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Neuropathy in feet and legs

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Gordo2234
Gordo2234

Hi guys,

I started having nerve issues in my feet after lifting at the gym. It went away for some time, but came back for good.

It started in my left foot with paresthesias. Mostly a muscle twitch kind of feeling. In the mornings I'd have a little pins and needles in both feet. As time went on it got worse. Still only in left foot and a little pins and needles in the morning. I would get more frequent occurrences of paresthesias in the left and some shooting pain. I decided on an MRI on my lumbar spine. It a was determined that I had a mild bulging disc and mild central canal stenosis and mild left foraminal stenosis. Because of this news I decided on different forms of treatment. I tried acupuncture, nerve conduction studies, physical therapy, and chiropractic care. Because of the mild stenosis, the chiropractors had me doing prone push ups, which looking back, could have made the problem worse. I don't know. As time went on, and mind you I got the MRI in early January of 2016, the issue got worse. I started experiencing paresthesias in both feet. Lots of pain and more throbbing/muscle spasm type feelings in my feet, but mostly the left foot. Currently I'm experiencing burning issues in my feet and parts of my legs, knee pain, feelings of water dripping down my legs. I don't have back pain. Sometimes I get issues in my thighs, but it's mostly the knees or below.

One chiropractor suggested that it might be MS and I told him that it runs in the family. I have a hard time believing it, because whenever I do squats or have sex, the issues get worse. Especially since this first started after weightlifting. It seems to stem from my back, even though there's no back pain. Is MS plausible? For instance, after sex or even masturbation, assuming I'm simulating sex, (using my lumbar spine during the act) the paresthesias and pain are worse. Could this be a cause of MS?

I recently visited a neurosurgeon and he looked at my MRI from January. He said that my besides the mild bulging disc and mild stenosis, I wouldn't need surgery. That my spine looked great. I mentioned the prone push ups that 2 different chiropractors had me doing. I wondered if that had caused the symptoms to intensify so quickly. He didn't seem to think so and he was positive that stenosis was not at play or that it wasn't my back that I had to worry about. He thought it could be muscular, but he didn't know. But I just don't know if I agree. It's hard to agree with that considering the issues get worse after sex or after body weight squats. I'm young, only 33. I really miss doing the things I used to do. Please help if any of this sounds familiar. I don't know where to turn or what to do. I want my life back.

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  • leemcb
    leemcb Gordo2234

    Posted

    Have you looked into homeopathic remedies? I use Hypericum Perforatum for nerve pain, and it helps. Arnica Monatan is great for muscle soreness. I've also heard that taking 175 mg milk thistle 3xday has helped some people with neuropathy, though I don't know about the back issues you have.

    I would definitely Google homeopathy for your specific symptoms. You may find something in this forum as well. I studied pharmacy and I use herbs, homeopathy or acupressure over drugs. Fields like homeopathy have been around a while, and don't seem to cause side effects in most cases.

    I do know that I used to think alternative medicine was garbage: that's what we were taught in pharm tech courses. Then I got sciatica so bad I couldn't touch my foot to the floor: pain meds barely even touched the pain. After searching for help online, I kept seeing acupressure/acupuncture, and when I saw that acupressure didn't use needles, just firm or gentle pressure, I thought, "Why not? I'm dying here anyway."

    I didn't expect it to help at all. To my surprise, I felt much better immediately. In three days, using it once or twice daily, I was walking normally, after weeks of using a walker to even make it to the bathroom. I found the vids showing how to do the technique on yourself online. I know you said you had had acupuncture, but you might try acupressure just a bit every day and see if daily self-treatments help.

    Also, yoga would be a good thing to look into. It has gentle movements that focus on not stressing the body. I had to take a physical for a job, and because of yoga exercises like the cobra, salute to sunrise, etc., my back was stronger than that of the big guys there (I'm a 5' woman). The physiotherapists were asking me what type of exercise I used. When I told them yoga, they looked at me like I was crazy, LOL.

    Anyway, there are some very helpful folks here, so hopefully you'll find something that helps. 

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