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Vice grip on both legs with both feet feeling stiff on bottoms.
I have been dealing with a leg, foot and lower back issue for 6 years now. It started with my right foot feeling like I had stepped into glue and it dried on the bottom of my foot. Skin feels very tight. Then about 2 months later, my legs started to get very tight and ache. I seem to have trouble controlling them when I stand or walk. Feel like I walk on outside of or sides of feet. Now both feet stiff and both legs feel like there is a vice being tighten down on them. I have had 3 nerve tests, all ok, a PAD test which was negative, all the Lymes tests that I know exist. I have osteopenia, had a low vit.D count but have found no relieve or a close maybe dx. Anybody else ever experience any thing like this? I have seen 3 Neurologists, a Urologist, a Rheumatoligist, my GYN and 4 General Practice Drs.
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I was taking Gabapentene and now taking only 75 mg Pregablin.Yoga , Meditation , Massage has helped me to overcome terrific nerve pains .Now I Sometimes take 75 mg Tramadol and Pray .It helps.
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1 ReactionThanks for sharing the article on adult diagnosed tethered cord from PubMed, a great resource for reliable medical information!
There are far more articles for very young patients, so this is good for answering questions about newly diagnosed adults.The references to neuropathy and plantar fascitis were "guesses" of the diagnosis, before an MRI was completed. An MRI identified the tethered cord.
Hi, @pammiesue51 — thanks for the good wishes for my son, who had tethered spinal cord surgery at 3 months. Yes, thankfully, his surgery was a complete success, and he is doing just fine now. He has what we call an "upside down happy face" scar around his tailbone — pretty significant one — but we figure only maybe teammates in a locker room, a cabin mate at camp, or a future wife will probably ever see it. The surgeon decided to remove the hemangioma along with untethering the cord, thus the larger scar. I was happy to see that go, as it was very unattractive and angry-looking.
In the short term, his recovery was slow in some ways, as he had delays in sitting up, walking, self-feeding and communication. We were one of those families that count every word uttered to ensure he had at least 50 words by age 2. The school district tested him, developed an IEP, and did a lot of OT, PT and speech with him. They felt his body had to put so much energy into his recovery that some of the other areas fell behind. They did a great job over a couple of years, and he did catch up.
I would say that even for us, in 2006, our son was considered a rarity of interest to medical students and trainees, and just about every doctor he's ever seen has been fascinated by his case. I can hardly imagine having this condition in a time where doctors were unfamiliar with it, and I'm sorry that you were not diagnosed till age 27 — though so glad they found it for you. That is quite a long time to go with a condition that is undiscovered, but I can completely imagine it 67 years ago. Sounds like you were way beyond our son in your development as a small child. Walking at 6 months is quite amazing. So glad to hear you were able to do all those sports.
It sure seems like you had an excellent neurosurgeon when your condition was diagnosed. That is a wonderful thing. My son's neurosurgeon, too, was rather intimidating, but he had a very sweet, soft-touch nurse who went around with him and stayed behind at each visit to kind of hold your hand, explain anything you didn't understand, and the like. Do you remember if your surgeon had someone like that on his team? Perhaps you knew the others on his team, if you worked there and rounded with him. The key thing, though, in my opinion, is the surgical skill. That is so wonderful you feel your surgery saved your future as a wife, mother and as a nurse, and that you went on to have another child and work 35 more years. What a blessing.
So happy to hear that your original surgery remains stable.That's great news. I am sorry to hear that you do still have some problems associated with your cord. Very glad to hear, though, that you've had a normal life and are able to enjoy your grandkids, travel and have a great retirement.
I'm new to Mayo Connect and offer my empathy to @darj and @pammiesue51. I thank you for your posts because it is the most accurate description I can think of to describe my feet. Early 2018 I noticed when laying on my back in bed that my feet felt strange, tight and it was as if they were up against something hard. I saw my GP who referred me to a Neurologist who did tests for idiopathic peripheral neuropathy (non diabetic). All OK. I do have osteoarthritis arthritis in my feet, shoulders hips and back. Plus nerve damage and disc issues in my back. I was having balance issues but have taken up walking and this seems to have helped a lot. However I still have the feeling in my feet like having stepped in glue and it's dried. I can walk up stairs easily but coming down is harder, not impossible just takes longer. I wish I just knew what is causing this. Thanks
That’s a very good description of feeling like dried glue on the bottom of the forefront of my feet. It started gradually almost 2 years ago, first in my left foot, then gradually starting in my right foot. I do not have diabetes. It first started by feeling like I had a sock on constricting my feet when I didn’t have one on. Thankfully, I don’t have any pain or tingling, the way peripheral neuropathy is usually described, only these strange sensations of stiffness and tightness I never had before that aren’t normal. I don’t have any joint pain in my feet. I don’t have any problems up my legs. This is entirely different from plantar fasciitis, which I had over 10 years ago but is thankfully gone now.
I can definitely relate I've been to multiple PCP, Foot and ankle specialists, and Neurologists trying to find out what's causing my feet conditions every doctor wants to diagnose me with neuropathy in my feet because it's the easiest and it doesn't take much time to diganose but when I read the discription of neuropathy it don't fit to me at all... It doesn't sound like I feel at all... they keep just pushing all these different medications on me that don't hit the underlining issue and I still continue to be in agonizing pain some days worse then others. All depends on how active I am that day..The number one feeling I have and they all seem to dismiss it is the compression I feel, the tight grip squeezing feeling I get around my feet as if there in a vise they keep saying I just need to get better fitting shoes... You shouldn't feel like something is squeezing your feet when you've sat with your feet up all day not wearing any shoes all day... Then I get burning, achiness pain, with like an electrical shock wave just shooting up and down my leg into my feet and toes my arch the outside of my foot with numbness.. I even had a doctor tell me it's in my head.. it's not in my head I've given them 2 ideas of what I thought it might be because of my medical schooling researching and diganoseing from symptoms and facts only given by the way I use to get straight A's in my classes all my diagnosis were dead on, but since I'm not a license professional they were dismissed before they even looked them up and was told to stay off of Google... so I totally get your frustrations it's been 10 years now for me in agonizing pain... Hope you get someone to listen to you...
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2 ReactionsHi @peakbutterfly and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You may be interested in also following the Neuropathy group here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/neuropathy/
And then there's new discussion
- If the shoe fits, wear it! https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/if-the-shoe-fits-wear-it/
Have you considered getting a third opinion from a physician who will welcome your research and your participation as a partner in your care?
This is exactly the compression and squeezing of my muscles in both feet that I haven’t been able to get a diagnosis for in over 2 years. Thankfully I don’t have the pains you feel, just the constant feeling that my feet are in a vise, and it’s getting progressively tighter. I have gotten bigger shoes and the suggested orthotics, which change nothing. I very seldom wear shoes, but the feeling never changes. I don’t think it’s neuropathy either, though 2 doctors diagnosed that, and I’ve tried the supposed supplements for it with no effect. A chiropractor said it might be an “entrapped nerve,” but adjustments brought no improvement. A functional doctor from a blood test thinks it is folate drficiency, and I’m taking that, but it’s not helping either. I don’t know where to try next.
I have a very similar experience in both my lower legs (calf areas) and it radiates to my feet. I also wear larger shoes and orthotics in one shoe as I broke that foot a year ago. As well, I have not had any answers either.
Hi new to site. I was surprised to read the description of how your feet feel as if you’d stepped in glue and it had dried. That’s how I described the feeling.While visiting in Canada I fell and had emergency partial hip replacement on my right hip.Returned home after 10 days in Trois Riveres hospital during July. Not a pleasant time. Fast forward I have not recovered as I would like. Now I have a diagnosis of severe spinal stenosis. Have had to spinal epidurals. After the 2nd one I started having numbness and neuropathy In my left leg??i haven’t done the nerve test yet but I guess I should. It’s funny how you start falling apart
Sharon