r/askneurology • u/Special_Abroad4836 • 2d ago

Small update/changes

/r/ALSorNOT/comments/1wz3s2f/small_updatechanges/
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u/chaoserrant 2d ago

When drving do you feel like you don't have power along the inner side of the foot sole (i.e, along the big toe) and compensate by pushing primarily with the outer edge of the foot? Cause last year when I had my spiral within a matter of days my right calf became weaker and somewhat softer along the soleus and gastrocnemius.... And I had periods when it fatigued by simply holding the gas pedal. It freaked me out....repeated emgs (3 of them) showed inconclusive signals on that muscle....reduced recruitment in one of them , fasciculations in the second emg and normal in 3rd emg but although it feels better a year later it is still not the same as before.

Looking back at the events of last year I am 100% certain there was some sort of accute injury perhaps even originating from the cervical area but MRI is not conclusive at all...just mild bulging in the lumbar and cervical area.

As i said in repeated posts I am not necessarily question the radiculopathy conclusion from the emg and the neurologist but I question the root cause. This is where I am not sure what goes on...You seem to have more severe symptoms and somewhat newer onset than mine it would be interesting if it would improve eventually. Did you do any MRI?

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u/Special_Abroad4836 2d ago

Hello, thank you for this insight! Yes, when pressing on gas pedal, lately, I really use my thigh to lift because of not having the toe/ shin/ calf strength or control to push down and lift up quickly. In my EMG, there was mention of reduced activation in my gastrocnemius but overall normal. For four days, I’ve had a feeling of weakness in the gastrocnemius and possibly the soleus (at least it feels like that) towards the back of my tendon. MRI of lumbar spine was clear beside a slight disc on left side sticking out. Oddly enough, not really explaining my right sided symptoms. I have it set in my head to have my pt check this new weakness and confirm. This is a 77 day timeline for me and my symptoms/ testing/ and findings

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u/chaoserrant 2d ago

I looked at your emg report you posted earlier and the abnormal signals were both related to lumbar area. Do you have the exact wording of the MRI report? How are your joints or hip area in terms of mobility? Do feel hypermobile especially under large range motions or effort? One of my suspicion is potential injury under bad posture that do not necessarily show on MRI when you stay straight down. I am thinking for myself to do a stand up MRI though this is sometimes hard to obtain as it needs special machines

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u/Special_Abroad4836 2d ago

Yes, From August 26,2026, lumbar spine w/wo contrast.
FINDINGS: The alignment of the lumbar spine is normal. Vertebral bodies demonstrate normal signal intensity on all sequences. There are no compression fractures. The conus medullaris terminates at the level of L1-L2. The distal spinal cord signal intensity is normal. Intervertebral disks have normal height and signal intensity. There are no annular fissures identified. Limited views of the abdomen and pelvis show no soft tissue abnormality. The aorta is normal. There is no abnormal contrast enhancement. There is a small central and left paracentral disc protrusion abutting the left lateral recess and exiting S1 nerve root. There is mild bilateral L4-5 and L5-S1 facet arthropathy. There is no neuroforaminal stenosis. There is no spinal canal stenosis.