 yrs old.
....
She is on track developmentally and very bright.

What does she have to say about it -- why she does it, description of pain/other sensations... anything?

Doc

[mrsD]

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

High calcium is sometimes accompanied by low magnesium levels. Magnesium is vital to relaxing muscles, so the elevated calcium may be causing spasms.

There is a cream made for the autistic community, esp for children called Kirkman's magnesium. This cream has become very popular now, and not only autistic patients use it... the general public now is
using it to supplement magnesium. The fact that you can measure out a dose (unlike other lotions), is handy for use in children, and gives you control as to how much to use.

http://kirkmanlabs.com/ProductKirkma...mSulfateCream/
it comes with a scoop to measure out what you need, so is perfect for children.

This site gives the RDA for magnesium for children and adults.
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocente...als/magnesium/

Since you say your child is a poor eater... it is likely she is low
in the mineral.
8.5 yr is right on the borderline for a big jump in magnesium needs. Magnesium is needed for over 200+ metabolic processes and typically low in people in the US. 70% in fact appears in some studies now.

You could rub the cream on her back at night (this promotes restful sleep as well) and see if the spasms abate.

[ginnie]

Welcome to Neuro Talk. I am not an expert by any means. Have you taken your daughter to the best neurologist you can? Childrens hospital in St. Louis has a fantastic dept. It use to be run by Dr. Virginia Weldon. I am not sure she is there any longer.
This does sound a bit like some neurological condition. My daughter had some seizures of some kind for the first three years of her life. She was followed by this hospital. She was never really diagnsosed, as her symptoms were unusual also. She grew up OK, and doesn't seem to have any problems now as an adult.
If you can get to one of the best childrens hospitals in the country I would seek this avenue. I am sorry she is having these troubles. I know first hand what it is like to have a child that has medical issues. Take care, and let me know how she does. ginnie