Facial pins and needles and muscle twitches - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

joprud · 02-10-2003, 04:38 PM

I am a 47 year old female 5'2 approx. 125 lbs.
What could be some possible causes of pins and needles in the right side of my face and more recently my nose on occasion as well and muscle twitching around the eye and or eyelid and or jaw line which occur almost daily to varying degrees. This has been going on since June of last year.( 9 months). I had a MRI of the head and spine in Oct. of last year. The neurologist said he found no cause for this on the brain scan. The spine scan showed DDD, a lot of problems in my cervical spine ( disc herniations, protrusions, perineural cyst, etc) and lumbar spine (disc bulge, protrusion, tear in annulus fibrosis, spinal stenosis etc.), perineural cyst at S1- S2 as well as mild left convex scoliosis of mid thoracic spine. Could the problems in the cervical spine cause this problem in my face or is this not connected in any way? The neuro seems to be stumped

and although it is only an annoyance and I can easily live with it, ( if I can live with all the back pain and related problems there, I can certainly live with this.), I am still concerned about what might be causing this.

Any info anyone might have would be appreciated. Thank you for any info you may be able to provide.

Take Care,

Joanne

joprud · 02-11-2003, 10:54 PM

bump

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Diagnosed DDD 1993
C4-C5 posterior osteophytic bar effacing ventral thecal sac Mild stenosis of neural foramina
C5-C6 posterior disc protrusion effacing v t s .Mild stenosis of neural foramina
C6-C7 posterior disc herniation effacing v t s . Mild stenosis of neural foramina
C7-T1 Small perineural cysts present in both neural foramina.
left convex scoliosis of mid thoracic spine. wedging of T7. wedging of T5 .degenerative end plate changes at T8-T9
L4-L5 diffuse disc bulge effacing v t s. hypertrophy of facet joints, minimal central spinal stenosis.
L5-S1 posterior disc protrusion with associated tear of annulus fibrosis. hypertrophy of facet joints.
S1-S2 Perineural cysts involving S1-S2 nerve roots.

melanie dawn · 02-12-2003, 11:02 AM

Hi Joanne,
welcome.While I can not answer your question definately, I know that i am always asked if I have any facial pins and needles or numbness. So it could be related.
I see that you are from Ontario, whereabouts ?, I live in the Niagara Region. I realize how confusing this all is, the symptoms are so varied, and individual.It seems that there are some things that are consistent between people, and others that are quite unique. Even when looking at spinal cord compression, some people will be without symptoms and have alot of compression. While others have only mild compression but multple ,severe symptoms. It is all based on the individuals body and how it compensates for the damage.
I hope this helps a bit,
Mel

joprud · 02-12-2003, 11:59 AM

Hi Mel,

Thanks for the reply.

WOW, I see you're from Welland, we lived in Welland for a few years but we are now in St.Catharines.

I agree about the symptoms being so weird and varied, sometimes I feel like the Drs. are going to, or do, think I'm nuts

when I try to describe what's going on with my body. That's why these boards are so great, they help you to realize that you're not crazy and not alone.

I went for my physio today and asked her about the facial pins and needles and she said that yes it is a definite possibility (not that she was diagnosing, just saying it is possible). Now, had my neuro not misplaced my MRI when I went to see him,

maybe he would have been able to make this diagnosis.
But since I had only discussed the lower back problems with him during my visit and he hadn't had a really good look at the MRI and could only remember vaguely some of the things on there (the report was two pages long), he probably wasn't even aware of the cervical problems. He told me to call him the following week to discuss the MRI findings so I did.... Mon, Tues, Wed, Thur, Fri, and he never returned my call (what a jerk)so I gave up and told his receptionist to just send me a copy of the report and I'd figure it out for myself, so that's what I continue to do.

I've posted on the "back problems" board a couple of times but I'm new to this one. What problems are you dealing with? I'll have to go back and read some old posts and catch up.

Anyhoo... I gotta go for now, I'm expecting a buddy to drop by shortly. I hope to hear from you again.

Hope everyone has a good day and even better tomorrows!

Take Care

Joanne

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Diagnosed DDD 1993
C4-C5 posterior osteophytic bar effacing ventral thecal sac Mild stenosis of neural foramina
C5-C6 posterior disc protrusion effacing v t s .Mild stenosis of neural foramina
C6-C7 posterior disc herniation effacing v t s . Mild stenosis of neural foramina
C7-T1 Small perineural cysts present in both neural foramina.
left convex scoliosis of mid thoracic spine. wedging of T7. wedging of T5 .degenerative end plate changes at T8-T9
L4-L5 diffuse disc bulge effacing v t s. hypertrophy of facet joints, minimal central spinal stenosis.
L5-S1 posterior disc protrusion with associated tear of annulus fibrosis. hypertrophy of facet joints.
S1-S2 Perineural cysts involving S1-S2 nerve roots.

melanie dawn · 02-12-2003, 03:54 PM

Hi Joanne,
wow, what a small world. I am dealing with increasing difficulty walking, no arm strength, no leg strength. Bladder problems, the killer neuro headaches 2-3days per week. Pain,burning, neck,arms, legs. I no longer have a sense of where my legs are(sometimes my hands/arms at night). Oh yeah! and no balance. My MRI reads: widespread cervical stenosis, centrally herniated discs at C5-6,C6-7 with pronounced cord compression dorsally, as well as anterior compression at these levels. The NS suspects that there is no spinal fluid flow or greatly diminished.And that I have myelopathy.
I leave for Chicago for surgical consult this Sunday. No more crappy waiting lists for me.I dont know about you , but I have not been impressed with the system here. And I work in it! Where or who is the neurosurgeon that you see? Where do you go for physio?
I go to K Yardley (in Fonthill) for physio, they are great.
Have you had any treatment yet?
So far I have had all of the anti-inflammatories and 18 para vertabral injections. Not much fun.
Talk to you soon.
Mel
ps. cant forget the osteophytes.

[This message has been edited by melanie dawn (edited 02-12-2003).]

[This message has been edited by melanie dawn (edited 02-12-2003).]

[This message has been edited by melanie dawn (edited 02-12-2003).]