 |
 |
Wendy & Dee - It wasn't too long ago that we had a similar discussion about leg pain and its relationship to Parkinson's. (Below are some of the exchanges) I visited my second orthopedic doctor yesterday, one supposedly specializing in gait disorders. He was fantastic! I had a negative electrical workup (left leg) for nerve damage (EMG) done by the neuro, have had an MRI of both my hip and lumbar spine (both negative except for "bulging disks"), and have been getting simple physical therapy and ultrasound and heat therapy from a chiropractor. I was frankly ready to give up! Then I went to my GP for a regular checkup and he suggested the ortho I saw. This orthopedic doctor did all sorts of motiion range testing, watched me walk, and took an extensive history. Immediately he gave me a steroid shot in the hip (which has given me great relief!), and didn't like either my gait or the brace I've been wearing. He has prescribed Bextra (an anti-arthritic medication for pain and inflammation) and has ordered physical therapy to be focused on correcting my gait, with the goal to be to do the therapy at home. He also wants to "watch" my knee for a possible catilage tear. At last I feel like I am getting somewhere! I go back in two weeks and will start therapy this week. Also, at the request of my neuro, I started Amantadine, which has slowed down the spaasms I have been having in up thigh (dystonia). I believe all of this is related to PD. Massages, heat, ultrasound, pain medications, and even steroid shots are all temporary fixes. The suggestion of regular exercise is of paramount importance in relieving these symptoms! Peggy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Wendy Siegel" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2004 2:15 AM Subject: Re: Leg pain Hi Dee! I am new here and have been lurking for a couple of weeks. My name is Wendy, and I am a caregiver for my husband who has just been diagnosed with PD. Do you have any disc problems contributing to the sciatic problem? If so, there are a number of options. If your problem is due to muscle tightness alone, I don't know what else to recommend, other than massage and warm baths. Wendy -----Original Message----- From: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dolores Buente Sent: Monday, January 05, 2004 10:54 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Leg pain Mario, In response to your message on leg pain, I too have a great deal of pain and stiffness in my left leg, hip and lower back. It affects the side where the PD symptoms are greatest and I feel that it is a direct relationship to the muscle tenseness that is brought on by PD. I believe the sciatic nerveis being pinched by the muscles which surround it and I do a lot of stretching to relieve it but don't always get relief. In fact, if I overdo the stretching routine, the pain gets even worse. I have had steroidal injections in the past ( believe it was 2 injections over a period of a few weeks) That was about 18 months ago and it had helped somewhat up until a few weeks ago. The doctors are reluctant to give these shots too often and, with good reason. I believe that they can cause problems over the long run if used too frequently (make bones soft, etc). I have also gone for physical therapy but it is not too effective and only relieves the problem on a short term basis. I've tried "Zanaflex" which is a muscle relaxant and it helped a great deal but had to quit taking it because it caused my blood pressure to be too low...was getting light headed and had no energy. So........I don't know exactly what to do at this point. Some days I have more trouble with it than others and I try to stay as active as I can in order to keep my muscles relatively loose. I doubt that this is of much help to you in finding a relief but at least you know that you are not the only one dealing with it. I think, I will eventually be back to my doctor for another try at steroid injection if the condition progresses. Dee ---------------------- Earlier messages * * * * Jan. 4 For the last five weeks, I have been experiencing excruciating, tear-producing pain in my right leg. At first I thought it was the Sciatic nerve and proceeded to treat it as such . Neither Acupuncture nor Chiropractor were able to do any good. As I read literature on leg pain, the ones that come the closest to my condition are: SHIN SPLINTS and STRESS FRACTURE. They both describe my condition to a "T". Question: Is this PD taking its toll? - Can it be PD related? What sort of test should I have done? Is a neurologist the right doctor to be looking at this? Any answers will be appreciated. Mario * * * * Dec, 8 Some leg pain can be relieved by old-fashioned stretching routines done regularly in the evening. Also. avoiding beverages that have milk in them may halt the accumulation of lactic acid in the calf muscles, therefore reducing pain. Hope these ideas help Ivan Suzman * * * * * Dec. 5 Thanks Joan for pointing me to these messages. I also have had excruciating pain in my right leg, beginning at the base of the buttocks and down to where the shin meets the foot. Had x-rays and MRI done, they show the curvature of the spine and some arthritis. I have been going to the chiropractor, and right now am waiting on a call from my GP to see which way he wants to go with this one. And I mean "Excruciating Mario * * * * > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn