My husband suffers from neck pain and weakness on the right side of his body. He underwent surgery
about 5 years ago on his disk in his neck. Between the C3 and C4 disk they replaced part of the bone with a cadaver and has a steel plate in his neck. Ever since the surgery he has weakness in his right arm, sometimes it shakes a little and has problems with numbness. He also has a problem with his right leg dragging most of the time when he walks. Not to mention continuous neck pain. His neurologist has diagnosed him with Parkinson's disease and does not think that it has anything to do with the surgery that he had several years ago. He takes lots of medication which helps a little if he has problems with tremors. I feel he has been misdiagnosed. Is there anyone who may also have an issue similar to this so I can convince him that the Dr's are not always right?
Parkinson's disease (or Parkinson-like symptoms that can be cause by some medications like Reglan) usually effects the entire body, not just one side of the body. One-sided nervous system processes can include the brain or spinal cord like what is seen in stroke patients. If the spinal cord in the neck was involved, I would expect problems with bowel or bladder control. I would also expect abnormal reflexes called upper motor signs that cause hyper-reflexes like clonus or a hoffman's sign. All of which requires a complete nervous-system exam which is best performed by a neurologist. I would also reccommend an electrodiagnostic exam of the right arm, again performed by a neurologist or PM&R specialist. This problem sounds like a puzzle that deserves a second look by another specialist for a second opinion.
Dr. Christina Lasich, MD
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