Really worried. Any doctors or nurses about?

[dandelioninthebreeze]

this is a bit confusing but really hoping someone had advice. I sprained my knee just before Christmas. Went to A&E, had it x rayed, was told to follow RICE. All fine. Went to physio aswell (not NHS) and was having regular exercises and appointments.

I started getting some odd symptoms after it but all consistent with the sprain so I sort of dismissed it- lots of tightness in the area, and struggling to left it in front of and behind me. Weight bearing gives no pain at all but bending it causes the issues. then after 2 months or so I started getting tingling (like a fizzy feeling) on and off in that leg. It wasn’t always at the knee area- it was usually on the outer edge of my thigh or outer edge of my calf, and sometimes my foot too. I also get a feeling like I’ve got a hair bauble round my ankle (sort of like when you have it on your wrist for too long!) where the foot feels dead and I get some discomfort and pain in the outer side of the foot.

i went back to the doctor and the physiotherapist who both said it could be a side effect of the sprain and but could be nerve damage so recommended MRIing it, obviously there’s a wait for this.

But now I’ve started getting the same tightness and tingling and deadness in the other knee and leg too! I definitely didn’t injure that at all so I don’t know why it would be doing this. Earlier today I had tingling in my injured leg, but right now I’ve got tingling and the deadness/dull ache feeling in my non injured leg! I’m not walking funny or sitting funny on my non injured leg either. My knee injury never made me walk or sit differently to usual as it only caused me bother to bend it.

im already waiting on a neurology appointment for other suspicious reasons and now I suppose I’m starting to worry this is all connected and the knee injury was just incidental.

Does anyone have any advice or knowledge about this? Not sure what I’m asking tbh- just a bit worried and confused about it all. Thanks very much.x

I know it’s only been an hour but just giving this a hopeful bump x

sorry not a doctor or nurse and can’t offer the advice you are looking for but it may be that your other knee has taken the strain from the sprain and so is also becoming uncomfortable. It could also be that if you are anxious about it that also has an effect - the brain can do very strange things to the body. I have had a series of neurological symptoms including tingly legs and arms that were very worrying but all came from stress and the way it changes your posture.

Could be some form of spinal nerve root compression that is nothing to do with the knee injury, possibly L5. You need neurology review and maybe lumbar spine MRI.

Sciatica?

No help just bumping. Good luck.

I did wonder if this could be it. Although I haven’t changed how I’m sitting or walking or putting my pressure on my legs since the injury (my knee was never sore to walk on after spraining it and I never limped) but I suppose I could be changing how I was subconsciously and it’s creating anxiety about it all. It’s all so confusing! x

An osteopath might be able to advise.

I think you are just have to wait for the specialist. There's no point in folk guessing if they havent even seen you. Because that could well cause unnecessary worry. Could you affor a private consultation to get seen sooner.

I can’t afford private unfortunately 😥 it’s ok the other comments are not scaring me, I’m just looking for people who might have had this before or might be a doctor or nurse and know something about it x

That's exactly what it sounds like.

I did wonder about sciatica but I heard that was painful- this isn’t pain as such and I’m not in agony, it’s more like a dull numbness/dead feeling and pins and needles at times. It comes and goes- earlier I had it in my right thigh and now it’s on the outside edge of my right food. It’s so frustrating x

My tingliness in my arms turned out to be iron deficiency

What are the 'other suspicious reasons' you are seeing neurology for?

Headaches, vomiting, mood wings and vision problems x

I thought I might be iron deficient as I’m ALWAYS tired (no matter how much sleep I get) but I had blood tests and I’m not iron deficient x

Coeliac Disease? Similar symptoms.

My wife sprained her ankle in Nov 2021 - got her for trapped under a branch hidden by a carpet of autumn leaves but then fell awkwardly backwards and to one side. She is hard as nails, never complains about anything, and is never ill but it's taken a whole year for her ankle to recover - I took her to hospital when it happened and an x-ray showed nothing was broken so... All I can say is that sprains can be very debilitating and take a very long time to fully recover from. She complained that her foot did not feel normal for a very long time.

Speak to your doctor & ask for a B12 blood test. What you are describing sounds similar to when I started with B12 related neuropathy. Mine started in my feet, I thought it was arthritis in my bunions & then spread up my legs.

Could be loads of things, stress, sciatica, autoimmune condition (ie diabetes, RA, Sjogrens) coeliac, fibro, neuropathy. Have you taken any medication recently or on anything? Think you will have to bat out until neurology can see you. Has your GP run autoimmune tests?

It could be peripheral neuropathy.

My first thought was diabetes. Have you had a blood test to look at the tiredness? (Diabetes etc).

This was my thought. Not medically trained but a lot of coeliac in my family. Don't go on a gluten free diet until test done as you need the gluten to be present.

I’ve been checked for b12 and diabetes already and thankfully didn’t have either. I haven’t started any new medications recently either x

Keep eating gluten containing products and ask for a coeliac test. If not done already ask for bloodtests rheumatoid factor, ana, anti Ro and La, anti ccp, ds-dna, ESR, CRP. Iron studies, thyroids. Clues might show here. Have you taken b6 recently or any antibiotics?