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Neurology (Expert Forum)
Re: Possible MS or injury?
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Re: Possible MS or injury?
by anonymous-user__0, Jan 01, 1995 12:00AM
Subject: Re: Possible MS or injury?
Forum: The Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum
I apologize for the length of this in advance, but I need another person's opinion.
I've been having a growing list of problems that have occured in this order:
1. Back muscle tightness and mild pain on the mid -right of my back
Was sent to Physical Therapy and day after doing an exercise called
a "Y" (lie on bed and reach arms in front of you. Day after
started having:
2. Tingling and numbness in hands, then feet
A few weeks later:
3. Involuntary muscle twitching all over my body
4. Mild Numbness in hands and feet when laying in bed unless I prop
my head up
5. Mild Numbness in my left leg when I shower and the water hits my neck
6. All over sense of weakness or tiredness -- just a feeling
not an actual weakness
7. Mild dizziness (only for the last day or two -- may be unrelated)
The first symptom occurs, lasts for about a week, then fades
into the background (doesn't go away completely) then next symptom
and so on.
My primary sent me to a neurologist and I've had the following done:
1. Cervical MRI -- showed some swelling or irritation in the
central channel of the spinal cord at C5 that did not enhance
under gadolinium -- they don't seem to feel it's serious as
it doesn't have the appearance of MS.
2. Brain MRI -- Normal
3. Veep and Ber tests -- Normal
4. Emg of legs -- Normal
5. EEG -- normal
6. Thorasic MRI -- Normal
Neurologist now wants to do a spinal tap -- is it dangerous and a logical
direction to go in?
Does this sound like MS? I'm living in terror with this since January.
If I am having a neck problem, can working out the upper body make
this condition worse (ie tighten the neck muscles)?
Doing some of my PT exercises makes my hands tingle.
Could that exercise have somehow damaged my neck if it wasn't properly
supported? Does that kind of think heal?
I've also considered the possibility of it being psychological but
it is very consistant and can occur in my sleep, making it difficult
to get a good night's sleep.
I appreciate any input you may have to offer.
Dear RobK:
Sorry to hear about your problems. I am thinking that the neurological exam was perfectly normal? It is difficult to tell you with certainity since I have not performed the neurological exam myself nor seen all the lab work up thus far. What you are telling me does NOT have the flavor of MS. I am not hearing muscle weakness or changes in vision etc. Everything that has been done thus far also would indicate that you do not have MS. Now that I have said this, the diagnosis of MS is clinical meaning that with the history of relapsing and remitting symptoms together with the neurological exam, most all patients are diagnosed with MS. Since your symptoms are of recent vintage, there has been no chance for remitting of your symptoms (although you symptoms do not have the MS quality). The LP would just add to the list of tests that would point to whether you might have MS. My instincts would tell me that your LP would be normal.
Whether you should get an LP is a personal choice. If negative would put the lid on the fear and let you know that almost for sure you do not have MS. If positive, it may or may not tell you anything. (false positives are possible). The vast majority of LPs are done with no problem. They usually occur with minimun pain (your are given pain medication) and things go well. There is always the chance for a spinal headache but this usually goes away in a few hours with fluid and mild pain medications.
Whether the cervical irritation is causing your problems is difficult for me to say since I haven't seen the films. The area of C5 certainly could cause some of the problems in your hands you describe. Usually problems in the lower body are lower in the spinal cord unless the irritation is centrally in the cord and affecting the posterior columns.
Could excercise cause such a problem. I guess it could, there is always the possibility but in most cases it shouldn't. Since it sounds like most of the problem seen on the MRI is minor (?) most of all your symptoms should go away and eventually you should be back to your old self.
I hope I answered some of your questions. Good luck and let us know what happens.
Sincerely,
CCF Neuro[P] MD
Follow Ups:
Possible MS or injury? robk 4/18/1999
(0)
