Hi all,

I was wondering of anyone experiences numbness in their hands and feet with brain activity. I am in month 3 of PCS syndrome and docs do not have an explanation.

Best,

Sharon

How did you sustain your tbi?

The numbness in my extremities was attributed to nerve damage from severe whiplash. Necks are often injured in concussion. Has your been examined thoroughly?

Hi hockey-

The tbi was caused by car accident. I have had an MRI and CT of my neck both clear.

How did they find your nerve damage?

I think that is a possible explanation in my case.

Also what is done for nerve damage. Thanks for your insights.

[numbness in their hands and feet with brain activity]

You have the numbness with brain activity? none at all otherwise?

Kind of hard to come out of a car accident without soft tissue damage.

What can happen is that the spinal cord is essentially bruised (traumatic myelopathy). The swelling puts pressure on the nerves, meaning they can't transmit properly.

When the swelling goes down, the damaged nerves can regrow - but it is a very slow process. During this time, patients can experience pain as the nerves "wake up." If the damage/injury is severe, some nerves may never reactivate.

Nerve damage can be detected during neurological examination. There are a number of tests. Some of the simple ones include checking reflexes for hyper flexation, checking for sensitivity to pain and temperature change, measuring the wiggle speed of fingers, balance checks, testing saliva gland function, etc..., etc... Your neurologist might also order a specialized nerve conductivity test, like an EMG.

My nerve damage was very obvious. My MRI revealed a spinal cord injury and I had hard to miss symptoms including: insensitivity to pain/temperature; facial ticks; drooping eyes; dry mouth; tingling; involuntary movements (like a hand that would just shoot open - and stay that way); severe ear pain, with periodic deafness; poor grip strength; general weakness; bladder control issues; swallowing problems, etc...

As far as I know, there is no medical procedure that can repair damage nerve. Stabilizing the neck is important, but then, it's mostly a waiting game. Most of the treatment for nerve damage centres on pain/symptom control. Among the drugs commonly used are Lyrica and Tegretol.

The neurologist is going to do an EMG in two weeks on my hand and foot. Will that show the nerve damage if it is a spinal issue. I am very confused.

I can relate to some of the problems here. I smashed my head on a concrete wall about 11 months ago and my limbs and right side of face felt immediate numbness upon hitting the wall. The numbness went away completely in a few days though. any thoughts if my neck was injured ? I haven't had any neck scans till now and many neuros have dismissed my concerns about neck injury. I am having an appointment with a neuro who was somewhat understanding and open minded to the possibilities. I am from a third world so i dont have much to explore or look forward to and i have to make the most use of whatever medical care we have as many doctors either dont have time or are ignorant to these subtle issues. my symptoms are tinnitus and sound sensitivity, loss of concentration and feeling foggy brain upon stress and exercise specially after jerks to head/neck from jogging. Please help

Hopefully, but the test isn't always definitive.

From a therapeutic standpoint, it really doesn't matter much, anyway. There is no "cure" for nerve damage. You have to wait and see how much you heal, and then learn how to live with any residual deficits.

At the present time, treatment is about pain control and accommodations. For example I use cooking/writing tools with large handles that are easier for me to grip. I also have tools to help me open jars. I use a saliva spray to keep my mouth moist, so I can swallow and my teeth don't rot.

Thanks to physio and occupational therapy, I have regained some dexterity in my hands and can button my own shirt, again. Yeah! They also taught me to write with my less affected left hand and helped me regain some sense of hot and cold. Yeah, again, for neuroplasticity. Considering where I started, and what I was up against, I'm amazed how far I've come and thankful to everyone who has helped me.

Hopefully, your issues will resolve as the nerves heal. If not, there are professionals who can help you learn to cope with your challenges. Try not to despair. Life does go on.

Jogging isn't always considered a great activity for TBI patients. In some cases, it elevates the heart rate too much and it's just too bouncy. There are shoes that are supposed to cushion the impact, but most folks say they don't work.

While your healing, have you considered a gentler fitness regime. Maybe more walking or swimming?