Could Clumsiness Be Caused By A Neck Issue?
Category: Neck Pain | Author: Stefano Sinicropi
Pain, neck, whiplash.
Have you been feeling a little more clumsy than normal of late? Are you lacking some general coordination in your hands and feet? If so, you may be surprised to learn that these balance and coordination issues could be tied to an issue in your neck and spine. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at how newfound clumsiness could be the result of an issue in your spine.
Coordination Issues And Your Spine
If you are noticing some subtle decreases in coordination, especially if they are paired with other symptoms like pain, muscle weakness or numbness in your extremities, it’s time to consult with your primary care physician or a spine specialist like Dr. Sinicropi. While a few different issues could be causing these symptoms, it’s possible that a condition known as cervical myelopathy could be the root cause of your symptoms.
Cervical myelopathy is a condition in which prolonged spinal cord compression causes patients to experience neurologic symptoms. For example, let’s say that your spinal discs have naturally lost some height over the course of your life. This can make them more prone to shifting out of place. If these discs shift a little, they could end up compressing key spinal nerves or your spinal cord. The impingement may be so minor that it doesn’t even cause symptoms at the outset, but over time, you can start to feel the effects of this long-term impingement. The first symptoms that may appear could be neurologic and lead to issues like:
- Clumsiness
- Balance problems
- Loss of coordination
- Bowel or bladder dysfunction
- Difficulty performing fine motor tasks
As you can imagine, it’s important that you don’t ignore these subtle symptoms once you notice them because it’s extremely unlikely that the nerve compression will resolve on its own. In fact, it’s much more likely that the nerve damage will continue to become more severe, which will only lead to more pronounced symptoms. The sooner the problem is identified, the higher the likelihood that treatment will be successful.
Treatment really comes down to figuring out what is causing the impingement and taking steps to decompress the spinal cord or the affected nerves. For mild cases, your spine specialist may recommend some simple changes to your daily life. Physical therapy, weight loss and posture improvements can all help to take stress off your spine and improve or resolve symptoms.
For more severe cases, or for patients who haven’t found treatment success through conservative methods, a minimally invasive procedure may be the right move. Your surgeon will decompress the area by removing or otherwise addressing a problemed disc, a thickened ligament or bone spur formations to prevent further nerve irritation. Many patients will also be told to follow some of the previously mentioned conservative care recommendations in order to decrease the likelihood of a recurrence. Surgery to treat cervical myelopathy tends to produce great results, but many patients are able to address their issue through non-operative means, especially when the condition is caught early enough.
So if you’ve been feeling more clumsy and are wondering if a nerve issue in your upper spine is to blame, pick up the phone and give Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute a call today at (651) 430-3800.
