Resolved question:
An 85-year-old female reported feeling a painful sensation in her lower back while she was standing up which, according to her, felt like something running through her body. The sensation also resulted in her momentarily losing balance and having to hold on to something in order to prevent the possibility of falling. She reported feeling shaky after this incident and she has a bit of a temperature. She also reports that she is now feeling fine. Her blood pressure was checked just now and the reading was 145/70. Would you recommend going to the Emergency Room for some tests? In our country, periodic comprehensive health checks are not generally conducted. What type of tests should now be conducted in order to ascertain the state of health of this lady? What type of doctor would best be suited to conducting these tests? A family physician? She is my grandmother and I would like her to be in as fit state of health as possible. She bends down at times and I worry that she does too much work for a woman her age, albeit this only consists of minimal household chores such as rearranging things, and not heavy lifting or anything of that nature.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Neurologist, Medical
Hi,
Thank you for posting your query at DoctorSpring.com
I have noted the symptoms of your grandmother.
Symptoms do not suggest any serious illness, however, an evaluation by a family physician should be done.
1. BP should be checked in standing and supine (lying down) position, to look for any drop in BP on standing.
2. Bone densitometry should be done to exclude osteoporosis.
3. If the clinical examination suggests pinching of nerves in the lower back, an MRI of lumbar spine may be done.
4. Blood tests for vitamin B12 and D levels should be checked.
Best wishes,
Dr. Sudhir Kumar MD (Medicine), DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant Neurologist,