Possible Isthmic Spondylolisthesis?

Posted by onkste @onkste, 1 day ago

Hello, (24, F)
I have experienced a complex set of symptoms since childhood, many of which have persisted or worsened into adulthood.
My key symptoms are:

- Chronic muscle tension throughout body, mainly affecting the thighs, calves, shoulders, buttocks, lower back and jaw (TMJ). These symptoms often cause frequent “knots” especially in lower back.
- Pain when pressure is applied to lower back around the spine.
- Occasional sharp pain that radiates throughout lower to mid-back as well as the thighs and buttocks (possible sciatica).
- Back stiffness with having the constant urge to “crack” and or stretch it.
- Sitting on hard surfaces (e.g: wood, metal and hard plastic) for a certain amount of time will cause numbness and eventual pain in the buttocks.
- Calluses on both feet in the same place that gradually developed over the course of several years throughout childhood.
- Numbness in right toe next to the pinky toe that will occasionally impair my ability to walk, causing excessive pain regardless of type of footwear and or changes to gait.
- Uncontrollable tremors in both hands/arms when pressure is placed on either foot.
- Nystagmus triggered by pressure on top of head when lying down (only applicable if eyes are shut).
- Non-painful muscle spasms/twitching continuously throughout entire body at random.
- Brain fog, struggling to communicate and offer stuttering/stammering on my words.
- Visual snow syndrome (self diagnosed).
- Hyperacusis (self diagnosed).
- Urinary incontinence with impaired bladder control, recurrent urinary tract infections, and suspected urinary retention.
(History of incontinence as a child with bed wetting and frequent accidents during primary/elementary school.)
- Frequent (almost daily) migraines/headaches.
- Photophobia (light sensitivity).
- Non-restorative sleep, never feeling refreshed or fully “awake” regardless of how many hours of sleep I receive (I usually sleep between 8–10 hours a day).
- I struggle with the ability to fall asleep spending anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour experiencing restlessness.

Notes:
I first noticed symptoms during early childhood, I would often “complain” that my back hurt and would frequently ask for assistance by getting others to check my spinal curvature (I believed I may had some form of mild scoliosis and that my lower lumbar spine was curved outwards).

My family has had a history of back related issues confirmed by 5 people, their symptoms include:
- Sciatica (numbness, tingling and pain)
- Back pain
- Urinary incontinence

Possible diagnosis:
- Herniated disc
- Lumbar lordosis (personal observation).

I received a diagnosis of idiopathic hyperprolactinemia (mimicking PCOS-like symptoms). My doctor believed that I may had prolactinemia (adenoma tumour) but a CT scan ruled it out.

Suspected conditions:
- Lumbar lordosis
- Spinal stenosis
- Tethered cord
- Spinal cord injury
- *Isthmic Spondylolisthesis

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Spine Health Support Group.

@onkste Welcome to Connect. I am a spine surgery patient. My issues originated because of a traffic accident many years earlier, and with changes to the spine with aging, eventually I had a ruptured disc and bone spurs pressing into my spinal cord. Spine issues are very tricky to diagnose, and usually there is a structural problem causing compression on a nerve or the spinal cord that is seen on imaging like an MRI. Without that, anything is just a guess. Wouldn't it be better to have a doctor do the troubleshooting to eliminate what doesn't apply to your situation? We're all human and the internet is there with all kinds of scary stuff to temp us. The best bet is to look up things that are listed in your medical reports for more information. Try not to diagnose yourself; that will just be stressful. I certainly have been wrong before about symptoms that can overlap with other conditions.

Have you discussed your symptoms with your primary care doctor? There can be other conditions or diseases that can cause similar symptoms. One thing that comes to mind would be something like Lyme disease that does cause a lot of muscle stiffness. My dog had it and was very spastic toward the end of his life and couldn't control his legs well enough to walk.

Spine surgery is a big surgery with a long recovery, not to be taken lightly. If you find that there are other possible causes for your symptoms, you would want to explore that with various specialists. Have you had an injury to your spine or a whiplash? Have you had imaging that would suggest looking at the spine in more detail? Typically, spine surgeons may not schedule appointments if there are no structural issues evident on imaging.

I also did have an uneven gait, and it was intermittent when my physical therapist was realigning my spine and then I walked normally until the next muscle spasm shifted the vertebrae. A good physical therapist can help a lot, and mine also does myofascial release which is a hands on technique to release tight tissue in the muscles and fascia. It also helps to break up surgical scar tissue. We have a discussion on Myofascial release where you can learn more about it. Even if you don't know what's wrong, you could be seen for the muscle stiffness and spasms. A good PT is also invaluable in helping your understand what your physical issues are, and may be a good source of information about spine specialists because they rehab patients after surgery.

"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 heard of Myofascial release before?

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