Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Leg pain, weakness, numbness

I'm a 21 year old female and have no history of back problems. About two months ago, without any prompting, I started to experience pain in my hip, buttox and side of the leg. It made sitting down or bending in general extremely painful. When moving in certain ways, pain would shoot down my leg. My leg was noticably weaker and half my foot was numb. The pain diminshed over the course of 3 weeks, but the weakness and numbness in my foot lasted about a week longer. It was completely better for about two weeks before it suddenly flared up again about a week ago. The pain was just as I remembered it, but got much worse in the past two days. I walked on it longer than I should have (I think) which worsened the pain, and then I applied heat to it and could barely move for about 8 hours from the pain (note that while the heat was on, the pain disappeared for about 5 minutes, before it suddenly started again, with a vengeance). I've noticed this time that as the pain spikes, my foot becomes more numb. I haven't noticed any weakness yet this time around.

I went to the clinic, but the doctor wouldn't take me seriously.He almost laughed in my face when I told him that my foot had gone numb. I have an appointment scheduled with my family doctor once exams are over, but I'm just hoping to get some answers before then.

Both my parents have back problems, if that matters at all.

Thanks for the help!!  
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with your doctor.

Without the ability to obtain a history from you and examine you, I can not comment on a formal diagnosis or treatment plan for your symptoms. However, I will try to provide you with some information regarding this matter.

You may have a radiculopathy. This is a condition that occurs when there is compression of a nerve as it comes out of the spine. The compression could be due to arthritis of the spine or due to a herniated disc. A radiculopathy (what is sometimes referred to as a pinched nerve) often causes shooting pains. The treatment depends on the cause. The evaluation may include an MRI of the lower spine and/or EMG/NCS which is a test to evaluate the muscles and nerves of the peripheral nervous system.

Thank you for using the forum, I hope you find this information useful, good luck.

Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
I'd suggest that you ask your GP to explore the possibility that you have spondylolisthesis.

As you describe was how my discomfort began, twenty years ago.

Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the Neurology Forum

Popular Resources
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease