“Vibrating in leg when bending neck?”
I just notified today that when I bent my neck down I felt a vibrating feeling in my finger and right buttocks/leg. It only lasted a second. It doesn’t do it every time I bend my neck. I did wake up during the night and my neck and shoulders felt a little stiff and sore. I work on my computer with my neck bent for hours every day. I googled it and came up with Lhermitte’s sign which scared me to death. Could it just be a nerve irritation and not something serious? Should I watch it to see if it gets better for a week or so and if not see my Dr? Please advise?
Female | 59 years old
Complaint duration: 1 day
Medications: Inderal and Lipitor
Conditions: Recent sinus infection
2 Answers
There is no rush but I would see the Dr and get a cervical MRI sooner rather than later.
Thank you for sharing your vibrating issue with the FATD community. I am happy to share my thoughts, tips and suggestions regarding this issue.
If this is the first time you are feeling these types of feelings in your body, then you have been pretty fortunate. You are describing a process that occurs when the nerves (the electrical wiring that begins in your brain and travels down your spinal canal from your neck to buttocks, while branching out to your fingers and toes). When these flow of these nerves get disrupted from trauma, age-related changes to the structures around the nerves, or the inflammatory response, then vibration, tingling, numbness, burning, or shooting pains can occur. It is very common for people who ‘spend hours on a computer’ or smart phone to experience an onset of inflammation. Often times the muscles around the upper back and neck fatigue and begin to lose their ability to maintain the proper posture. When this occurs, undo stresses and pressure occur on the tissues around the nerves and then the nerves can become stimulated. That is when the pain arises (it can be several types of pain). When this occurs without trauma, these pains can resolve on their own but may take 1-6 weeks (depending on several factors).
I believe you can get rid of these pains relatively quickly by altering your daily lifestyle a bit. I suggest getting up and taking a 2-3 minute stroll away from your computer every 30 minutes. In addition, stretching your neck, upper back, lower back and shoulders can help realign your posture, bring blood flow into the tired areas and remove the metabolites of the postural muscles. This can help keep your body healthy and feeling minimal nerve-type pain. If your doctor is OK with it, taking some anti-inflammatory medication (with food) can diminish the inflammation and help you lower the symptoms (pain, stiffness, swelling and warmth).
These feelings you have may get worse before they get better, but I am optimistic that you will get better with time (1-4 weeks). If these pains and your vibrational feelings get worse over the next two weeks it may be worth going to a doctor for a good history and physical examination.
I hope this helps.
If this is the first time you are feeling these types of feelings in your body, then you have been pretty fortunate. You are describing a process that occurs when the nerves (the electrical wiring that begins in your brain and travels down your spinal canal from your neck to buttocks, while branching out to your fingers and toes). When these flow of these nerves get disrupted from trauma, age-related changes to the structures around the nerves, or the inflammatory response, then vibration, tingling, numbness, burning, or shooting pains can occur. It is very common for people who ‘spend hours on a computer’ or smart phone to experience an onset of inflammation. Often times the muscles around the upper back and neck fatigue and begin to lose their ability to maintain the proper posture. When this occurs, undo stresses and pressure occur on the tissues around the nerves and then the nerves can become stimulated. That is when the pain arises (it can be several types of pain). When this occurs without trauma, these pains can resolve on their own but may take 1-6 weeks (depending on several factors).
I believe you can get rid of these pains relatively quickly by altering your daily lifestyle a bit. I suggest getting up and taking a 2-3 minute stroll away from your computer every 30 minutes. In addition, stretching your neck, upper back, lower back and shoulders can help realign your posture, bring blood flow into the tired areas and remove the metabolites of the postural muscles. This can help keep your body healthy and feeling minimal nerve-type pain. If your doctor is OK with it, taking some anti-inflammatory medication (with food) can diminish the inflammation and help you lower the symptoms (pain, stiffness, swelling and warmth).
These feelings you have may get worse before they get better, but I am optimistic that you will get better with time (1-4 weeks). If these pains and your vibrational feelings get worse over the next two weeks it may be worth going to a doctor for a good history and physical examination.
I hope this helps.
