Please help me find out why my left foot feels frozen,, especially the

Hello @vivianne777, Welcome to Connect. I know it has to be frustrating not having the answer as to what is causing your symptoms in your left foot. Members on Connect are not able to diagnose and give advice but can share their similar experiences with you. It does sound like you may have a good idea of the possible cause with the nerve compression in the spinal cord. Have you seen a doctor or specialist for a diagnosis of what might be causing the symptoms in your feet?

I have had a lumbar m r I, Which detected the substitute fracture in the sacrum. ( The x ray did not)
I have previously seen a surgeon in Wichita, Kansas for the. problem detected via MRI with the vertebrae impinging upon the spinal cord. That was in july of this year. He stated that as long as I could manage pain in the neck and right ear with steroid injections, That I could avoid surgery.
However, This problem is in neither of those areas.
So I would ask you or anyone who would care to resbond if if the feet can also be affected by the the surgical problem mentioned above or if it is more likely due to a lumbar issue. I do not know, but it is troubling to say the least. Any assistance would be appreciated. I do have Cds of the Cervical area as well as the lumbar area. The surgeon mentioned has only seen the first c d. And his nurses have told me. I need another referral to him to address this new problem.

I have no idea about the vertebrae/spine or sacrum issues, so I can't help you there. My first thought was to ask you if you have circulation problems at all? And, do you have any other symptoms of Peripheal Neuropathy, by chance? I have PN and I have severe problems with both of my feet feeling frozen and painful if they get even slightly chilly, not even cold. I have no idea if this could be of any help to you at all, but just food for thought.
P

I think it depends on where in the spine the nerve is being pinched or compressed. Here's some information on the topic and hopefully others that have experience can share with you.
--- What Does Spinal Cord Compression Feel Like?: https://www.verywellhealth.com/spinal-cord-compression-4706467

Thank you for your response. It is possible that I do have circulation problems as I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol as well.
But the reason that this especially concerns me is because the surgeon has said, once you lose a function you will not get it back. That is really scary. In other words, If I had had the surgery to correct the certebral problem earlier, perhaps this would not have happened.
As it is now, I'm finding that it is affecting my walking ability And I hear that it can affect balance as well. I sometimes have that issue too.
Anyway, I do thank you for your response. I have tried heat and that seems to help for a little while. What have you tried?

This graphic (below, click on it to make it bigger) helped me understand what was going on. I have degenerative discs as do many older people. A detail nobody mentions or talks about, at least to me so it came as a surprise. After studying the spine and nervous system I happened upon this and realized why I had buzzing hot and cold legs, sometimes hands and arms. The only things doctors can offer are drugs that by all account don’t work well for most like Gabapentin and Lyrica both of which have exhaustion as a side effect and Anti depressants also exhaustion.. Plus Non Steroidal Anti Inflammation drugs like Mobic, Motrin and Neproxin for pain all of which are hard on your stomach kidneys and liver. The only thing my doctor recommends is losing weight and Physical Therapy which tightens and strengthens the muscles that support your spine. This makes sense. But with the exhaustion from all the other stuff it is difficult to stick with. Also you have to ease into it and not do anything that hurts. Stick to the ones that feel good. But your doctor should recommend what is best for you. All I can say is it is difficult to live with these common age related maladies and growing old gracefully is over rated.. 😜

I understand what you are saying about your experience "being scary". When the neurologist first told me tht I had Peripheal Neuropathy, he explained what it was, that there was no cure, and that it needed to be monitored because if it got out of control, it could come to amputation. I had to discontinue my relationship with that Dr and, in trying to find anyone to help me, to monitor me, they just blow me off [which is not uncommon in PN patients]. It's like, well, there is no cure for it, so don't bother me with it! You gotta' just love it! LOL! I am on a common medication for PN, which is Gabapentin. I take 600 mg, 3-4x daily, along with 1000 mg of x-strength Tylenol at the same time, for the pain and discomfort. Through this Mayo Connect, I have found that there are updated treatment methods and Drs who specialize in PN, but I am having no luck getting into one, but that is another story! LOL!
My PN is getting to the point that the Gaba and Tylenol are not working well at all anymore, so I must get help. Please don't think I am diagnosing you with PN! You may not have it at all. I just thought it may be a possibility you might want to check out. The "frozen feet" got my attention initially. And, yes, with PN, it can affect walking and balance. I also have circulation problems, which affect swelling of my ankles and feet, which can also cause the "freexing" feeling in your feet, thus I asked you about circulation. I do think that you need to get it evaluated so that you know exactly what you are dealing with. I wish you luck in finding a quick answer to your problems, and I send you some Hugs to go along with that wish! ❤️
P

Very helpful thank you.
I do not think the problem is due to my sub acute fracture of the sacrum At this point. On june eighth of twenty three, Doctor Lothes a neuro surgeon in Wichita, diagnosed the problem as severe spinal stenosis in the neck. This puts pressure.on the spinal cord and spinal nerves. At that consult with
the doctor,e mentioned numbness in the hands and arms, Which I do not have.
The article you sent further clarified that it can also include the feet.
With this in mind, I will see if I can get a referral from my primary care, doctor in regard to this increasing problem.
Thanks again!

Thank you for your response. I have been doing physical therapy. At the present time it was 44 the lumbar problem, That is the fracture to the sacrum. Previously I had some exercises that included the neck. I need to begin those again as they were helpful. Again thanks for your response.

Thanks for your response. At present I do not even have a neurologist helping me. The one I had sadly passed away.
I know that the surgeon said he would have a low threshold for deciding to proceed with surgery if any of my symptoms got worse or New ones cropped up.
I do have severe spinal stenosis in the neck which puts pressure on the spinal cord in spinal nerves.
2 or 3 neck vertebrae would have to be removed. In order to relieve the pressure. Then the neck would need to be fused with hardware for support.
Not a pleasant prospect, But one that may be necessary.
I was not aware that this could also affect the feet prior to contacthis group.