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Questions posted in the
Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Question Title: What exactly is LHERMITTES SIGN?Forum: Neurology Forum
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Dearest Doctors, In the past month I have been experiencing a mild to strong "shock" sensation sometimes multiple times a day. It's hard to pinpoint where it starts, as it happens in a "flash" and lasts only seconds. It feels like it travels through my body and afterward, my arms and hands feel tingly and "weak". Also, it seems to be brought on by movement; getting up from a chair or simply taking steps when I walk. The term "Lhermittes sign" was brought up. Also my Doctor said it could also Sincerely Signed:
Thanks for your question. Lhermitte's sign is a sensation of electric-like shock, very sudden, with very short duration (less than a second), spreading from the neck region to arms and legs, and usually triggered by a flexion of the neck (forward). It can occur in processes that affect the spinal cord (particularly the white matter of the cord), such as Multiple Sclerosis. It is a poorly localizing sign, that is, it is difficult to predict the location of the lesion from the character of the symptoms, except pointing to the spinal cord. It is less likely that the sign is triggered only by electrolyte imbalance, in the absence of any other neurological symptoms, although it is not impossible for such a linkage. If these symptoms are occurring often, I strongly suggest that you should be evaluated by your physician. I hope this information is helpful. Best of luck. This information is provided for general medical education purposes only.
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