Does my wife's condition require surgery?

Question

Hi doctor,

My wife, who is 43 years old, is feeling loss of skin sensation on the lower part of the legs. This feeling has started four years ago. But, it did not bother her that time. Two years ago, we consulted a neurologist and he prescribed medicines, which brought her relief. She stopped taking medicine a couple of months back and the loss of skin sensation came back again. We went back to the doctor and took medicine for one day. She started feeling nausea, vomiting and felt like drifting into the vacuum while sleeping due to which she was afraid to go to sleep. Then we consulted another doctor and he advised not to take that medicine. He advised us to take an MRI of the cervical spine. The MRI(Magnetic Resonance Imaging) result is as follows. Central disc herniation at C4-C5 and C5-C6 level with indenting anterior thecal sac. Reduced AP canal at C4-C5 and C5-C6 level. MRI of lumbosacral spine result showed Schmorl's at L3. Mild diffuse disc bulge at L4-L5 vertebra indenting anterior thecal sac and narrowing both neural foramens. My wife has also been suffering from spondylitis of the neck. Her current medication includes Anxi 0.25, Dizitac, Amixid-L, Oslol 20 mg, Pregamin and Nucoxia 120.My doubts are as follows. How serious is the problem? Either orthopedician or neurosurgeon, whom should we need to consult? Does the condition require surgery? If yes, what will be the complications post surgery?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help you. Our body parts undergo wear and tear as we age. This is called degeneration. This degeneration varies from person to person. Some people have degeneration in some organs earlier. For example, everyone will get cataract after 90 years. Some get it in 60 years. Same way, hearing will be low at 90 years for most people. Some may get it early. Similarly, your wife has a bit higher degree of degeneration of her spine (attachment removed to protect patient identity). There is nothing to worry. We have to treat the degeneration of spine properly. You need to consult a neurosurgeon for further treatment. Only after doing a clinical examination, we can tell the appropriate treatment. But, 95 percent of people with scan findings like your wife do not require immediate surgery. So, please stay calm and stop worrying. We can manage her with proper medications after evaluation. I would like to add that numbness of legs may not be related to this scan findings. The numbness can be due to peripheral neuropathy due to causes like diabetes. I suggest her consult a neurosurgeon and undergo nerve conduction studies and investigations to rule out diabetes.