Dr. Vivek Chail
General Practitioner
The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.
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Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
I was involved in an MVA about a year ago. I ended up breaking my ribs, sternum, pelvis and fracturing my L5-S1 vertebrae. After the accident, I could move my ankles. Even after the surgery, I could move my ankles and I had no pain in my feet or lower legs. About 15 days into recovery, my ankles stopped moving altogether and the front half of my feet had no feeling. I still have no feelings in my legs and occasionally get an electrical surge type feeling in my feet and lower legs, but I have noticed some hypersensitivity in the back of my calf muscles when touching them. Now, the doctor that looked at my imaging said that my MRI looked fine, but to me, it looks anything but fine. It has been a year since the accident and nothing has improved. My current neurologist thinks my neuropathy is due to weight and has nothing to do with the accident. I am trying to figure out if there is something wrong with my lumbar because something definitely looks wrong. Attached below, is a picture of the MRI of my lumbar. I highlighted the area in question. I have more imagery. I can upload the disc also if need be. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
In the image provided by you (attachment removed to protect patient identity), there is a fracture of the sacral vertebra at the level of the L5-S1 disc. It is important to note that at this level, there are nerves passing through the small foramen between L5 and S1 vertebrae and also in the sacral segments which supply the leg, ankle and foot areas. You can upload all the images to enable a detailed look at the area.
However, in most cases, a traumatic nerve injury will cause symptoms immediately after the trauma. The pain starting 15 days after trauma is something unusual for a primary nerve injury. Other causes of a pain in lower legs need to be ruled out. If your mobility has been restricted after the trauma then a possibility of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) would have been thought of at that time. However, DVT seems unlikely if you did not have swelling and tenderness. Neuropathy is also one of the diagnosis to be considered.
Please do write back after you are done with uploading images. Regards.
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General Practitioner
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