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Chemical irritation of lumbar nerves
How are people treating radiculopathy into the legs, caused by chemical irritation from degenerative lumbar discs?
I have numb feet and legs, but MRI shows no physical compression of nerves.
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@soby I'm not sure what "...caused by chemical irritation from degenerative lumbar discs..." means. Radiculopathy is by definition compression or irritation of the nerve root. MRIs and other images, as much as they have improved, are not perfect. And nerve pain does not always show up as compression - it can be from stress/stretching from changes in the spine and how we move. Another member has recently posted that their spine doctor wanted a different MRI view to get a better idea of the problem.
What treatment is your doctor recommending?
Hi Sue,
It's widely accepted that you can get chemical irritation of nerves
without compression or stress/stretching or changes in the spine.
The discs can release inflammatory substances, especially Degenerative Discs.
These can irritate the nerves and cause radiculopathy.
The problem is, how to treat. Dr. is recommening epidural steroids, but
have had 10+ with no effect.
@soby My doctor told me that when a disc ruptures and the nucleus material leaks out, it causes inflammation which in turn can cause arthritic changes and bone growth such as osteophytes aka “bone spurs”.
If the alignment between the pelvis and spine changes, it can mimic a lumbar spine condition and cause pain. If you look at mskneurology.com under the articles pages, there is information about a lumbar plexus compression syndrome.
Has a physical therapist evaluated your spine and pelvic alignment? My pelvis sometimes shifts and I can get leg pain which is relieved when it gets back in proper alignment. It’s possible to have pelvic issues in addition to any spine conditions.
Has your spine specialist considered this?