Question
My back got "jarred" after a friend came and picked my up from behind. I jarred to the right while in the air:( The next day I had sharp pain in my mid-lower back. I had head aches that followed. I saw a chiropractor who felt the injury was to my T11-T12 vertebra. He tried over a course of about 5-6 treatments with no real relief. I did start encountering numbness and tingling in my legs, especially when I lay on my back at night. It currently has been causing numbness on the tops of my thighs, running to the tops of my knees when I'm sitting. Then my left leg will have a pins and needles feeling. Both legs will feel like that at times. It goes away after a minute or so. But this sesation in my legs happens on and off throughout the day. I saw my primary after the chiropractor recommended an MRI because he was concerned about the symptoms I had been having. She did an X-Ray which was neg. of any fractures. I met with a physical therapist now who feels there is some disc herniation and that the problem area is T11-T12. I guess my long question would be, should I have an MRI or possibly see a neuro doc. for these odd leg symptoms I'm having, or just wait out my course of therapy. If my symptoms are still present after 6 weeks they'll do an MRI. I am a therapist myself and I worry about "cord issues". Just wondering your thoughts. Thank you so much for your time! Hope this isn't too long, just wanted to give you an over view of what's happened thus far.

Answer
Hi, Jackie,

Therapists have a tendency to think in terms of categories of diagnosis that align with the trends of medical diagnosis.

Something as simple as a reflexive contraction of muscles typically gets overlooked -- but it is the most common reaction to falls and injuries.  I am not speaking of the stretch reflex, which is a spinal (short-loop) reflex, but of trauma reflex, which is a long-loop reflex to (afferent) and from (efferent) the brain.  While short-loop reflexes are momentary, long-loop reflexes can persist for decades; their sign is lingering muscular contractures.

Your description sounds like nerve impingements consequent to such a reflexive response in the spinal musculature.  If you were my client, I would be examining you for such contractions of the spinal extensors.

My articles on back pain and recovery from injuries may be informative to you.  See somatics.com/page4b.htm.

with regard,
Lawrence Gold