I'm curious about the causes of symptoms like numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.

Hello?

 

Most of my time is spent sitting in front of the computer. (Either working, after work, or relaxing at home)

 

So, I have been experiencing numbness and pain in my hands and feet for several years, and I endured it. About two years ago, I went to the neurosurgery department of a general hospital, and after an MRI, they said my lower back was very slightly affected, and my neck involved the 3rd to 4th cervical vertebrae and the 7th to 8th cervical vertebrae, if I remember correctly. However, I don't remember exactly, but anyway, they told me I had a slight cervical disc herniation.

 

He said his lower back isn't a concern, and he only received brief rehabilitation for a cervical disc problem.

Since then, I haven't received rehabilitation treatment, but I have been occasionally doing Mackenzie exercises, which are said to be good for neck disc issues, whenever I have the chance.

 

However, the symptoms of numbness in the hands and feet continued, so I endured it, and recently I made an appointment again and went to a general hospital.

This time, I first went to the orthopedic department, but after hearing about the neurosurgery examination from two years ago, I was told to go directly to neurosurgery without any additional tests, so I went back to the neurosurgery department.

 

When I visited the neurosurgery department this time, it was not the doctor I saw two years ago, but someone else. The doctor I met for the first time this time looked at my MRI images from two years ago and said that with this level of disc herniation, there shouldn't be any numbness in the hands and feet. He mentioned that if there is numbness in the hands and feet, the disc herniation must be at a severe and advanced stage.

Unlike the doctor I saw two years ago, he said it's not even a neck disc problem that would cause concern.

 

So this doctor said that my numb hands and feet are not caused by a disc problem.

And the symptoms of numbness in the hands and feet are difficult to diagnose, so they told me that it might take a long time to find the cause.

 

So this time, I was told to go to neurology, so I went to the neurology department.

And I had an electromyography test.

 

The explanation mentioned that there are two types of electromyography tests: nerve conduction studies and needle electromyography.

And first, I underwent nerve conduction testing, and the results came out very normal.

Therefore, the doctor said that the nerve conduction test was very normal and that the needle electromyography could be quite painful for the patient, so there was no need to undergo it, and I did not have the needle electromyography.

 

And in the end, the neurology department also couldn't find the cause of the numbness in the hands and feet, and they said that if we want to find out more, we should go to a large university hospital.

 

 

What I am curious about here is

 

Is it correct that nerve conduction tests can detect numbness and tingling in the hands and feet caused by a herniated cervical disc?

The MRI scan taken two years ago due to a cervical disc problem is also from two years ago, and the doctor concluded that the cause of the numbness in my hands and feet is unlikely to be cervical disc issues based on that scan.

Maybe my neck disc herniation has worsened since two years ago, so I wonder if it could be the cause.

I am curious whether nerve conduction studies can also detect symptoms of numbness in the hands and feet caused by cervical disc herniation.

 

 

2. The nerve conduction test was normal, so I did not undergo an electromyography.

Is it possible for a nerve conduction study to be normal even if an electromyography (EMG) shows abnormal results?

Since I went to get the electromyography test done anyway, I should have taken it together, and now I kind of regret it.

 

 

3. When I had the nerve conduction test, I had no symptoms of numbness in my hands and feet. Is that why the test results came back normal?

I am wondering whether nerve conduction studies only detect abnormalities during the test itself or if they also pick up symptoms like numbness in my hands and feet that occur during my daily activities or when I am using the computer at home.

 

 

4. I recently had a health check-up and was diagnosed with pre-hypertension.

Is there a connection between numbness in the hands and feet and prehypertension?

The doctor I visited at the hospital said it wasn't related, but when I search on Naver or Google, I see articles suggesting that even in pre-hypertension, symptoms like numbness in the hands and feet can occur, so I am very confused about which is correct.ㅠㅠ