How to tell a stroke from just a leg pain?
By Zhu Huifen
@zhuhuifen46 (3483)
China
January 22, 2009 9:29am CST
Because of the bitter cold, I hear more cases of stroke than ever before. One of my acquaintances was scarcely stricken by a stroke. When he complained about a pain in the leg, his wife immediately sent him to the hospital, as she was suspecting of a minor stroke instead of just a pain in the leg.
Strokes have symptoms of facial deforms or limb inability. How can we tell a stoke from just a leg pain? Please kindly help.
2 responses
@GADHISUNU (2162)
• India
22 Jan 09
One quick check would be to move all the fingers and toes of both hands. Look into a mirror and smile to see the smile is even on both sides of the nose.Raise the hands and move the feet. If all actions are possible then it is not likely to be a stroke. A symptom of a heart stroke coming on, is the radiating pain from the heart along the left arm and left leg, or right arm right leg. Your friend's wife's reaction might have been extreme, but it better err on the side of excess rather than be complacent or over-confident about your own judgment. I don't cold has any thing to do with stroke though it is generally observed that they do occur more frequently in the cold season, that making the probability higher. Quick medical attention could help either prevent or reverse the effects of stroke, and it is in this sense that your friend's wife did something right.
@zhuhuifen46 (3483)
• China
22 Jan 09
Thank you so much. Several weeks ago, I had a bad eche from the waist to the left leg, esp the knees. I am much worried if it has anything related with heart or whatever. Now the pain is almost gone, still a bit when exposed to cold weather.
@Patzi_md (129)
• Philippines
22 Jan 09
stroke is a sudden onset of a neurologic deficit, but when it subsides after 24 hours, that is only a transient ischemic attack. but if the neurologic deficit persists for 48 hours then it is now a stroke. Usually the symptoms are benign or minor such as numbness or a tingling sensation mostly on the half of your body, it affects your upper arm, with thw lower arm sometimes with concomittant drooling of saliva, slurring of speech and facila asymmetry. Major symptoms such as weakness or paralysis of the half of the body may also happen.
