A question

[biowham]

I'm still chewing on my symptoms and signs, trying to tease out what's accurate between the two very different reports/conclusions I've gotten so far from two very different neuros.

One thing that kind of weirded me out in my latest exam was this: The neuro asked me to squat and then to lift up, using only one leg at a time. I could do this with my left leg OK, which is odd, because that's my "bum knee" leg, where I tore the meniscus playing football. Yes, football.

Anyway, when I tried it with my right leg, I couldn't even support my body weight, much less get the muscles to push me up. They simply would not work, wouldn't do anything. That sort of freaks me out.

Can anyone speak to the significance of this? Would this, for example, be relevant to a suspicion that there's a blockage in my T-spine resulting from some sort of compression? I'm stuck because I'd expect more bilateral problems if mechanical compression were at issue here. This particular neuro also found hyperreflexia on both sides in lower extremities. I know from my own experience on the heel-shin test that I overshoot my kneecap on my right leg consistently--my body seems to think it's about mid-thigh.

Yours in examining minutiae--

E

[biowham]

I squat like a catcher, then put the foot I'm trying to stand on flat on the floor and use that to hoist myself up. I can do that with my left leg...not easily, but I can do it. With my right leg, it's like the lines of communication are just not open. No message received. I got my brother to do this today--he's 35 and an athlete--and it wasn't an easy thing to do, but he did it pretty easily with both legs, and he just got over an Achilles tear in May. My husband can do it, too. We are none of us ancient (I'm 39, so is spouse), so there's some knee cracking, but it's doable...except for that right leg.

My brother also, being the jock that he is, had me sit up against the wall like I was parked in an invisible chair. His wife, who is a PT, says that the best test of weakness isn't a strength test but more of an endurance test. I couldn't sit up against that wall more than a minute, and all of a sudden, I just collapsed off of it. I'm going to do these as exercise to see if I can improve strength, but...at any rate, at least neuro 2 got it right: I'm weak as a kitten in my lower extremities.

E

[essdipity]

I agree with Holly. I can't imagine squatting and then hoisting myself back up using just one leg. Or even both legs! An arm comes in very handy. Of course, I'm older than dirt, but still that's not an easy thing to do.

ess

[hbananas]

I see you waving!  I can't be any help, but this will bump it anyway.  I just discovered I can't get up from a squat with both legs, but I haven't tried for several years.  My excuse is being old and fat.  You can do it with one leg with a bad knee, clear from a full butt-on-heels squat?  Bravo, madam.  Clueless about the whole thing, sorry.
Holly

[biowham]

Bump with some hand waving in case someone notices me. WAVE!

To summarize: I can't stand up from a squat using my right leg. It doesn't even "get the signal" to contract and lift me up.

Anyone have any insights into this? I've got conflicting neuro exams, but they both "agree" that they think I don't have MS. So...what else would it be? Didn't even know I had this problem.

E