Travelling Pain

[antidote25]

From last 3 years there has been pain in my left leg and i have been treated for muscle tear , ligament tear etc.Recently the same kind of pain was felt in my left arm and shoulder. So basically the left side of my body has become relatively weak.And very recently my lower back has become very stiff and there is pain in the left side of the neck. This is causing blurred vision at times and stress on my eyes along with occasional headaches. Anti-Inflammatory pills relieve the pain and improve my condition. My work schedule makes it very difficult for me to consult a doctor and i wish to rectify my previous mistakes by not getting treated for ligament tear or muscle tear. I exercise approximately 2 hours everyday and am willing to fight this problem and restore back to a normal healthy life.

A friend of mine suggested two things.

A. Meet a spine specialist
B. Meet a neurologist

I am unable to decide whom to i make an appointment with. Any suggestion would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[antidote25]

Thank You for the reply doctor. I met a neurosurgeon today and on physical examination he said that nothing is wrong. However a full blown investigation will be done which includes blood test , brain scan and back scan. Some multi vitamins have been recommended for the sudden chills and mild fever. The doctor concluded that there is nothing majorly wrong with my body , it could be a case of high level of stress. Thank you so much for the previous responses doctor. I really appreciate the help provided by you and for all the recommendation/suggestions.

God Bless. I hope you have a bright and successful future as a doctor

[Dr. A. Srivastava]

Upon net we are in no position to say whether the lesion is just spinal or something is related to brain as you have blurred vision progressively increasing pain in the joints and back which may be an indication towards multiple sclerosis as a possibility therefore I would rather advice a neurologist's consultation who are capable enough to examine both spine and brain together and then refer you to spine specialist once the brain related factors are ruled out. You may continue your exercises but preferably in mild form so as not to aggravate your spinal disc problems (if present). You may go for MRI/CT scan before meeting the treating doctor that may prove helpful to the doctor too but still I would say a telephonic approval from the doctor to go for scan can be beneficial. Hope this helps.

[antidote25]

Thank You for the reply doctor. Is it possible that a spine specialist would be able to treat me and help me cure the problem  or should i immediately schedule an appointment with a neurologist? In the meantime should i get an MRI or a CT scan done before meeting the doctor ? From last 6 months i have been doing exercises to strengthen my relatively weak muscles. Should i continue to do so or stop it temporarily? And i'm assuming that crunches are doing more harm than good as of now , hence should i stop them as well ? Thank You once again for taking the time to answer my queries.

[Dr. A. Srivastava]

Thank you very much for your question; although it is quite hard for me to give you a precise opinion here without being able to examine you, but I would try to provide you some relevant information about your health concern. From your description of symptoms, it seems that it could be a nerve irritation of back or could be any neurological disorder due to any underlying disease like diabetes. People who work for long periods of sitting or standing jobs, do a lot of traveling or do heavy labour work are at a greater risk for low back or disc problems. By the reason of that nerves from the spinal cord can be irritated causing leg pain and numbness, tingling, or weakness in the leg. Few persons also face generalized body weakness and numbness due to other nerve irritation on back. Another possibility could be an underlying disorder like diabetes or alcohol abuse that may result in neuropathy (nerve pain like numbness and tingling at affected areas and sometimes blurred vision due to retinopathy). If you suffer continuous weakness and notice reduced strength of muscle bulk in left leg, please arrange an appointment with a neurologist right away who may differentiate in both the possibilities first. These “red flags” could be indicative of compression of the spinal cord and its nerve branches and early treatment is essential if permanent damage needs to be avoided. Further referral to a physiotherapist for spinal exercises could be beneficial and may produce relief of symptoms. Hope this help. Take Care & Stay Healthy!!!