Spine Xrays | Arthritis Information

My RD wrote an order for spine films last visit.. I'm fine with that, but cant figure out if spinal stenosis would cause the constant numbness and tingling and burning in my arms/hands..

100 years ago when I was 22 I had a spine series done and my dr then said I had "degenerative arthritis of the spine.. but not to worry too much.. "

I'm on 1200 mg of gabapentin, plus trazodone and am still having these neurologic things..

I really don't know Kathy but I hope you are able to find out why and to correct the situation. I would think that would be pretty unpleasant to be feeling as you described. depending on where the stenosis is it can cause tingling and numbness in the hands and arms. That is a symptom generally when the pressure is coming from the cervical vertabrateHi Kathy

Cervical Stenosis can cause tingling/numbness in arms/hands, not sure if lumbar stenosis does, maybe only legs for lumbar? I was Dx last year with cervical stenosis and they did MRI and a EMG to check the nerves. Fine for now, but it was good to get a baseline for future comparsions. Good luck on your xrays and don't be surprised if they do some nerve testing.

I've had MRIs of my spine... all kinds of goodies are there.. some I knew of... like my L=5 herniation... but I have "encroaching stenosis" in my cervical spine... and "lesions on thoracic spine" None of my drs were concerned about the lesions ......

I also have/had the tingling, numbness and burning..

this has been attributed to sjogrens and demylination of nerves..

I wish you good luck w/ this and quick focus and action for your best results.

I also wish you the best of luck and hope that it all comes out good.

I have had lesions on my spine, they have healed but they leave scars and over time they can accumulate and cause permanent problems, weakness.

Stenosis I believe causes peripheral nerve damage, (outside the central nervous system) Peripheral nerve damage most defiantly can cause numbness and pins and needless as well.

I hope that it resolves for you.

Take care,

Lisa

I have all sorts of spinal problems, but my GP has said that RA does damage your nerves in a roundabout way, as well as Arava, it caused peripheral neuropathy, I found Gabapentin did not work as well as Lyrica, but Endep (anti seizure) works well too, good luck, regards Janie. Yes, i agree, neck RA (or OA) can cause tingling and numbing of the arms and hands. I get it frequently.I dont usually get afraid, but the more I read the more worried I get. I have very unsteady gait, my balance sucks, I've been falling. My hands and feet are numb no matter what position or if I'm wearing braces/splints .. the numbness in the hands is almost to the shoulders.. its the whole arm.. My vision is real blurry.. so I'm worrying about MS.. this is scaring me.I agree with the others who said that c-spine stenosis can cause your arm and hand numbness and pain. By all means, get the x-rays. Ask your doc for a copy of the report form your doc. That way you'll have it for your file at home.

Kathy- try not to get too scared just yet. But you need to find out why you're falling if you can. You can do so much damage with falls! You may recall that I have a history of falls and broke my pelvis twice this year. I also have balance problems. Don't get dizzy, my feet just don't seem to be in sync. with my brain. My neurologist said the neuropathy might be causing it. But, regardless, you must tell your doc about falling if you haven't already.

Some people on this forum have been reporting trouble with their ears and having vertigo and stuff, so the balance thing might be RA in your ears. (I know that sounds funny, but it was the shortest way of explaining it). Like Nini says, try not to worry, although I know that's hard. You will find out what is causing it and be able to deal with it.

Try not to worry (easier said than done, I know) about MS. The stenosis can cause loss of balance, unsteadiness, etc. due to nerves being compressed.

Take care