What is the numbness in my shins with pain?
Patient: For a few years, I have experienced increasing numbness in my toes and legs, meaning the numbness is creeping upward. Now my shins are numb and for the first time, I have pain. It feels as if someone smacked my shins with a two-by-four. At times. My walking is clumsy and after sitting or driving, I have real difficulty walking. I often favor my right leg. I am afraid I will lose the ability to walk. I am not diabetic, always been healthy. I am 71, widow, three children, weight, 145, retired English teacher. I have recently had blood work, and everything is okay. I can t spell it, but cholesterol is fine. I go to the gym for aerobics, as in Silver Sneakers, when I have the chance. I take my dog for a walk around the lake, one and one third miles, when it is half-way nice outside. Please help. Doctor: It appears that you have "peripheral neuropathy"- this is a condition affecting the nerves that can present as numbness and sometimes as pain. Here are my recommendations1. Diabetes is a cause of peripheral neuropathy. Since you do not have diabetes, other possibilities need to be examined including deficiency of other vitamins like vitamin B12. Other less common conditions include rheumatologic (i.e. immune system related) conditions. The diagnosis of B12 deficiency can be made with a blood test while that of rheumatologic conditions requires examination by a doctor and blood tests and Xrays. 2. Sometimes specialized tests like "nerve conduction studies" and "electromyograms" may be needed to determine the cause of these symptoms. These tests are usually ordered and interpreted by a Neurologist3. I would recommend that you see a neurologist as these tests are specialized tests that would need to be ordered and interpreted by a physician. Please let me know if that was helpful. Thanks!