Aa
left side of body weakness
I am 30 years old and since i was 28 I have been experiencing the left side of my body feeling weak.This happens when i am under stress and when I am angry or get worked up.It is quite frightening and i often feel like if it is stroke like symtoms.The left side of my face swells up as well.When i calm down and relax the symtoms go away.I did and M,R.I scan and it came out normal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.
Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.
One-sided numbness or weakness of the body is most commonly due to a problem in the brain (as opposed to other areas of the central nervous system such as the spinal cord or peripheral nerves). Many possibilities exist, and depend somewhat on your age, your risk factors, and the nature of your symptoms (whether or not the numbness started suddenly or gradually, whether it is a complete loss of sensation or a tingling, whether it is an objective finding on examination or it is only a feeling that you have etc)
The most concerning cause of numbness or weakness on one side of the body is a stroke. Strokes occur predominantly in people with risk factors: smokers, high cholesterol, diabetics, hypertensives, and people over the age of 55. However, they can occur in any age. If your numbness was due to a stroke, it would start somewhat suddenly (over minutes) and would likely persist without significant improvement. Also, you would have changes on the MRI to suggest a stroke.
Other potential causes include multiple sclerosis, a brain tumor, a vascular malformation and others. These too would have been seen on the MRI. Transient one-sided body numbness or weakness (lasting for example for minutes up to 30 minutes then resolving) could be due to a migraine (the aura of migraine, in which case following the numbness, a headache occurs) or seizures. Lastly, stress can cause symptoms as you describe.
You would benefit from evaluation by a neurologist.
Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.
Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.
One-sided numbness or weakness of the body is most commonly due to a problem in the brain (as opposed to other areas of the central nervous system such as the spinal cord or peripheral nerves). Many possibilities exist, and depend somewhat on your age, your risk factors, and the nature of your symptoms (whether or not the numbness started suddenly or gradually, whether it is a complete loss of sensation or a tingling, whether it is an objective finding on examination or it is only a feeling that you have etc)
The most concerning cause of numbness or weakness on one side of the body is a stroke. Strokes occur predominantly in people with risk factors: smokers, high cholesterol, diabetics, hypertensives, and people over the age of 55. However, they can occur in any age. If your numbness was due to a stroke, it would start somewhat suddenly (over minutes) and would likely persist without significant improvement. Also, you would have changes on the MRI to suggest a stroke.
Other potential causes include multiple sclerosis, a brain tumor, a vascular malformation and others. These too would have been seen on the MRI. Transient one-sided body numbness or weakness (lasting for example for minutes up to 30 minutes then resolving) could be due to a migraine (the aura of migraine, in which case following the numbness, a headache occurs) or seizures. Lastly, stress can cause symptoms as you describe.
You would benefit from evaluation by a neurologist.
Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.
A related discussion, Left sided weakness was started.
A related discussion, Left side weakness, should we take it seriously? was started.
You are reading content posted in the Neurology Forum
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
