Question
I am 35 yrs old india woman, weighing 66kgs. My height is 5'6" and am an active person. A week or so I have felt a kind of numbness in my left leg below my knees. To be precise it is actually between my knees and ankle. I have a slight pain in my ankle too.  My problem is not causing any problem to me but it certainly a weird feeling when I touch my leg and it doesn't  have the same sensation as the other leg. Please do tell me whether I should be worried or not.
Thanks,
Manisha.

Answer
Hello Manisha,

I am sorry that you are experiencing such a weird sensation.  I hope what I tell you brings you some relief.

Understand the following: 1) if you have a history of high blood pressure or 2)your calf becomes painful along with possible loss of normal color in your toe nails please go to the emergency room or your family doctor to rule out a blood clot or other metabolic disease.

If the above does not pertain to you then it is most likely from nerve compression in your lower back.  Many times people experience a disc injury without significant trauma.  As the disc injury worsens it begins to put pressure on the exiting spinal nerve.  It sounds like outside of "lack of sensation" you have normal motor function and can walk etc.. correct.

It is likely that you have back or "waist" pain...correct.  
If this is the case the easiest way to find out what is going on is to have a good high quality ice pack (something moldable and meant to be used on your body).  Lay on your stomach and place a paper towel on your lower back skin just above your butt and have the ice pack placed on top of the paper towel.  Let it get cold.  You will experience, cold, aching, burning then numbness. If you have a very good, cold ice pack this should not take longer than 3-5 minutes.  Remove the ice once the burning stops.  DO NOT FALL ASLEEP WITH THIS ON your back as you could get frost bite...

Check your calf, has the sensation changed?  If yes, even minimally, find a chiropractor that deals with disc injuries and make an appointment soon.  You will also want to make an appointment with an orthopedist for his evaluation and possible anti-inflammatory prescription.  I use disc decompression traction in my office as you can see on my website along with chiropractic manipulation, ice therapy, and muscle stimulation.  An X-ray and an MRI of your lower back will prove incredibly helpful.

I see many patients each week suffering from similar ailments who get relief with my treatment.  Very few have ever had to have surgery, depending on the extent of their injury.

I hope this helps!  Please keep me posted.

Sincerely,

-Dr. Kevin Kaldy
Chiropractic Physician
www.LasVegasChiro.Com
[email protected]