Symptoms by Tumor Location

• Deep, aching lower back pain — often constant, not relieved by position change
• Sciatica-like pain: radiating down one or both legs, into the hip, buttock, thigh, knee, or foot
• Numbness or tingling in legs, feet, or toes
• Weakness in legs — difficulty walking, climbing stairs, or standing from a chair
• Foot drop in severe cases
• Bladder or bowel urgency, hesitancy, or incontinence (when tumor causes cord compression)
• Pain that is worse at night or when lying down
• Relief that doesn't come from standard back pain treatments

• Band-like pain wrapping around the chest — often one side, following a rib
• Mid-back pain between the shoulder blades
• Intercostal neuralgia: burning, stabbing pain between the ribs
• Chest tightness or pressure (can mimic cardiac symptoms)
• Abdominal pain or cramping if lower thoracic nerves are involved
• Trunk weakness in severe cases

• Neck pain — often deep, persistent, and not responding to physiotherapy
• Pain, numbness, or tingling radiating into the shoulder, arm, forearm, or hand
• Weakness in the hand or arm — difficulty gripping, writing, or lifting
• Headaches originating at the base of the skull (occipital)
• Balance problems if cord compression develops
• Myelopathy symptoms (clumsiness, difficulty walking) in advanced cord compression

• Deep pelvic or tailbone pain
• Buttock pain, often one-sided
• Pain with sitting that changes with position
• Sexual dysfunction in some cases
• Bladder or bowel difficulty
• Pain radiating down the back of the leg

• Gradual hearing loss — typically one ear first, eventually both
• Tinnitus: ringing, buzzing, or hissing in the ear
• Vertigo or dizziness
• Balance problems — difficulty walking in the dark or on uneven surfaces
• A feeling of fullness in the ear
• Facial numbness or weakness if the tumor grows large (from trigeminal or facial nerve compression)
• Bilateral vestibular schwannomas are the defining feature of NF2-SWN

• Facial pain — can be burning, electric, stabbing, or a deep ache
• Facial numbness or loss of sensation, often one-sided
• Pain in the jaw, cheek, teeth, forehead, or eye area
• Trigeminal neuralgia: sudden, severe electric shock-like facial pain
• Loss of the corneal reflex — reduced blinking response
• Difficulty chewing if motor branches are involved

Trigeminal schwannomas are uncommon but distinctive. The pain pattern often does not follow a dental explanation, leading to extensive unnecessary dental procedures before a neurological cause is found.

• Pain, numbness, or tingling in the arm, forearm, or hand
• A palpable, tender lump along the nerve path
• Electric pain when the lump is pressed (Tinel's sign equivalent)
• Weakness in grip or fine motor control
• Symptoms may be intermittent — worse with certain movements
• Pain that spreads proximally (up the arm) beyond the tumor location

• Pain, numbness, or tingling in the thigh, leg, knee, ankle, or foot
• A tender lump along the leg or foot
• Weakness — foot drop, difficulty with toe or heel walking
• Burning or shooting pain with certain movements
• Meralgia paresthetica-like: burning, tingling, or numbness in the outer thigh

• Deep aching or throbbing pain within a muscle belly
• A firm, palpable lump within the muscle — may feel like a knot
• Pain with use of the muscle
• Muscle stiffness or tightness around the tumor
• May be initially mistaken for a muscle tear or hematoma

• Headaches — often positional or morning-onset if there is increased intracranial pressure
• Seizures (frontal or parietal meningiomas)
• Visual disturbance (orbital or sphenoid wing meningiomas)
• Weakness or numbness in the arm or leg (parasagittal meningiomas)
• Personality or behavioral changes (frontal meningiomas)
• Spinal meningiomas: back pain, radiculopathy, progressive leg weakness
• Often slow-growing and asymptomatic for years