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Have Numb Hand, Tingling Knee, Itchy Head And Back Ache. How To Get Cured?

Posted on Wed, 7 Nov 2012

Question: numb hands tingling bubbly fizzy sensations starts in my knees slowly up my back into my neck then hea! Sometimes stays in the neck! tigtening in my head and itching in my head, backache, neck ache and numb or itchy left cheek! In alot of pain and i am really tired!

Answered by Dr. Sudhir Kumar (55 minutes later)

Hi,
Thank you for contacting Healthcare magic.
Your symptoms are suggestive of neuropathic pain.
The pain is likely to be originating in the spinal nerves that begin in the neck and low back, resulting in symptoms in arm and legs, respectively.
Along with pain, other symptoms can be tingling, numbness and weakness.
Mostly, it is due to mild disc bulge in the neck and low back region.
Investigations, which may help in confirming the diagnosis, would be MRI scan of cervical and lumbar spine. A blood test for serum vitamin B12 level may also be useful.
In addition to gabapentin, other medicine that may help you is pregabalin, along with physiotherapy.
Please get back for any follow up queries.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology) XXXXXXX Consultant Neurologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sudhir Kumar (2 hours later)

Had a accident at work 13mts ago! Where i was looking after a sevice user in a wheelchair he is a very big man 20stone plus his wheelchair tipped and i took all of his weight! i felt a ping in my back and was in a lot of pain i finished my duty of another half an ahour and went home to bed next day i cdnt move doc came out and said i had pulled a muscle gave me tramadol and said when the painkillers start working get up move around and get back to normal! I Did that but didnt really help the pain and movement i have had a mri in cervical and thoracic areas but not lumbar they just said too straight in neck area cervical lordosis? the doc said that would get back to normal eventually physio has said no chance last week as i am holding my neck wrong because of the pain and a start of a slight hump is forming! The pain is in the bottom of the skull the left side i find if you push it in it releves the pain in my neck but brings on pain behind my eyes i can bring on my sensations by moving my arm above my head when lying down and sitting at the kitchen table they come over me in waves over and over again! I have not been able to got to work in the last 3 months as i am in so much pain so tired and think the medication is making me confused im to worried i may do something wrong eg a drug error! what can i say to the doc when i see him wednesday please

Answered by Dr. Sudhir Kumar (2 hours later)

Hi,
Thank you for getting back with more details.
The symptoms are suggestive of nerve pain originating from the cervical spine.
As MRI did not show any specific pathology, medical treatment and physiotherapy would be sufficient for now.
If gabapentin is causing side effects, you could ask your doc to switch over to pregabalin
Start at low dose, 75 mg once daily at night and build the dose up to maximum tolerable dose, as per the direction of the doc.
Physiotherapy such as IFT/ultrasound and neck extension exercises would also be useful.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (neurology)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sudhir Kumar (32 minutes later)

will it get better with pysio as it hasnt already and i am worried about the numbness and loss of movment spreading? The right little finger has lost movement and is numb all the way along the wrist and the side of forarm1 But the right arm doesnt feel like mine it would be easier just not use to use it! But i am and that was when i started on gabapentin after a couple of weks of diazapan which did loosen muscles ! BUt i now feel tingling numbness in left arm its starting to feel not mine does it spread ? Does it go to the legs as i didnt have the wave sensations till the neck arm went in june! Also i have had twice in six months uvitis? What are these sensations through my body and head? Why do they sometimes stop on the base of back and head instead of neck and why goose bumps? What do you think to the vertical mri would it be worth trying ?

Answered by Dr. Sudhir Kumar (9 hours later)

Hi,
You would improve with physio and medications.
Doing MRI would be useful. In addition, a nerve conduction studies would also be useful to exclude symptoms are related to nerves and they depend on which nerve they originate from and hence the different locations of those symptoms.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (neurology)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sudhir Kumar (36 hours later)

HI i found the rsults of the mri ! It was stated that there is straightening of the normal cervical lordosis as well as degenerative changes in the cervical spine! It also says states that no spinal steniosis or nerve root compromise as yet! The physio has aid i know have a bump in my back known as kyphosis and my neck position is all wrong due to the pain and no phsio on my back! i only have pysio on my numb arm! please could you explain this to me and why it is getting worse please

Answered by Dr. Sudhir Kumar (1 hour later)

Hi,
Thank you for getting back with more details.
MRI findings suggest mild cervical degenerative disease.
There are several changes that contribute to it- such as
1. straightening of cervical spine leading to loss of normal lordosis- normally there is a slight curvature in the neck (when you look at normal cervical spine from side, it appears like the "(". With straightening, it becomes "l".
2. In addition, there can be slight bony growths at the edges of vertebral bodies, called as osteophytes.
3. Finally, discs can bulge out, which eventually may press on the nerves.
In your case, findings 1 and 2 are there, but 3 is absent.
You should persist with physio, in addition to maintaining good posture while sitting and standing. You will get better in the long run.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sudhir Kumar (57 minutes later)

i do not have physio on my back or neck as my phsio refused when mt finger stopped moving in febuary and told the doctor to send me for tests and it has never been resumed only on my arm! Could it have got worse? with no physio as my neck will not move upwards it seems frozen would it be worth getting a second opionion and another mri a vertical one on the whole spine? do you think any changes would be apparent? thankyou XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Sudhir Kumar (32 minutes later)

Hi,
Thank you for getting back.
You could get MRI of cervical spine with screening of whole spine. It would be useful to see if any new changes are there.
Also, I agree with you that a second opinion would also be valuable.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sudhir Kumar (7 days later)

I was just wondering family and friends have come up to me stating my lump hunch is gettingg bigger from last time they have seen me about a week ! Is this normal? I have more numbing in my legs and a pulling feeling in my lower back? What do you think is this normal

Answered by Dr. Sudhir Kumar (29 minutes later)

Hi XXXXXXX
Thank you for getting back.
I don't think you need to worry about the lump hunch. This could look more apparent when others see it closely, but that may not be clinically significant.
Regarding your numbness and pulling sensations, please continue the same treatment-
1. Back and neck extension exercises.
2. Nerve vitamin supplements
3. Neuropathic pain medications.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sudhir Kumar (6 days later)

Hello

I have just had my mri results of brain back > It states that there is subtle changes within the left hippocampus. it is equivocally smaller and the XXXXXXX details are not as well seen as on the right! also there are two white matter lesions that are non specific.! What does this mean? I dont feel i suffer from depression! THE gp says he thinks that i have mutiple sclerosis? DO you think this is a option? And do these results have anything to do with my back ache and neck ache and numbness? Also i have tried coming of the gabapentin but after 72hours of the last dose my neck and shoulder had frozen and the pain was unberable is this normal? please i am sorry to be a pain! Thankyou

Answered by Dr. Sudhir Kumar (2 hours later)

Hi,
Thank you for getting back with MRI brain details.

1. First of all, let me reassure you that the MRI brain findings do not suggest a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Small size of hippocampus is not clinically relevant. The only problem that can happen with small hippocampus is epilepsy, which you don't have at present, and many people normally can also have small hippocampus. Also, as mentioned, white matter lesions are nonspecific and many times, we do see it in people with migraine, etc.

2. MRI brain findings have no relation to your symptoms of back ache, neck ache and numbness.

3. You could continue gabapentin for a longer time, it is fairly safe in long-term use.

And you are not a pain at all, I am happy to be of some help to you!

Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM XXXXXXX consultant Neurologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sudhir Kumar (14 minutes later)

When i saw the consultant witl my numbness and loss of movement and tingles! He said he thought i was epileptic with these wave i am having which start in my knees up my back into my neck and end in the head! Since then these tingles sometimes end in my back and neck! This week these tingles semm to end in burning in my neck which my mother could fel in patches and sometimes i feel the burning in my arms! Coldnes in my legs! Do you think i may have two totally different problems which may be confusing to doctors! Formost my back and neck is agony! These waves tingles are irritating when i have them over and over again especially in sitting position and when i bend my back or neck to do somthing but dont hurt! What do you think? Please thankyou

Answered by Dr. Sudhir Kumar (4 minutes later)

Hi,
If someone has tingling, numbness and pain as part of epilepsy, it is called as sensory seizures and they should involve only one half of the body, and last for a few seconds to less than a minute.

In these cases, the site of problem in the brain is parietal lobe and not hippocampus. So, in your MRI of brain, there is no abnormality to cause sensory seizures, and so, I don't think that you have epilepsy.

Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar