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What Causes Lower Back Pain Along With Tingling Sensation In Legs?
Question: Hi. I need advise. My father has MS. This has honestly almost turned me into a hypochondriac. I am very hyper aware of sensations that go on in my body. I am an anxious person on no medication for anxiety. long story short I work at a desk all day. for the past week i have had low back and left leg pain. the leg pain has eased up but not the back pain however I get sensations of my legs feeling weak also feel like air bubbles in my legs and tingling on and off. This all started after a very stressful week. The back pain gets worse sitting at my desk. When I get up and moving it seems to lessen up. The same thing happened to me a few years ago minus the back pain..it was just my legs at that time. My doctor sent me for a Mri of brain and lumbar spine, both came back perfect . my symptoms eased up. I then became very anxious I have a stressful job and unique family dynamic. I developed a tremor which I've had since 2011. My provider sent me for another mri of the brain in 2014 that as well came back normal. Do you think my back/leg symptoms can be caused by sitting at a desk 9 hours a day and also my anxiety/stressful situation contributing to symptoms? Im also feeling tired, nauseous and no appetite. Also have a uterine fibroid. know ms is thought to be genetic. I'm wondering if because it us so heavily on my mind I am creating my own symptoms. When feeling well I'm energetic and exercise regularly.
Brief Answer:
detailed below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello.
Welcome to Healthcare Magic.
I read carefully your query and I can understand your concern.
Most likely your back pain and the pain in your leg are related to your job.Sitting at a desk for 9 hours a day ,will cause muscular contractions and spasms that would explain your symptoms.
Another possible cause would be a pinched nerve in your back ,caused from a herniated disc but this is unlikely since the MRI of lumbar spine was normal.
This can be just a muscular pain and your anxiety,fear serves only to make the symptoms worse.
Since you have been examined and have done a brain MRI lately that was normal , then you don't need to worry and think about serious neurological conditions like MS.If your symptoms were related to MS ,you would have pathological findings on MRI.
It is true that some genetic factors can make some people more susceptible to the disease but it is not directly inherited.This means that your risk of having MS one day is not much greater than the risk of general population.
So apart from increasing your anxiety ,it doesn't serve thinking and worrying that you might have MS.
The symptoms of fatigue ,nausea and having no appetite may be influenced by anxiety or might have other causes.
If these symptoms persist ,you need to see a doctor ,get examined and get some blood tests done like complete blood count,blood sugar ,thyroid function tests etc.
I would suggest to exercise regularly and try to manage your anxiety.Relaxation techniques, Yoga ,meditation can be really helpful.
Hope it helps.
Feel free to ask for every question that you might have.
Kind regards,
Dr.Rovena Murati
detailed below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello.
Welcome to Healthcare Magic.
I read carefully your query and I can understand your concern.
Most likely your back pain and the pain in your leg are related to your job.Sitting at a desk for 9 hours a day ,will cause muscular contractions and spasms that would explain your symptoms.
Another possible cause would be a pinched nerve in your back ,caused from a herniated disc but this is unlikely since the MRI of lumbar spine was normal.
This can be just a muscular pain and your anxiety,fear serves only to make the symptoms worse.
Since you have been examined and have done a brain MRI lately that was normal , then you don't need to worry and think about serious neurological conditions like MS.If your symptoms were related to MS ,you would have pathological findings on MRI.
It is true that some genetic factors can make some people more susceptible to the disease but it is not directly inherited.This means that your risk of having MS one day is not much greater than the risk of general population.
So apart from increasing your anxiety ,it doesn't serve thinking and worrying that you might have MS.
The symptoms of fatigue ,nausea and having no appetite may be influenced by anxiety or might have other causes.
If these symptoms persist ,you need to see a doctor ,get examined and get some blood tests done like complete blood count,blood sugar ,thyroid function tests etc.
I would suggest to exercise regularly and try to manage your anxiety.Relaxation techniques, Yoga ,meditation can be really helpful.
Hope it helps.
Feel free to ask for every question that you might have.
Kind regards,
Dr.Rovena Murati
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you. I hope I can ease my nerves. What are your thoughts on tremor could this be anxiety induced? I also wonder if it can be due to typing all day? Also what about the bubble sensation I get in my legs? Can anxiety truly cause so many physical symptoms and make you hyper aware of sensations? What anxiety medication do you recommend for a person sensitive to medications?
Brief Answer:
detailed below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again.
I really apologize for the delay.
Yes, anxiety can cause all these symptoms or at least make them worse.
Anxiety can make that even minor discomfort or sensations without clinical importance ,are felt like serious symptoms.Sitting at a desk for prolonged periods can be the cause of your symptoms, most if physical examination and other tests are normal.The fact that MRI of brain and spine was normal excludes serious causes for such symptoms.
I would suggest to first try natural ways to treat anxiety.Meditation and Yoga can be helpful.
If these doesn't work you can try a b-blocker like Propanolol 10-20 mg for some time and see if this works.
Another possible option is a SSRI drug like Sertraline ,that is very effective and has very few side effects.
You need to discuss with your treating doctor about starting an anti-anxiety medication.
Take care.
Dr.Rovena
detailed below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again.
I really apologize for the delay.
Yes, anxiety can cause all these symptoms or at least make them worse.
Anxiety can make that even minor discomfort or sensations without clinical importance ,are felt like serious symptoms.Sitting at a desk for prolonged periods can be the cause of your symptoms, most if physical examination and other tests are normal.The fact that MRI of brain and spine was normal excludes serious causes for such symptoms.
I would suggest to first try natural ways to treat anxiety.Meditation and Yoga can be helpful.
If these doesn't work you can try a b-blocker like Propanolol 10-20 mg for some time and see if this works.
Another possible option is a SSRI drug like Sertraline ,that is very effective and has very few side effects.
You need to discuss with your treating doctor about starting an anti-anxiety medication.
Take care.
Dr.Rovena
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
What about the tremor? Anxiety? I have had tremor for 3 years now...if there was an issue causing it... it would have shown up on MRI I had last year do you think?? Could tremor be caused by typing all day? I work as a medical transcriptionist so my hands are going all day.
Brief Answer:
detailed below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello.
There are many possible cause for hand tremor .Peripheral neuropathy ,hyperthyroidism ,anxiety, electrolyte imbalance , calcium and Vit D imbalance etc.
The fact that previous MRI were normal ,excludes serious neurological causes for it but you may need other tests to determine the cause.
It is possible that typing all day for a long time can cause problems with the nerves and muscles on hand ,and this can cause tremor.
I would suggest to see a doctor for this problem and get examined.You may need some tests like calcium level,Vit D level,thyroid function tests,electrolyte levels and some specific tests that evaluate the nerve and muscle function in your hands (nerve conduction studies ,electromyography ).If all these tests are normal ,then most likely it is related with your work or it is just idiopathic tremor ,with no known cause.
Important thing is that serious neurological conditions are excluded.
Take care.
Dr.Rovena
detailed below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello.
There are many possible cause for hand tremor .Peripheral neuropathy ,hyperthyroidism ,anxiety, electrolyte imbalance , calcium and Vit D imbalance etc.
The fact that previous MRI were normal ,excludes serious neurological causes for it but you may need other tests to determine the cause.
It is possible that typing all day for a long time can cause problems with the nerves and muscles on hand ,and this can cause tremor.
I would suggest to see a doctor for this problem and get examined.You may need some tests like calcium level,Vit D level,thyroid function tests,electrolyte levels and some specific tests that evaluate the nerve and muscle function in your hands (nerve conduction studies ,electromyography ).If all these tests are normal ,then most likely it is related with your work or it is just idiopathic tremor ,with no known cause.
Important thing is that serious neurological conditions are excluded.
Take care.
Dr.Rovena
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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