cervical herniated disk - tingling, etc.

[meghanmcc]

I

[drjkpink]

I  can relate to some of these except i had a neck injury back in 1998 and i had surgery then i had a car wreck in 2001 and just now started having problems bad ones. at first it started tingling sensations in my fingers now it is in my hands and my legs and my feet. sometimes i feel numbness in my feet the sensations r driving me crazy i dont like them. how ever i did see a neruologist last week and he is not sure what is happening to me. he did an mri and looked at my neck for scar tissue y he is looking for scar tissue i have no clue. and then they injected me with this stuff to look at my brain. all i know is i am scared i dont understand y he is looking at scar tissue in my neck anyone with some of these problems maybe  u could relate to. also only sometimes i lose my balance. i was told by someone that if it was my neck then i wouldnt be having tingling sensations in my legs and feet . im so scared the sensations have been going on for about 3 months and losing my balance hasnt been going on for to long.also if it was my neck wouldnt i have had these symtoms a long time ago.thanks for listening

[jcverive]

Traction must be used with extreme care, as it is not rare for traction to cause nerve trauma (particularly in patients with long-standing,  chronic neuropathies). Traction may tear nerve fibers, leading to widespread pain.

In this case, where there is some evidence of demyelinating disease, it is probably best to agressively seek a detailed diagnosis. It is not clear that pain is caiused by nerve compression, so traction should not be used until other causes are ruled out.

[jcverive]

Please insist on a thorough MS work-up. You are at the right age for MS symptoms to show up, and a proper diagnosis is the first step towards proper treatment.  I know that the prospect of a diagnosis of MS can be scary, but *not* knowing what is causing your symptoms can be worse (and delaying proper treatment just makes it harder to deal with everything).

[caregiver222]

You have two unrelated problems, but both are due to nerve compression in the spine. A $35 axial traction device plus Motrin should relieve your arm pain. Then range of motion activities moving the head through the limits of pain. The axial traction device should be used for three or four minutes three to six times a day. The inflamation has to be brought down. Prednisone for three days is helpful, but not as a long term treatment. After three days switch to motrin. Oxycontin works, but it is addictive, and you will soon be swallowing them like candy. The leg pain is often treated surgically with a laminectomy, but I woulkd be hesitatnt to get one without exploring other options.

[lee77]

Not sure what I have, but I have had vibrations,tingling and numbess in my legs and sometimes my hands for a substantial period of time.  It started out mildly about 2.5 years ago and was attributed to my Hashimoto's.  Within time, it went away or was so mild that I barely felt it.

Now it's back and as of the beginning of June, it's been mainly on my left side - my left foot on the bottom is numb. I have vibration feelings in my legs and sometimes some weakness in my left leg.  Also, now my stomach - only on the left side is numb.  It's been this way for about 2 months now.  I started taking synthroid but have felt no relief.  I'm getting really scared.  Any thoughts? Can this all be from my thyroid? I'm thinking no...

Also, meant to mention I feel dizzy and lightheaded (not really vertigo) a large part of the day.

Thank you.

[meghanmcc]

There are a few other odd symptoms I didn't mention. For 3 days (happened once and never happened again) I felt like I had to go to the bathroom nonstop. I got a tremor in my thumb that lasted for several hours--that never came back, either. I also on occasion experience what seems like muscle fatigue, but only in my rt. leg and rt. arm. I can still function normally but doing things w/the right arm is tiring when I'm experiencing it and walking, especially down stairs, is also. The leg and arm weakness don't seem to happen together.

meghan