Hand and foot pain

[dbbm]

I have herniated discs in my cervical and lumbar/sacral areas.  Can this cause pain in my palms of my hands and bottom of my feet?

[Dr Sharma]

Hello dear and welcome to the medhelp forum. Yes, intervertebral disc  herniation in the cervical an lumbosacral region can cause these symptoms in hands and feet due to compression of exiting nerve roots at the cervical level and lumbar level, responsible for hand and foot pain respectively. Cervical disc compression if severe or associated with spinal canal stenosis can lead to symptoms in the feet also. You need a neurologist to examine you clinically, ask for an MRI spine to check the exact levels and evidence of spinal stenosis. The progression of the disease would decide the therapy choice. You might need an urgent decompression if you are having central canal stenosis or accompanying weakness. You could give a trial of NSAIDS, physiotherapy and epidural injection of steroids. Wishing you all the best.

[caregiver222]

The answer is a very qualified yes. It is easy to decide the possibilities by googling "dermatomes". By reviewing the dermatome drawings on the internet you can pinpoint the probably spinal nerve involvement.  C6 compression, for example may cause numbness or pain on the dorsal proximal phalange of the thumb. C7, the proximal phalange of the middle finger, etc.  Compression of the lumbar/sacral nerves will have no effect whatsoever on the hands. On the other hand Lumbar and Sacral compression, particularly L5, can indeed cause pain in the dorsum of the foot. The symptoms suggest systemic deterioration/spinal stenosis, often secondary to arthritis.

[TheLightSeeker]

Hey dbbm,
Welcome to the forum.
Of course. Pain from the compressed nerve will be experienced
more in the extremities than in the immediate area of the herniated disc(s).
One action to help ease the pain is to address the muscle imbalance which is usually the root cause.   Prolonged incorrect seated positions (slouching), improper heavy lifting , repetitive twisting action all contribute to the muscular imbalance. Usually the pain is felt in the right or the left extremities according to the side the disc is bulging towards.
Should your pain be equally distributed to both sides then disc herniation is most likely not the problem. Look into other causes such as spinal stenosis instead.
Hope this helps.
Take care
Niko