Cervical spinal canal tumors cause sciatica

2016-10-14

Cervical spinal canal tumors cause sciatica

45-year-old Mr. Lin came to this clinic for treatment on July 6. He suffered from paralysis of his right foot and pain in his front thigh since October 2015. A few months later, he experienced alternating feelings of cold and heat in his feet. After physical therapy and acupuncture, there is not much improvement. The condition continued until May to June this year, the foot pain worsened, the left foot began to become weak, and the right foot became more numb. The front abdomen and low back were tight when sitting, and the feet and low back pain when lying down at night. At the end of June, He couldn’t defecate for 3-7 days, and it is difficult to urinate, his feet become weaker and needed to use crutches to walk.

After detailed questioning, it is obvious that Mr. Lin’s problem has caused cauda equina syndrome. There may be a tumor in the spinal canal or a severe lumbar disc herniation compressing the spinal cord. Immediately arrange the patient to take a full spine MRI, and immediately after 2 hours after reading the scans, it turned out that the patient had a 1.6cm tumor at the 6/7 spinal canal position of the cervical spine and severely compressed the spinal cord. He was immediately referred to a neurosurgeon on the same day and arranged to be admitted to the hospital that night, and the cervical spinal canal was removed the next day Tumor surgery. After the operation, the patient's foot pain and numbness gradually improved.

Because the tumor area is relatively large, the compressed spinal cord is more resistant to compression, so even after it is relieved, there will be some nerve damage. 7 weeks after the operation, the author arranged for him to come back for continued postoperative decompression treatment that helps the damaged nerves gradually fade.

Case Analysis

Mr. Lin’s symptoms are generally considered to be an occurrence of sciatica. Although Lin Sheng’s foot pain and foot palsy are really similar to the symptoms of sciatica, they can’t get rid of the spinal canal when the tumor is pressed against the spinal cord. This decisive damage, in particular, Mr. Lin's severe fatigue in his feet and worsening pain at night shows that the condition is not a normal condition of sciatica. Although Mr. Lin’s tumor was on the cervical spine, he did not show symptoms of upper limb neuralgia or paralysis or weakness of the hands. This is a pathology that can easily make doctors misjudge sciatica. Mr. Lin's cervical spinal canal tumor is a tumor outside the spinal cord. When the tumor grows and presses on the spinal cord, the following symptoms will appear:

 Low back pain, pain may reflect to other body parts

 Loss of sensation, possibly in the upper or lower extremities

 Weak feet, difficulty walking

 Loss of feelings of pain, heat and cold

 Affect urination or bowel function

 Muscle weakness

There are many reasons for waist and foot pain, ranging from muscle problems to tumors. Early and proper diagnosis and treatment can also prevent permanent nerve damage and restore normal body functions as soon as possible.

Data subject: Dr. Peng ( cranial neurosurgeon)

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