Muscullar imbalance update...question

[Rickf]

From my previous post from last July:
I am 42, and for my adult life i have been aware of, and often preoccupied with, a muscular imbalance.( I was actually told that my left side was more muscular when i was screened for scoliosis at age 12, but that i did not have scoliosis.) The entire right side of my body is smaller..less muscular..less prominent- even my face. I can see it as well as feel it..the feeling of the imbalance is maddening at times. It was recently determined that i do have a mild s-curve in my spine, but to me this does not explain fully the very noticeable lack of muscle and sensation I have from one side of my body to the other....my left leg, hip, torso, shoulder...much stronger than the right, and it feels as though my left side is "pulling" my right side along when i walk or run or do anything physical. I also have had vocal tics since I can remember..although I am able to suppress them for the most part in public. I cant help but think this is all related somehow...some sort of brain defect possibly?? I dont have any real physical pain, but it literally feels like my right and left side operate independently when i do exercise or physical work...

Udate:
I have seen a spine specialist who confirmed that my mild spinal curve(10-12 degrees) is not the cause of my muscle imbalance. He referred me to a neurologist, where had a nerve conduction study done. Results were inconclusive- nothing too out of the ordinary other than mild carpel tunnel in my right wrist. Next he ordered an MRI of my cervical spine and brain. The results again showed nothing abnormal. So basically i still have no answers.....I have continued to try exercising and stretching but it seems to have little effect. Its really difficult because my left side is much stronger. I am tired of waking up in the middle of the night because it feels like my right side is "absent" compared to the left....its really hard to get someone to understand how this feels, and how disturbing it is.
My question is this- although my brain MRI showed nothing structurally abnormal, there could be a functional problem and would it be worth getting PET done? I know its expensive and i would have to pay for it myself, but at this point i just feel like i need to do anything that could possibly give me an answer. And what type of PET would I get.....I called a imaging center and they listed PET types such as head and neck, brain- Alzheimers, brain- siezures, etc. SInce in my case it is more exploratory would it make a difference?

[MG (Admin)]

Thanks for the update.
Firstly, I would say that we are all "asymmetric" to some extent and this is in fact normal.
If there is a sudden loss of function on one side then this can signal a a neurological problem, however this is not the case in your situation.
Furthermore, the fact that your neuro exam and MRI are both normal would basically exclude any disease in your brain.

What this all means is that your feelings are real, but like many strange feelings we may have, they do not signal a disease process but rather represent normal (although sometimes strange) feelings that healthy people have.
You were right to get checked, and it could very well be that you have some kind of bodily asymmetry which is more pronounced than in others.
At this stage though I would say there is no reason to have further tests...even if some new kind of research-protocol scan showed you that the asymmetry came from the brain...how would that help you? If you really want to know how "asymmetric" your brain function is, the best way to test this is in fact not a scan but rather detailed neuropsychological testing.
If your neurologist is relaxed that you have no neurological disease then my best advice to you would be to try and ignore this as much as possible. This can be easier said than done, and many people in your situation respond to therapies such as hypnosis.
I know some people with similar complaints to yours re muscular imbalance have greatly benefited from the balance exercises you can do using the wii fit!

Anyway, please let us know how it goes.

MG

All the best