weakness and numbness right side of body

[bclay00]

I am a 23 year old female and have been having symptoms of neck and mid back pain, including spasms of the muscle, and weakness and numbness in my right arm, hand, leg and foot. My neck and back muscles are regularly in hard knots that tense up and spasm after exercise. The hand, arm, leg and foot symptoms are intermittent and flare up every few months and last for a few days. I have trouble with gripping and pinching movements in my right hand and tend to drop things involuntarily when the symptoms flare up. It’s like I lose control of the muscles in my hand, although my hand and fingers still move. I have always been right handed, but I feel like I no longer have a dominant hand. My foot goes numb intermittently and feels like it is asleep, although not completely. It is more of a weak and tingling feeling that drives me crazy and sometimes has a burning sensation. These symptoms are most pronounced on the outside of my right foot from the heel to the little toe. I have muscle spasms that make it painful to walk and cause a severe tightness from the knee down to the foot on the lateral side of the leg. I also have a limp when I walk. The muscle spasms are intermittent, but the limp is constant and gets worse when the above symptoms flare up. These symptoms started after a motor vehicle accident 14 months ago. I believe the neck and back symptoms stem from the accident, however the hand, arm, leg and foot symptoms I’m not sure are related. I have had two MRI’s of the cervical and lumbar spine. The first set came back with multiple bulges throughout and one herniation at C4-C5. The second set, after several months of therapy and traction, came back normal. I had an EMG of the right arm and leg that came back normal and an MRI of the brain that showed an area of elevated electrical signal. The neurologist I have been seeing does not believe there is any issue and has only agreed to a follow up MRI of the brain since the radiologist suggested a repeat scan. I was told that numbness is not treatable when these tests come back negative and that I am stronger than I think. I know this is not normal. I never had these issues before and I have always been highly active and healthy. I don’t know where I can turn for help. The advice of this neurologist is that I should take comfort in knowing that there are no indications of neurological damage. He had no suggestions for how to address the constant weakness and numbness down the entire right side of my body that intermittently intensifies for periods of time. I should also mention that I have a droop in my right eye (I have had this my whole life) that has become worse within the last three years. There are some days that the eye is nearly closed and affects my vision. I notice this especially on days that I am tired. Sometimes the eyelid twitches uncontrollably. Also, sometimes during a flare up of weakness and numbness in my hand and leg, I experience a chocking sensation in my throat. It feels like I can’t breathe and its hard to swallow. I was told this was a reaction of my muscles to the cervical traction I was doing at the time. Do you have any suggestions where I can go for help? Thanks!

[gatorredd]

It took me 4 doctors to find out what I had. You need to find another neurologist. You might have dystonia and a herniated disc.

[gatorredd]

You need to see a nuerologist.