I'm a healthy 29 year old with no past illnesses or family history of diseases. Since January 2019, I started to have burning and/or electrical current sensations on my feet. Then about a month later, I started having odd and funny sensations on my face. Both issues come and go intermittently and randomly throughout the day with no pin-point trigger actions. I'll try my best to describe the feelings on my face:
- A hair-strand brushing on the skin giving tickling sensation
- Felt as if my face has passed through a spider web
- Felt as though mini bugs are crawling on the skin
- Tingling but only on the top of the nose
- No pain or numbness
I have no other issues besides these weird sensations that is giving me anxiety because it affects my overall quality of life. I have no history of anxiety disorder and I'm not going through a stressful period in my life. I've done blood tests, nerve tests, ECG, CT scan, Echogram, Ultrasound and everything came back normal. Diabetes, MS, Fibromyalgia, Hypothyroidism, and neuro disorders are all ruled out. No blood circulation or heart issues. No deficiencies of vitamin B12, vitamin D, magnesium, potassium or iron. My GP can't confirm it's peripheral neuropathy or restless leg syndrome since it happens on the top (face) and bottom (feet). For further investigation, MRI of the brain, cervical spine and lumbar spine is requested.
Brain MRI: Normal with no issues.
Lumbar MRI: Mild intervertebral disc prolapsed of L4/L5 but no obvious loss of high signal of the disc on T2WI.
Cervical MRI: Mild disc prolapsed of C3/C4, C4/C5, C5/C6 and C6/C7 resulting in minimal anterior theca sac indentation. Loss of cervical lordosis (flat neck) due to muscle spasms.
With all the tests done, my GP and neurologist still haven't got a clue but stated that the closest possibility causing the symptoms could be coming from the cervical spine. They just couldn't give me a proper diagnosis because other than these issues, I'm generally well. I was only given Neurobion and Lyrica for a month but it did not help.
I then tried alternative treatments. Went for acupuncture sessions, chiropractic adjustments and physiotherapy but couldn't find much relieve. My chiropractor suspected sciatica but I don't think it is. After multiple adjustments, my symptoms still remained.
I really don't know what's wrong with my body and what to do next to treat my symptoms. Can anyone here particularly those that have similar symptoms or have extensive knowledge about spinal and nerve health share some opinion on my issue?
Thanks so much in advance.
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satoshihooi
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The symptoms you have do not make sense according to the medics. They probably do not make sense to you. Refereed discomfort from pressure on nerves never does. The problem you have is muscular. Muscles are applying pressure on all sorts of places. The pressure being applied is not consistent but very variable.
The evidence is here. You say: "Cervical MRI: Mild disc prolapsed of C3/C4, C4/C5, C5/C6 and C6/C7 resulting in minimal anterior theca sac indentation. Loss of cervical lordosis (flat neck) due to muscle spasms."
Physiotherapy is one size fits all. If this is the type of physiotherapy you have done then you have got virtually no benefit from it.
You mention GP so you must be in the UK. This means that you can find a McTimony chiropractor who can help. Sciatica is not necessarily a spinal problem. It can be a hip problem. The sciatica nerve goes close to the hip musculature. In some people some muscle fibres in the hip musculature surround the sciatic nerve. So work has to be done on leg muscles to sort the problem. Talking personal experience here where a McTimony chiropractor sorted out a sciatic nerve problem I had developed.
From personnel experience no one therapy is going to sort out your problem. You are going to need multiple therapies working together in parallel. Different therapies work on slightly different body systems.
McTimony Chiropractic and Alexander Technique work together quite well. I suspect that you need to change the way you put on socks and underwear. You need to do this action without bending the back. This is important. You need to bend only from the hip joint. An Alexander Teacher can show you where the hip joint is.
Sleep is important for the fine control of muscles. So find time for power naps. Kitchen timers are useful for this.
Is one of the best books I know on the subject and it is a free download. I would advise finding a local Buddhist group which practise mindfulness and meditation. In your case Mindfulness is not going to be comfortable because you will be become aware of things that you have been trying to possibly ignore. However, when you are aware of things you would rather not you have the possibility of changing things.
Why do you try to diagnose people here like this? There are so many conditions that can cause burning peripheries! I’m shocked to read such comments?! Thorough work up by doctors is required before assumptions about idiopathic neuropathy is concluded and alternatives considered.
You are right to criticise. I took a few short cuts with language to keep what I said shorter. I should have said and explained muscle behaviour can contribute to the problem to cause pain and discomfort in ways that are very unpredictable.
The medical profession tend to ignore the contribution muscles make to a problem. Tackling the muscle behaviour contribution takes time and explanation and requires certain skills. This is not something that can be given in a ten minute consultation. A medical consultant has a lot of diseases to eliminate from a diagnosis. Giving drugs is easy to do and does not require explanations given to patients.
It was much easier for the medical profession to get the help of psychiatrists to imply that the patient had their symptoms caused by a mental problem than to consider that the bodies engineering symptoms were being overloaded and thus mental symptoms were being produced by the overload.
Hey thanks for your comprehensive info. First of all, my issue may still or may not be muscular even after numerous chiropractic sessions. My chiropractor suspected sciatica which could stem from spinal or muscular issue. He has worked on my spine, muscles and joints but I did not find much relief.
Also, I’m not based in the UK but Malaysia and we share similar healthcare systems. You first see a GP then referred to specialists if required.
Unfortunately, Alexander Technique therapy is not available in my country but while searching for it, I stumbled upon Bowen Therapy, an interesting therapy with massive positive reviews in my area. I have made appointment for treatments. Let’s see how it goes.
Hopefully Bowen Therapy should be a useful way forward. You need to monitor and investigate yourself to help the effectiveness of the Technique. It is not a cure, but helps reduce the stresses which in turn improves quality of life. Bowen Therapy with a person with sensitive hands will be very helpful. You will need the help of meditation and mindfulness to help prevent your habitual response to movement situations from undoing the work of the Bowen Therapy practitioner.
Hope you find the much needed improvement in quality of life.
Sometimes medics won't look beyond their level of expertise.
Low B12/PA can cause the neurological symptoms you describe, even if blood tests don't flag this as an issue. Folate levels need to be optimal for B12 to work effectively as that can cause problems too.
Eat plenty of fresh fruit & veg for folate, & perhaps try sublingual methylcobalamin to see if that helps. Some methylcobalamin brands seem to suit some people more than others, so you might need to try a few.
The sensations you describe are exactly what I have had for years with cervical and lumbar disc problems like you. It's something that the doctors won't do anything about unless you get numbness or lose the use of your legs/arms I'm afraid.
Hey Jayne, it’s indeed disheartening to know that modern medicine can’t help our symptoms despite the advancements. I’m sorry that you’ve had this years. I guess I have to prepare myself for it as well. 😰May I ask what sort of meds or treatments have you tried?
I have other spinal problems too, have done since I was 21 and I am now 59. One lot of (emergency) surgery at L5/S1in 1996 after severing the sciatic nerve and going numb all below the waist (that was fun... 😳). Other than that surgery, I have had varying stages of physiotherapy ranging from hydro to manipulation, nothing really helped. For my neck, I have had the same, physio, but, I began having horrendous migraines around 2000, which had me bedridden for up to 48 hours; when I saw my GP he just offered preventative medications instead of investigating the cause (knowing that I had discs pressing on nerves 🙄). It wasn't until I began to have pain in my left arm, accompanied by tingling that he referred me to a pain specialist. That man saved my life! He recommended an occipital nerve block and I have had them bi-annually for the last 6 years, since the first lot (He does 6 on the left side of my neck, (between C3 and C7) I have had not one migraine and the pain in my arm goes for around 5 months, sometimes the entire 6 if I rest for 48 hours after having them done. But I have my life back to a degree and that is worth a kings ransom to me!
As for meds, I have gone through the entire range I think 😩, beginning with Co-Codamol in 1996, using those with anti-inflammatory meds, next was Tramadol with anti-inflammatory meds, then came the big guns, Tramadol with Amitriptyline and anti-inflammatory meds (left me with a hangover effect but I slept well!), Gabapentin was next, (on top of Tramadol and anti-inflams) did nothing, so back to the previous concoction! Are you still with me? 😴 So, this led to my being prescribed Oxycodone (Oxycontin) and being taken off Naproxen which by now had caused horrendous heartburn, so Lansoprozole was prescribed for that 🙄. Up-to-date, I am still taking Oxycodone, but on top of that, I have Nefopam and Pregabalin, which is a recent addition and doesn't seem to be doing much but I've only been taking the 75 mg capsule for 5 days, so time will tell. I only take Naproxen when I really need it, which isn't often because I hate the effect they have on my stomach.
I am not totally pain free, I don't think I ever will be and the problem is degenerative, but I refuse to allow it to beat me. I have accepted that I need extra help now and have several things to make everyday life a little easier; but I still find it hard asking for help from others, which I get told off for!
So, if you haven't fallen asleep, that's just a part of my story and I really hope that yours isn't the same. Like you are at 29, I was a fit and relatively healthy 37 year old, a single mum to two girls 15 and 9, we walked everywhere at a pace and I was an active member of a local gym when I had to have the emergency surgery. So take care, don't lift things wrongly and listen to your body.
That was really a long ‘trial & error’ journey of treatments. For meds, I’ve only tried Gabapentin and Pregabalin but they didn’t help and my neurologist has decided to stop prescribing and asked me to go for alternative treatment.
Anyway, have you tried Bowen Therapy? I just stumbled upon it as I searched for holistic treatments in my area. It claims to be able to assist on nerve and spinal-related issues by working on the fascia and soft tissues. I have made appointment for treatment and we’ll see where this goes.
No, I wouldn't trust a technique where I got pulled about due to the severity of my disc problem. My ex-landlord swore by it though.
My advice to you is this; for the moment, try not to worry about it. When I began with it, it was only when I did certain movements (almost 20 years ago), now I don't get it at all, but that's probably because the nerve gives me pain now, rather than the "shivery/tingling" feeling and I have slight loss of feeling in my face. Once nerves are damaged, it takes months for them to heal, and even then it's 1 mm at a time, so I was told by my surgeon and several other medical professionals after my L5/S1 experience. Yet here I am, 23 years later and still have numbness in one leg and a part of the other. I don't think there's any medication that will stop it altogether, nerves are funny things!
I found much of what you have said useful in your above posts. You are right about being pulled about. No experienced complementary therapist with sensitive hands will actually pull you about. They guide the muscle. This is very different from being pulled about. Language limitation problems here.
The description of the Bowen therapist given by pamele22 I could almost use to describe my McTimony chiropractor without the warm blanket.
It appears that the Bowen therapist is also working on the fascia. It might be worth looking at it with a therapist of 10 years or more experience. A shifting of body stress from above to below stress breakdown point could make a lot of difference.
I’ve never had any complementary therapies from anywhere, being an NHS patient has its drawbacks. I had (wrongly) assumed the Bowen Technique was similar to others where they do pull you about and make bones crack and click. Not good with bulging discs really.
Hi sorry to hear about your pain situation, I have similar sensations/pains but they are more widespread, I have been through various trials with drugs but nothing really helped.
I have a very good friend who is a Bowen therapist, I've had a few treatment from her and it was so gentle and helpful, the treatment itself is fascinating, the client lies down covered with a warm blanket at all times, the therapist pinpoints various muscles one at a time and gently with precise movements and minimum finger pressure she moved the tiny area of muscle that needs stimulating then she left the room only for a few minutes while my body "fixed itself" sounds strange but I actually felt my body realign and tension dissipating, then she came back into the room did a few more "tweaks" to various areas then left me again to experience the wonderful sensation of my body realigning and the pain very gently decreasing.
I've been for many complementary and alternative treatments but the Bowen technique was the most gentle and worthwhile treatment so far.
I do hope you enjoy the experience and find some relief.
Do let me know how you get on, most importantly relax your whole body conentrate on your breath and enjoy feeling your body realigning its wonderful. Ooh and don't plan to do too much after the treatment relax and rest as much as possible, I was lucky to be able to have a sleep after my treatment and woke refreshed.
Hey, thanks for replying but I don’t think it is. My family and I share the same source of water and food. Even at the office our water source is the same. No one else has my issues except me.
I get tickling , itching and burning feet, also funny sensations across my chest , not every day like you but quite often ..,, my doctor advised me to cut down on caffeine ... so I drink more water , nothing has helped my feet though
In the USA it must be different to the UK, we don't have cheap aluminium pans, but using normal aluminium foil for covering things and wrapping things can NOT cause any problems. Read the article...it states in Canada and the US; I have no idea where you or satoshihooi lives, but please, don't make sweeping statements like this unless you have ultimate proof.
I am in the UK, not the USA, we do not use aluminium pans to cook with and I have never heard of anyone suffering from aluminium poisoning. So I would think that it is a very rare occurrence. Using foil wrongly causes the poisoning according to the articles I've read since reading your post. So, as much as you "nearly died 30 years ago" in this case, I believe your diagnosis of satoshihooi to be wrong...it is also not down to genetics, if your family all used the same pots and pans to cook with, of course they would be near death too! Like any other poisoning, it doesn't discriminate.
Have a lovely day, that is all I am saying on the matter now.
Small fibre neuropathy and Raynaud’s have caused these problems for me - probably relating to several autoimmune diseases. I think it might be useful to get your B12 and autoimmune antibodies checked by your GP as this was how my rheumatic diseases started 8 years ago now. Not saying it’s anything to worry unduly about but definitely worth getting checked out.
You are both right and wrong. Aluminium is a reactive metal. Because it is so reactive it get covered in a layer of oxide very quickly. Aluminium oxide is very unreative and very resistant to chemical attack. This makes aluminium safe in a variety of different situations.
In cooking there are situations where aluminium oxide gets attacked exposing the aluminium which can then produce salts that can dissolve in solution. It is too long ago that I did chemistry so I leave it to you to look up the fine details.
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