[preziosi]

#4474

8 months ago I started feeling tingling, pins and needles in my left foot. it gets worse with sitting as when pressure is put on the back of my thighs I feel a tingling in the thigh that radiates in the feet. It does not go all the way down the leg, but hits the thigh and foot only. 2 months ago it started in the other leg. It feels better with walking and gets worse with standing still and sitting is extrememly uncomfortable. I’ve had an MRI which showed extraforaminal stenosis between L4 and L5 with a disc ridge. Steroids did not help. Your Youtube video would indicate that it’s not spine related as the symptoms are exacebated by sitting. Any ideas? thanks stretching the thighs, calfs, PT has not helped.

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#4475

The term “Extraforaminal stenosis” does not allow me to understand your diagnosis. Stenosis can be lateral recess stenosis, foraminal stenosis or central stenosis. If you have a disc herniation or even a large bone spur lateral to the foramen, that would be called a far lateral herniation or spur and I assume that is what you mean. If this is what the diagnosis is, then your symptoms may make sense. Sitting stretches the nerve over the herniation or spur and would cause onset of symptoms. Symptoms would also be aggravated by bending over to tie your shoe or pick something up off the ground.

You state steroids did not help. Were these in the form of an injection or pill? A diagnostic injection most likely would lead to the correct diagnosis. See the section on an SNRB (selective nerve root block) and keeping a pain diary on the web site.

Dr. Corenman

[Author]

Posts