I'm having a problem walking and I need advice on what to do.

[tibbir]

I take 3 mile walks for exercise. After I go about 2 1/2 miles (especially if I've been walking faster) something very strange happens. I know it seems crazy to post about this on DU but a lot of the readers on this board are very knowlegeable.

The first 2 1/2 miles go great. But then I notice that I can't keep going in a straight line. On a sidewalk I weave from the left side of the sidewalk, then I correct myself, then in a few more steps I've weaved over to the right side of the sidewalk and so on. Next, I notice that my legs are cross over in front of each other, sometimes twice in a row. My feet scuff the ground a lot more than usual and my legs get weaker and weaker. At some point on my last 3 mile walk my right foot planted facing sideways instead of straight ahead when I stepped down. If I slow down to a crawl I can make it through the last 1/2 mile to my house or car. I have no pain at all.

The first time, all of the stuff I've described happend but I didn't know to slow down. Then my left hip seemed to kind of "give out" when I tried to step on it. My body would actually lower and hesitate until I could push off for my step. There was still no pain. It would happen for a few steps and then not. It progressed to where it was happening every step plus my feet were kind of flailling somehow. My friend had to get the car and come back for me.

This has started up very suddenly and has completely baffled me. My internist told me I have bursitis even before I could tell him half of this. Problem is with bursitis you have pain and I have no pain whatsoever.

I know I could avoid the problem if I simply gave up walking the full 3 miles but still there's something going on that I'd like to find out about. If anybody has any advice about what kind of doctor to see or even hazard a guess as to what's happening here I'd really appreciate it.

[amazona]

1. I think you should see a neurologist

I don't want to speculare, and I am sure as heck not a doctor, but this sounds neurological to me. It also sounds like your first doctor didn't even listen.

[mike_c]

2. I second that opinion....

Consult a neurologist or another internist.

[onebigbadwulf]

3. Sounds like you might have muscle weakness/damage

in your right hip abductors.

This could be due to nerve damage, muscle damage, or simply a manifested symptom of a larger underlying problem.


(unless by giving out you mean your right hip drops when you're on your left hip - then it would be left hip abductors)

[Lex]

4. Is your body temp kind of warm by the the time you experience this?

My advice is to go see a neurologist too.

I'm not saying it's this, but my best friend has MS and she has difficulty walking if she gets warm (the 'weaving' in particular). It's a common MS symptom--that warmth makes certain neurological symptoms flare up.

It may not be this at all for you, but get a referral to a neurologist and tell him/her of your symptoms as you have described them.

They can do an MRI to try to rule it out.

[tibbir]

5. Thanks to you and everyone who's replied.

You all have echoed some of the concerns that I have: that I may very well have some sort of problem that needs to be looked into. I think that my body temperature gets pretty warm. I live in Houston and the best we do is 90 degrees during the day this time of year and the high 70's in the morning and and evening when I go out. So by the latter part of my walk I'm really sweating.

[Commendatori]

6. Consult a cardiologist.

A buddy of mine had a similiar problem which appeared a bit quicker than yours (maybe a mile and a half), and it's because after a certain amount of exercise, his blood pressure actually drops, blood flow suffers, and his legs turn to rubber, leaving him unable to walk a straight or consistent line. It's not a common syndrome, but not infrequent enough to call "rare."

His problem wasn't exactly like yours, but it's awfully close. Beta blockers eventually solved the problem.

[tibbir]

8. The other weird thing is that it goes away

after resting for 15 minutes or so. Then I'm a little worn out but I can walk ok. Of course I'm back home then and doing a lot of sitting.

[Commendatori]

11. So did his.

The other advice in this thread looks good, but just in case you may want to take mine. The odds of mine being correct are pretty long, but anything's worth a shot in a situation like you describe.

[tibbir]

12. Thank you, I'm not going to forget to follow up.

I appreciate your advice and your reminder to follow up on all of the possiblities.

[BiggJawn]

7. Do you get dizzy or weak feeling?

That could indicate a blood-glucose level problem.
When I start to "bonk", I have trouble riding in a straight line.

Walking? Who can walk when you're bonked?

[ProfessorGAC]

9. Let Me Ask You A Few Questions

These are based on personal experience:

1) When you get this feeling, can you walk heel to toe, without losing your balance?

2) Do you get a "heavy" and highly fatigued feeling in your legs at this point that makes you think you won't make the last half-mile?

3) When you stop walking, do you get any persistent trembling or shuttering in the thighs?

4) Any visual disturbances? (Flashes of color, floating circles, blurriness in the center of the field of vision.)

5) Any pins & needles in the legs?

If your answer to any more than 1 of these is yes, see a neurologist quickly. You're describing (along with my 5) the symptoms i first had before i was diagnosed with MS. There is a large body of data now that the sooner the diagnosis, and the sooner one gets on the mechanism blocking drugs (the ABC's), the more effective they will be.

Don't want to scare you. But, untreated MS is nothing to mess with. If an exacerbation is severe, and you are not doing anything to treat it (even though there's no cure), loss of function is a much higher probability. So, see a neuro soon, please.
The Professor

[tibbir]

10. I haven't tried the heel to toe test

because I'm so scared it's going to give out before I get home but I would imagine that I wouldn't be able to do it. My balance would be way off. And yes, I do get to feeling like I won't be able to make it and am so thankful when I finally do. I haven't noticed any trembling in my legs but I'm a little clouded by that time until I recover, like I said within a short period. I don't think I have any visual disturbances and I know I don't get a pins and needles feeling.

The consensus seems pretty much to see a neurologist. I'm on Medicare so I can choose my own specialist without a referral but I'm going to call my doctor for a recommendation. He's a pretty good guy but he really went up on this thing.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. Hey, I Hope You Don't Have What I Have

But, better to know early than late.

After you see the neuro, PM me, if you can and let me know if things are ok.
The Professor

[mr blur]

14. Please see a neurologist..

I have MS and the first signs of it showed up in my walking. I'm certainly not saying it is that, of course, but it's best to rule things out as soon as you can.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. Hey, Mr. Blur

I, too, have MS. Diagnosed in 1995. The day that McVeigh and gang blew up the Murrah building. I was home waiting for the doctor to call when that happened. So, the date is easy for me to remember.

How are you getting along? Are you on one of the ABC's? (Betaseron, here.)
The Professor

[serryjw]

16. BEFORE you see a doctor try this........

What you are describing is DEHYDRATION! You are in HOT/HUMID climate and are losing a lot of water walking 2 1/2 miles...You have to keep yourself fluid or you will go unconscious from the heat...try hydrating yourself thru out your walk.....and report back to us!

[MadHound]

17. And just to follow up on that point,

Don't just hydrate yourself throughout your walk, but also take about a teaspoon of salt before your walk. When it is hot and humid, you sweat a lot, losing a lot of salt through sweating. Salt is vital to your health, and if you sweat significant amounts out of your system, it can cause the problems you describe. When I raced bikes I used to have a hell of a time about halfway through a race, feeling weak, disoriented etc. Talked to the doctor about it, and he suggested salt tablets before every race, and during the race if it was especially long or hot. After that, I always felt fine.

If this doesn't do the trick, do what everybody else here is saying, get yourself to a doctor. Good luck!

[serryjw]

18. REALLY!??

You learned something every day. I didn't know about the salt thing...When I walk my 3 miles I will try this...thanks!

[tibbir]

19. Sounds like a pretty easy thing to manage.

Thanks for the tip.

[tibbir]

20. Wait a minute.....except for my last walk I always bring water

as I walk and it seems to happen anyway. I still agree with you that keeping hydrated is a neccesity here in the "jungle". If you don't remember to do that you can end up dead.