leg weakness and imbalance
Hi,My father is having problem with leg weakness and imbalance and his neurologist ask him to get MRI of his lumbar spine.Here is the MRI result:1. Mild multilevel lumbar disc desiccation and annular disc bulging.2. Multilevel lumbar facet hypretropy.3. Mild left L4-5 foraminal narrowing could affect the left L4 exiting nerve root.4. Well-circumscribed cysts in the sacral canal most likely represent benign tarlov cysts. Correlation for sacral radiculopathy recommended.5. Multicystic kidneys, particularly on the right.
The kidneys are incompletely evaluated with this study.Could you please tell me what is wrong with him? What should he does to get improvement?
Will his condition get worse soon?
Should I take him to see a Physical Therapy or an Orthopedic or a Chiropractor? Thanks for your help,Juni.
1 Comment found
doc4bax
Looks like your father has quite a bit going on here. Most of what is described is common words that describe the characteristics of osteo or rather degenerative arthritis. He also has some kidney issues, which could potentially cause symptoms of back pain. He should have another study to address the kidneys. Right now its just an incidental finding but needs to be evaluated. Tarlov cysts are fluid-filled sacs that most often affect nerve roots in the sacrum, the group of bones at the base of the spine. These cysts can compress nerve roots, causing lower back pain, sciatica and with time can lead to lower extremity weakness. It is not always the case that these cysts cause back pain or nerve compression. Many times they are asymptomatic but still need to be considered. The arthritic conditions of the spine can be managed with chiropractic care. The cysts however will remain. In my opinion, the kidneys cysts are probably fine and is not causing his back pain, the arthritis probably is. But we do have to also address the tarlov cysts. They can cause pain as described. If they are the cause of the pain medical management is the way to go but chiropractic care is still indicated to help stabilize the degenerative arthritis and help with mobility. The arthritis cannot be cured, but it can be managed with chiropractic care. A nerve study to determine what nerves are affected is a good idea. Seeing a neurologist is probably a good idea as well. Will his condition get worse? Unfortunately the arthritis will with time. Again, chiropractic can slow this process by keeping the spine mobile. The kidneys are probably asymptomatic and have probably been that way for sometime now. Eventhough that is just my opinion, it needs to still be looked at. You can take him to the chiropractor yourself; no referral is needed for a chiropractor to treat your father. I think in this situation the management should be handled by the medical doctor and a chiropractic doctor should be on board for a conservative approach to management of your fathers arthritic condition. We as chiropractors always preach “chiropractic first, drugs second and surgery last” It just makes sense.