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Cervical myelopathy mistaken for neuropathy

Neuropathy | Last Active: Apr 30, 2023 | Replies (21)

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@jenniferhunter

@yojimbob Yes, that was me, and thank you so much for your kind words. That means a lot to me to know how I helped you seek the correct diagnosis. Wow! Spine problems are just tricky because you can feel pain in a nerve and it could be generated anywhere along the path of the nerve. I knew my foot drop was caused by my spinal cord compression because it happened when my vertebrae were slipping a bit which effectively made the spinal canal smaller which put more pressure on my spinal cord, and when my physical therapist realigned my vertebrae again, the foot drop stopped until muscles spasms moved everything around again.

I also had foot drop right after the accident that caused the whiplash for about a month before it got better. That must have been some bruising to the spinal cord, but no one knew it at the time. When there is a compromised nerve, it is accompanied by weakness, and no amount of will power will overcome it. It was difficult to get a correct diagnosis. I actually found medical literature with cases like mine, and with that in hand, I contacted Mayo Clinic, and then had spine surgery with a great surgeon there.

It's nice to meet you too! You made my day! I am excited for you now that you know what is wrong. Choose carefully and find the best spine surgeon that you can. I hope you will come back and share what offers of help you get from surgeons, and you can ask me questions. It can be overwhelming, and I learned so much about spine surgery when I was still looking for a surgeon to help me. It will be a journey, but now you know where you're going.

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Replies to "@yojimbob Yes, that was me, and thank you so much for your kind words. That means..."

Jennifer,

I may have asked you this before, but who did you see at Mayo. I also have cervical neuropathy,feeling off balance, neck pain, and lower back pain. I also was diagnosed with severe small fiber neuropathy. What concerns me is that many say you have surgery and problems can reoccur two or three years later. I have lower back pain now legs hurt, and end stage arthritis in knees. Nobody can figure out what is going on and very frustrated with doctors.