Aa
Pain and numbnes, first in legs, now also in hands and face
I started to be numb in the right big toe July 2010, had been feeling more pain (than usualy) in my back, and the pain was going a little down the leg. Went to my doctor month later, feeling a litle pain here and there in my other leg also. She took a CT and said I have Spinal Stenosis, I went to learn some good exercises for the back, and got a little better. Then went on vacation for a weekend in october and walked alot. When I came home, I slowly got so much worse (after 1 week or so) at then I could not sit for a minute, this was just down the right leg. Then I was sent to a MRI and told that I had a Disc prolaps, so I think that this does maby not connect to the numbness. But at this time the numbness had been getting worse (more toes) and also on left foot. But this doctor said that I don't have a Spinal Stenosis! So then it took some time to be able to sit again (about 8-10) without pain, so I did not want the surgery.
Since then I have been doing the exercises and on and of felt a litle pain here and there in my arms, at first I did not think of it. But 3 months ago I got this numbness in left hand fingers, first two of them and now it feels like all of them and the palm also. Then a litle later also in the right arm and also on and of pain here and there in both arms. One month ago I felt like I was starting to get this on the left side of my face also! And pain on the right side, first for nearly a day close to the eye, then a few days later close to the nose for few hours and then under my chin one day. Most of this pain is not sooo bad, but the numbness is maby more like "pins and needles" feeling when I touch it and most of the time I don't feel it sooo much, but it is always there. My shoulders have been bad today and also had like a pressing feeling down in the toes (on right leg). Month ago they took an MRI of my neck, and they saw nothing. Now I am waiting for an MRI of my head Jun 3. But is there anyone that regonizes this? Is there a nerves in my head that goes to the hands, legs and face?
Thank you so much for any advice!
Since then I have been doing the exercises and on and of felt a litle pain here and there in my arms, at first I did not think of it. But 3 months ago I got this numbness in left hand fingers, first two of them and now it feels like all of them and the palm also. Then a litle later also in the right arm and also on and of pain here and there in both arms. One month ago I felt like I was starting to get this on the left side of my face also! And pain on the right side, first for nearly a day close to the eye, then a few days later close to the nose for few hours and then under my chin one day. Most of this pain is not sooo bad, but the numbness is maby more like "pins and needles" feeling when I touch it and most of the time I don't feel it sooo much, but it is always there. My shoulders have been bad today and also had like a pressing feeling down in the toes (on right leg). Month ago they took an MRI of my neck, and they saw nothing. Now I am waiting for an MRI of my head Jun 3. But is there anyone that regonizes this? Is there a nerves in my head that goes to the hands, legs and face?
Thank you so much for any advice!
Best Answer
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi there. . Cervical nerve root compression as in due to disc prolapsed can cause weakness in biceps, and wrist extensors. Numbness and tingling along with pain can radiate to the thumb side of hand. Cervical myelopathy can result in subtle changes in the hands and their functioning. Hands become clumsier, may drop objects more often, difficulty in unbuttoning shirt, the gait may become wobbly. At times brain doesn’t know exactly where their legs are in time and space. Extreme cases patients may develop more profound weakness and numbness in their arms and legs. Rarely bowel and bladder changes also develop. Since you are having tingling and numbness on face along with pain, you need to be evaluated for multiple sclerosis. It has multiple symptoms and signs and is a diagnosis of exclusion. The symptoms of multiple sclerosis are loss of balance, muscle spasms, numbness in any area, problems with walking and coordination, tremors in one or more arms and legs. Bowel and bladder symptoms include frequency of micturition, urine leakage, eye symptoms like double vision uncontrollable rapid eye movements, facial pain, painful muscle spasms, tingling, burning in arms or legs, depression, dizziness, hearing loss, fatigue etc. The treatment is essentially limited to symptomatic therapy so the course of action would not change much whether MS has been diagnosed or not. Apart from clinical neurological examination, MRI shows MS as paler areas of demyelination, two different episodes of demyelination separated by one month in at least two different brain locations. Spinal tap is done and CSF electrophoresis reveals oligoclonal bands suggestive of immune activity, which is suggestive but not diagnostic of MS. Demyelinating neurons, transmit nerve signals slower than non-demyelinated ones and can be detected with EP tests. These are visual evoked potentials, brain stem auditory evoked response, and somatosensory evoked potential. Slower nerve responses in any one of these is not confirmatory of MS but can be used to complement diagnosis along with a neurological examination, medical history and an MRI in addition, a spinal tap. Migraines also need to be ruled out if you have accompanying headaches.Therefore, it would be prudent to consult your neurologist with these concerns. Hope this helps. Take care
Thank you so much for your answer. I don't think I have migraine because I don't get so headache so often or bad. I have been to a neurologist, and he is sending me to the MRI in June. But I went to him because there I could get time within a week, usualy I have to wait some months for a good neurologist. But he is very old for still working (about 80) and I am not sure he can comprehend all that I have been telling him, he does not use computer and writes everything down. But then seems to forget sudden things again and again! So that is why I am looking for help here, so I can try to help him :) forward in finding what is wrong with me. I have found a little more than "normal" urine leakage. Before it was just when I had a cough or something like that. And I have done the execises for that, but now it seems like sometimes it happens out of nowhere. (Sorry if my English is bad). Sometimes I have also felt heat to my hands, mostly though when it was starting there. My eye's are ok and I don't feel dizzy. But is there any one place in the head that has to do with nerves for all of this (hands, foots and face) where there could be some kind of pressure? Thank you!
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Neurology Community
Top Neurology Answerers
Allentown, PA
ON
Queensland, Australia
Queen Creek, AZ
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
