Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Arthritis (Expert Forum)
PAIN IN THIGH AND SHOULDER
Answered by
Kevin Pho, MD - Internal Medicine
Kevin Pho, MD
Boston - MA
This forum is for questions and support regarding arthritis issues such as: Arthritis, Autoimmune Disease, Bursitis, Fibromyalgia, Gout, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Myositis, Neuralgia, Osteoarthritis, Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sciatica, Tendinitis, Vasculitis.
PAIN IN THIGH AND SHOULDER
by mrs dinero, May 11, 2006 12:00AM
Not sure if this is a sciatica question or not but I need some help here. Back in Dec I had some back pain that radiated to my side and hip. Hip was very painful. These symptoms mostly went away in March when my thigh(upper) started to THROB and is very painful along with my shoulder (same side)/ The feeling is pain and throbbing. The pain in my thigh goes down into my knee, calf and foot and I at times feel tingling in my foot and pain at the bottom. It feels weird after I have stood on it for a while, painful. I have had MRI's of cervical and lower back, normal. CT Scan of my abdomen and kidneys, normal. MRI of brain, normal, all kinds of bloodwork, normal, ruling out MS, infections and Lyme. I have been on many painkillers which just touches the pain. I have an appt with a rhemotologist next week. Any ideas???? Really desperate at this point, need my life back. As I am typing this I can feel my foot pulsing and tingling, sometimes my right hand seems colder than the left.
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Pho, MD, May 12, 2006 12:00AM
, May 12, 2006 12:00AM
You have had a pretty comprehensive evaluation with the imaging studies and bloodwork tests you mentioned.
Sciatica is unlikely with a nromal MRI of the lower back. I would assume that the bloodwork looked for various rheutmatological disorders - such as a rheumatoid factor, sedimentation rate, and ANA level. If not, this should be considered.
If the hip and shoulder is hurting, it may be helpful to image those specific areas with an MRI.
A rheumatology referral is reasonable. I would also consider an orthopedic referral to specifically look at the hurting joints.
Another consideration would be a neurology referral given the foot tingling. An EMG can be considered to look for nerve dysfunction.
These options should be discussed with your personal physician.
Followup with your personal physician is essential.
This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.
Kevin, M.D.
kevinmd_
Sciatica is unlikely with a nromal MRI of the lower back. I would assume that the bloodwork looked for various rheutmatological disorders - such as a rheumatoid factor, sedimentation rate, and ANA level. If not, this should be considered.
If the hip and shoulder is hurting, it may be helpful to image those specific areas with an MRI.
A rheumatology referral is reasonable. I would also consider an orthopedic referral to specifically look at the hurting joints.
Another consideration would be a neurology referral given the foot tingling. An EMG can be considered to look for nerve dysfunction.
These options should be discussed with your personal physician.
Followup with your personal physician is essential.
This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.
Kevin, M.D.
kevinmd_
For More Detail Click Here
I hope this helps anyone with chronic pain. I know it has changed my husband. I tried for years to take a more natural approach and now he understand why. Best of luck. :)gritsgirl
Has anyone diagnosed piriformis muscle syndrome. I went to another orthopaedic who diagnosed sciatica@piriformis muscle syndrome. I have started physical therapy having gone only once I'm hoping it will help. As I explained in my earlier post I too have had negative results for tests and am still in pain. Let me know if you get a diagnosis. Good luck.