Leg pain

[dubletruble]

Hi I have a chronic neurogenic wasting and weakness in the full length of my left leg, I am currently on 3600mg gabapentin and 120mg dihydracodeine for severe pain, it's not hereditary, I wasn't born with it and it only started about 8 years ago, I am now 62, this leg also gives way without warning and I fall down. I have had nerve function tests (normal) and MRI (normal) but the leg continues to waste, also the fat pad on my left foot is wasting so any downward pressure like walking feels horrendous. Has anyone else got a similar problem with just one of their legs.

[Brownsequardsam]

Hi Dubletruble

I have your problem with one of my legs, my right. It has muscle wasting and neurological symptoms too. Mine started as a child and due to growth problems in that leg, and resulted in my right leg not growing at the same rate, so is about 2" shorter and my foot 2 sizes smaller, which led to spine curvature - scoliosis. My right leg also has muscle wasting, and is hyper sensitive. This started about age 11 but it wasn't until I had a myelogram (dye injected into my spinal canal to visualise the spinal cord before the days of MRI), aged 29 that my exact diagnosis became apparent. I have wasting of the right side of my spinal cord, from C6 to T6, so about 8 vertebral segments. I also have bright T2 weighted signals on my spinal cord from C3 onwards. This is results in Brown Sequard Syndrome, damage to half of the spinal cord (although not the typical presentation which is usually damage to half the cord due to gunshot wound or stabbing). In my case, BSS shows up as a weak and spastic (which is the correct medical term for spasms in a particular limb), right leg with heightened reflexes as well. The opposite leg, i.e. my left leg, results in a stronger limb but with very little reflexes and no sense of pain or temperature on that side.

I really don't know whether this will be of any help to you, but I would definitely push to see a neurologist and also get an MRI of your spinal cord - that is essential to see if there is any underlying neurological problem leading to your symptoms.

Please let me know what happens!

Sam