osteopath manipulation

Question
QUESTION: will your manipulation help numbness in the legs?



ANSWER:   Hi Loni, thanks for writing.  It is very possible for osteopathic manipulation to help with numbness in the legs, but it is dependent on what is causing the numbness, such as a compressed lumbar disc, or peripheral neuropathy from diabetes or alcohol use or many other causes.  Tell me more about the cause of your numbness.  Tom



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------



QUESTION: This is for my mom she has mild polyneuropathy and she does have some disc problems also, but this numbness came on all of a sudden...She says it feels like she is walking on sticks, like only a this amount of under the foot is there...like a inch strip down the middle she can feel , her legs are only numb from knees down and she does feel needle sticks...I just thought it was strange this came on quickly and she was exercising 3 times a week with curves , until this happened and now she looses her balance, because she can not feel her feet very much...thank you for your concern and trying to help us , we live in Franklin, NC and we do not have a DO here and my mom said an DO delivered me at a osteopath Hospital in Jackson, Michigan...any way please help us or send us in a direction for help...I love my mom and I want to see her live out the rest of her life as a person that still exercises and can take care of herself...not like this...Sorry this is so long , I live alone and sometimes I get carried away....Please help, thank you Loni


Answer
 Hi Loni, sorry to hear about your mom's health status.  I would say the next logical step is to get a quality consultation from a neurologist that deals a lot with neuropathies.  Some of the tests they may consider doing include an EMG/NCV which is a nerve test of the legs to check exactly which nerves aren't working well and full blood work to rule out the biochemical causes of neuropathy such as B12 deficiency or thyroid abnormalities.  Also they may also check a brain MRI to look for central causes of the neuropathy such as MS.  I wish you and your mom the best of luck while working up this problem, and I hope the solution is quick and simple.  Take care.  Tom