lumbar

[jnet1204]

I am confused i have been toldtold ms does NOT attack the lumbar is that true.  I have Remitting ms

[kwarendorf]

I had lumbar spinal stenosis @L4/L5. I had a laminectomy 4 years ago and the results were instant and remarkable. I had gotten to the point where I would occasionally just drop to my knees from the pain. This was all unrelated to my MS, as at the time I didn't know I had MS :-)

Here's hoping your surgery turns out as well as mine did!

Kyle

[bubbles_04]

Sorry for the wrong information :) , seems my neuro is not that knowledgeable on MS.

[jnet1204]

in my time with MS I have never been told I have lesions or not have lesions in my lower spine, i just thought all my trouble was the ms, now have been to a surgical neurologist and he tells me ms does No attack the lumber spine, that i actually have stenosis of the spine so am doing surgey on the 11th of july, hope this helps me walk without the helper things i have been using for the ten years, i don't know how many mri's and exrays i have had, lost count, thank you for answering my questio so promtly.  janet

[teenyturner]

That's right, the spinal cord ends at T12 or in some cases L1, so you cant get spinal cord lesions in the lumbar spine.

There are a number of inflammatory conditions that affect the lumbar spine like cauda equina syndrome and arachnoiditis.

[jensequitur]

The lumbar region does not have a spinal cord.  The cord ends at T12, and the end of it fans out into a bundle of nerves known as the cauda equina - the 'horse tail.'  I have a lot of pain in the lumbar from my lesion at T10.  

[maxthecat43]

My reply was not meant to contradict yours... I was typing mine out at the same time as you were...  I didn't see your reply until I had already posted mine.

Tammy

[maxthecat43]

Are they saying that they found a lesion in the L-spine?  Or did they order and L-spine mri?  You're right though.  I've had it confirmed by a couple of neurologists.  MS doesn't cause lesions on the lumbar spine.  

Sometimes ms gets the last part of the T-spine. I've been told that it can sometimes be mistaken for lumbar.  Especially if the tech reading the mri is new...  Otherwise, I don't know.  If they ordered an L-spine, they may be doing it to rule out nerve root lesions.  Is it a new doctor?  It seems like they usually want to re-diagnose, just wanting to be thorough, they may be checking for other causes for your dysfunction.

I hope that helps. Maybe someone else will have additional ideas.
Tammy

[bubbles_04]

It can BUT its uncommon and very difficult to see on MRI as the lumbar spinal cord part is very thin and short.