Numbness on One Side of Body

[Erica M]

My sister and I both have scoliosis, though her curves are much smaller than mine. For the past year and a half, she has been experiencing numbness on one side of her body. She often awakens in the middle of the night unable to feel the left side of her body, which is quite unpleasant and disconcerting. She has been to many doctors, including neurologists, and nobody can figure out what's wrong. If any of you have experienced this condition, do you have any insights on (1) what's causing it and (2) how to treat it? Many thanks.

[katblack]

Has she had any MRIs?
I would suggest talking to her doctor about getting one.
They will be able to see if there is any nerve damage which may be causing the numbness.

I know from personal experience that my numbness in my left leg and foot is caused by severed and damaged nerves in my lower back into my left leg caused by compression on my spinal column because of my scoliosis. The only way they found this out was through an MRI.

[Erica M]

KatBlack -- Many thanks for your response. I am going to suggest that she have an MRI done. I think the numbness must be attributable to some type of nerve damage. The weird thing is that her curve is really not at all severe (I believe her lumbar curve is around 20 degrees, if that), but I do suspect the problem is to do with her spine, as she also experiences significant facial numbness and tingling and discomfort. She has suffered terribly with these problems and it's dreadful visiting doctor after doctor, only to have them tell her that it's "all in her head" and that she should seek psychological counseling. It's amazing how some doctors will do a classic "blame the victim" routine when they're unable to diagnose the problem . . .

[Karen Ocker]

Has your sister ever had a brain MRI?/or CAT scan. If the face gets numb it could be something else not related to the spine. Make sure the doctors know about one-sided fascial numbness.
Karen

[Erica M]

Hi, Karen -- Thanks. I will make sure she tells the doctor about the facial numbness and tingling. For a while we thought it was trigeminal neuralgia, but the neurologists told her no.

[Carmell]

I would suggest, after a full-spine and brain MRI, that your sister sees a neuroSURGEON, not just a neurologist. A neurosurgeon deals with the spinal cord and the issues and conditions associated with it. Good luck to you both.

[Erica M]

Thank you, Carmell. I will pass your suggestion along.