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Spinal Disorders & Back Pain For discussion of all spinal cord injuries, spinal issues, back-related pain or problems. |
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05-04-2012, 09:43 PM | #1 | ||
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It started March 8th - the day after my PT began for neck and back pain. This was after going to a chiropractor for 2 weeks for the neck pain - no success but he did cause sciatica. So the PT was working on that and the pain in the neck. From the day after the first PT I developed the numbness & tingling in hands and feet - so they suspended the neck exercises but continuted manipulations. Then I developed shoulder pain. At this point I decided to go back to my PCP who told me to try a physiatrist. He gave me a steroid shot in the neck and shoulder. Three weeks later, they were a little better but the numbness & tingling is worse and I developed occipital neuralgia. He gave me a steroid shot in the head for that which seemed to help and another one for the shoulder.
He ordered an MRI of cervical area (insurance needs to approve first). I am 61 years old, not diabetic but I do have a lot of back problems: scoliosis, spinal stenosis, buldging and herniated dics and degenerative joint disease (arthritic changes). I had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands 8 years ago and it was very successful. So what started out as neck pain, progressed to neck pain, sciatica, shoulder pain, numbness & tingling and occipital neuralgia. I don't think it's a coincidence that the numbness & tingling started the day after PT started. Didn't have it before. However, my biggest fear has always been getting MS. I know most people's is getting cancer - but I've already had cancer (breast) and I fear MS more. Has anyone has a similar problem with numbness & tingling? Any help would be appreciated. |
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05-05-2012, 05:58 AM | #2 | |||
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Senior Member (**Dr Smith is named after a character from Lost in Space, not a medical doctor)
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It's possible that these symptoms are related to something in your spine, but it's possible they are something else. I have those symptoms, and significant spine issues - cervical and lumbar, but the numbness & tingling I have are peripheral neuropathy, which can have many causes - some of which are unknown, but it's common to manifest after age 60.
Would you say the numbness & tingling is the same on both sides or worse on one side than the other? Doc
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Dr. Zachary Smith Oh, the pain... THE PAIN... Dr. Smith is NOT a medical doctor. He was a character from LOST IN SPACE. All opinions expressed are my own. For medical advice/opinion, consult your doctor. |
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05-05-2012, 07:46 AM | #3 | ||
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I don't believe in coincidences in health and medicine and to me, something happened with the PT manipulations that triggered all of this since it started the day after I started PT. But making the connection would be all but impossible. What is the treatment for peripheral neuropathy? What have you tried that has worked? Thanks, again. |
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05-05-2012, 11:26 AM | #4 | |||
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Senior Member (**Dr Smith is named after a character from Lost in Space, not a medical doctor)
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I'm not doubting you, taking sides, or ruling anything out. None of us on this site are doctors; we're just folks like you who are trying to help each other. I mentioned peripheral neuropathy (PN), because it affects me personally, the numbness/tingling (parasthesia) you describe sounds very much like it, your age, and comparative prevalence with MS. PN affects at least 20 million people in the US (~7%). http://www.healthcommunities.com/neu...uropathy.shtml MS has a prevalence of between 2 and 150 per 100,000 (up to ~1.5%) and its onset usually occurs in young adults. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_sclerosis Having both hands & feet affected also doesn't sound like a cervical injury. Hands - possibly; feet - no, that would more likely be from something in the lumbar/sacral regions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatome_(anatomy) You may have been injured in both the cervical and lumbar/sacral areas at the same time, but that would be a health/medical coincidence. There are literally dozens of possible causes (diabetes, vitamin deficiency, more), and several kinds, of PN, and still ~30-40% are idiopathic (of unknown cause/origin). Some causes, if found/known, are treatable; with others, only the symptoms can be treated. PN (and possibly its cause) can be DXed by a neurologist by a number of tests: http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uc...pn/evaluation/ We have a forum here for PN that has much more information: http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum20.html My PN was DXed as idiopathic, but so far it has been arrested and I've seen some slight improvement with a change in dietary habits and a regimen of vitamins & supplements. I am also an intractable pain (IP) patient for many years, and have recently seen improvement there (by about 1/3 to 1/2) by following a diet for IP and adrenal hormone therapy. http://www.foresttennant.com/pain_ma...self_help.html http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread156416.html I'm not saying/suggesting you have PN. I'm just saying that it sounds like it could be, and I think it's worth asking your doctor about and having it checked out. To put your mind at ease, you can be checked out for MS as well. HTH, Doc
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Dr. Zachary Smith Oh, the pain... THE PAIN... Dr. Smith is NOT a medical doctor. He was a character from LOST IN SPACE. All opinions expressed are my own. For medical advice/opinion, consult your doctor. |
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05-05-2012, 01:22 PM | #5 | ||
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Junior Member
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Doc[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Dr. Smith;876419]But you think you may coincidentally be exhibiting/manifesting MS the day after PT? While rational thinking would preclude this conclusion I don't think the medical community has any answers as to what and how PN or MS is triggered. Numbness and tingling certainly suggests some type of nerve damage/involvement there does not seem to be a lot of definitive answers - thus the catch all "ideopathic" I can rule out diabetes and vitamin deficiencies - both have been tested recently and several times. While I have had extensive and multiple back conditions, they have never caused the numbness & tingling I am experiencing now. Only when I got the herniated disc at the L2/L3 area 8 years ago did I get numbness and occasional tingling in the left thigh that persists to this day - which the neurosurgeon said in January that he couldn't help - the nerves are too damaged over the 8 years. Nor could he help my other back conditions. Back to the PT - I go in for PT on the neck and back and the next day the numbness and tingling go from 0-10. Again, while no one in the medical community will ever be able to explain why - that leaves me to ponder the reasons, including MS. It's like Indiana Jones's biggest fear always being snakes. That's how I've always felt about MS - it was always my biggest medical fear. And I've faced cancer, lost my husband to cancer (we had it at the same time) and intractable back pain, among other things. When I get the MRI of the cervical area I am hoping that it can shed some light on this. Thank you for your reply, insights, links and information. I really appreciate it. I always watched Lost in Space. One of my favorite shows. |
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05-05-2012, 03:05 PM | #6 | |||
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Senior Member (**Dr Smith is named after a character from Lost in Space, not a medical doctor)
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Quote:
The MRI may shed some light on the hands, but if it's just cervical, not the feet. Another possibility for the hands is Thoracic Outlet Syndrome; there's a forum here for that too. http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum24.html Quote:
Another factor that causes me to question PT as the direct cause is that if inflammation/swelling or impingement had occured during that session, I would think the paresthesia would have manifested much sooner, from immediately to minutes to a couple hours - not 24 hours, but a neurologist would have more knowledge/experience about that. I DO have personal experience with that; I had a session that caused a migraine, but I had the migraine before I left the office. Other therapists have warned me about possible increases in pain/soreness, and I've had that too, but again, within a very short time, if not immediately. You might try searching the archives here - go to the main page and use the search button along the top solid bar (that will catch ALL forums), or google: physical therapy causing paresthesia Doc
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Dr. Zachary Smith Oh, the pain... THE PAIN... Dr. Smith is NOT a medical doctor. He was a character from LOST IN SPACE. All opinions expressed are my own. For medical advice/opinion, consult your doctor. |
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05-05-2012, 04:24 PM | #7 | ||
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05-12-2012, 01:59 AM | #8 | ||
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Junior Member
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I have had numbness in my hands ever since I ruptured discs in my neck 19 years ago. I now have a ruptured thoracic 7/8 disc and have a numb left foot and tingles down both legs - so anything is possible.
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Last edited by mrsD; 05-12-2012 at 02:19 AM. Reason: fixing quote tags for clarity |
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07-08-2012, 03:40 PM | #9 | ||
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Junior Member
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Sounds like similar symptoms I started with before i was diagnosed with having spinal stenosis. If your nerve bundles and or spinal cord is being compressed can cause similar symptoms. Have them do a mri for sure because the ER missed it when they did a cat scan. I had a MRI done a week later and it uncovered my stenosis among other things.
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