DEAR DR. GOTT:
Ten months ago I woke up with numbness, tingling and muscle spasms throughout my body. The sensations lasted just over a week and then went away.
Over the next few months, they would come back occasionally in my face and head for up to a week, only to disappear again. I would describe the feeling as electrical currents running though my face and head and numbness in my nose and lips.
I went to see my primary care physician who sent me to a neurologist. He checked my reflexes, examined my gait and sent me home. Several weeks later, I went to a different neurologist who ordered X-rays and an MRI of my head and neck. Because of some disc misalignment I was given exercises to do. This helped but I continued to have problems, now in my lower back, down into my buttocks and legs.
My sleep is affected because I have muscle spasms that run from my back, around to my stomach, and down both legs into my feet. When I wake up I feel as though I have run a marathon. It used to only be occasionally but now it seems like it happens every night and has progressed to the point where I requested a prescription sleep aid because I couldn’t sleep at all. I don’t like taking medication but not sleeping is worse than taking too many pills.
I was referred for physical therapy but quit after three weeks because there was no significant change in my situation. Now I am frustrated and depressed because no one can tell me what is causing these symptoms and how to make them stop.
I am currently waiting to see the neurologist again. He ordered X-rays of my thoracic and lumbar spine which showed normal but not significant degeneration, mild to moderate spurring and mild scoliosis. I assume the next step will be to have an MRI of these areas.
I don’t know what else to do. The pain is not extreme or debilitating but when the muscle spasms start, sleeping, standing and walking become challenging, if not impossible. My coordination is also suffering because my leg muscles have become so stressed.
DEAR READER:
Your symptoms suggest to me that you have a pinched, compressed or damaged nerve somewhere in your back. Given the numbness, tingling and spasms are confined to your lower back, buttocks and legs, I would venture to guess the problem lies somewhere near your sciatic nerve.
Sciatica usually affects only one leg but on occasion can affect both. Your X-rays have shown only mild degenerative changes but this does not mean serious damage isn’t occurring because of them. If a disc slips a fraction of a millimeter in the wrong direction, it can create tremendous pain and debilitating symptoms.
I understand this is a difficult situation but I urge you to follow your neurologist’s advice. In the meantime I recommend you try low-impact exercise and stretching in an attempt to strengthen your back muscles. Stronger muscles can hold the discs and vertebrae in a better alignment. Perhaps chiropractic manipulation, acupressure or acupuncture might help.
To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Managing Chronic Pain”. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
About Dr. Gott