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Foot neuropathy due to cord compression

Posted by whalehello @whalehello, Feb 16 5:38pm

Has anyone here had neuropathy due to cord impingement? If so, were there things that were done to help reverse it? Did you have steroid shots in the area? My balance is affected as well.

I just had a positive MRI for cord impingement due to a focal herniation on T11-12. Initial herniation on 9/29 with shock-like zaps from neck to feet, and foot neuropathy (worse on right foot) in mid December.

Finally got a doctor to order an MRI after being put through a bunch of bloodwork (A1C normal, EMG normal).

Being referred to a neurosurgeon and will be getting a more detailed MRI of the area.

Thanks!

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Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Feb 26 10:54pm
In reply to @rdflash0788 "Hey there, yes, I am still having some issues with spasms from the surgery. Especially in..." + (show)
@rdflash0788

Hey there, yes, I am still having some issues with spasms from the surgery. Especially in the rhomboid area and the back/right side of the neck. I've been following up with pain mgt here locally with trigger point injections to try and get it all to settle down. Unfortunately, it's been a rough season with my parents getting flooded out, having to move in with us for a few months and also dealing with some health issues of their own.
Back in November I came down with COVID and either it brought on new symptoms or made existing symptoms worse. I now have tremors, brain fog, fatigue issues, depression, swallowing issues and my smart watch fusses at me almost daily telling my O2 levels during sleep are going too low at times. My PCP referred me to neurology since most of the new issues seem to be "neurogenic" in nature. I saw them today and have some more tests scheduled for a brain MRI and an EEG to see if we can figure what might be going on. Hope that tells us something as this is just nuts. I just want to be able to name whatever this is so I can work at fighting it. It is really hard to fight/manage something when you don't even know what it is. And, add to that the fact that most of my family thinks it is just in my head, so that's fun too. 🙁

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@rdflash0788 I'm sorry to hear you have some struggles and lost your privacy. I understand helping family and that is important, but it also creates new stressors. What happens with surgery is you have scar tissue that gets tight and that can be at the source of the spasms. I recommend myofascial release to a lot of members here, and it may be worth a try for you. I do this a lot myself, and in addition to my being a spine patient, I also have Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. That makes my neck and chest tight and it does affect breathing making that difficult when spasms are yanking up on my upper ribs. My introduction to MFR work was to treat TOS. That can be more common in spine patients if the condition was caused by an injury. This is a way to stretch the tight fascia and the scar tissue within the fascia. It can release the tight surgical scar tissue. Here is our discussion where you can learn more, and there is a provider search at http://mfrtherapists.com/.

Neuropathy - "Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
Have you been working with a physical therapist?

REPLY
rdflash0788 | @rdflash0788 | Feb 28 10:15am

Well, I did my initial PT after the surgery but have long since been set free from that. However, I may swing back around to MFR once all this other testing is done as I sometimes feel like there are too may spoons in the pot so to speak with all that is going on and that seems like it could muddy the waters somewhat. 🙂 Have an EEG, swallow study and head MRI pending right now and possibly some PRP injections for the torn rotator cuff in an effort to avoid yet another surgery.

REPLY
1 reply
Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Feb 28 5:55pm
In reply to @rdflash0788 "Well, I did my initial PT after the surgery but have long since been set free..." + (show)
@rdflash0788

Well, I did my initial PT after the surgery but have long since been set free from that. However, I may swing back around to MFR once all this other testing is done as I sometimes feel like there are too may spoons in the pot so to speak with all that is going on and that seems like it could muddy the waters somewhat. 🙂 Have an EEG, swallow study and head MRI pending right now and possibly some PRP injections for the torn rotator cuff in an effort to avoid yet another surgery.

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@rdflash0788 I’m glad you are staying on top of your health journey. Hopefully you’ll find some relief with something.

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