[southsider]

#7365

Someone I know is being worked up for disc herniation at L4 and bulging disc at L5 and developed bilateral numbness and burning on the bottom of both feet while lying on the MRI table for a scan. He has been diagnosed with moderate spinal stenosis and facet hypertrophy as well.

It gradually increased in severity but it came at the end of the procedure and the procedure was able to be completed.

On getting off the table, he also had some noticeable difficulty in walking that he thought was due to weakness in his upper leg muscles. He was able to “walk off” the weakness but the burning persisted for several hours.

Is there an anatomic explanation that can account for this?

Thanks
southsider

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#7368

Bilaterally equal positional numbness in the feet can be related to lumbar spinal stenosis. Lying on the examination table, typically without a pillow under the knees will produce extension of the lumbar spine and increased compression of the lumbar nerves. The “burning” sensation that lingered in the legs could result from the prolonged compression of the nerves- from the hour requirement to lie still on the MRI table.

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
 
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

[southsider]

#7374

Dr. Corenman,

Thanks for the explanation. Is this something that is amenable to or will probably require surgical correction? I have heard that the anatomic findings don’t always correlate with the person’s symptoms.

southsider

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#7375

Spinal stenosis is a variable condition in regards to surgery. If the stenosis or narrowing is not too significant and there is no motor weakness present, surgery can be put off with some risk. The risk is that with continued mechanical compression of the roots can cause arachnoiditis (see website for description). That risk is not too high with some estimates in the case of severe stenosis at 10-15%.

Epidural steroid injections can give excellent relief sometimes for the longer term.

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
 
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

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