Foot drop - how was it treated?
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Hello! I'm 40F and have had low back pain for 20 years. I've been stuck in a cycle where I "throw my back out," rest or do a round of PT to heal, then repeat it all again a few months later. The spells have been getting more frequent over the past 5 or 6 years and I've started to have some mild sciatica, especially in my right leg.
A few weeks ago, I threw my back out badly. The back pain mostly subsided, but then I suddenly (literally, like a switch flipped) had numbness in my right foot and outside of my right shin, and I lost the ability to flex my right foot off the ground. I was already in PT recovering from a hip repair, and my therapist immediately diagnosed foot drop and wanted me to see a spine specialist ASAP. (She says the clinical presentation is pretty severe.)
I had a hip-related follow-up the next day and mentioned my foot drop to the physician's assistant. She agreed that it was definitely foot drop and sent me for an MRI the same day, which showed an L4/L5 disc extrusion impinging the L5 nerve root (and a bunch of other stuff). She had me make an appointment with a physical medicine doctor and also told me to work on this in PT. My physical therapist, though, seems to think I should be seeing a neurosurgeon more quickly, not waiting to see the physiatrist first.
Has anyone had foot drop caused by L5 nerve root impingement? Is this always something that requires surgery, or have more conservative measures worked for you? This is really rough because I can't drive and am not supposed to be walking without crutches because I'm at risk of falling. I'm scared that I'll have permanent damage!
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lizzielynx Leigh_7
Posted
I have nearly the mirroring of you time period with my back injury my disc intrusion happened at the time of the accident but I still had use of the foot over time the foot dropped and there is no surgery to correct the dropped foot im in the UK. I have to drag my foot along with me. I have just had a spinal stimulator fitted for trial and for the first time in 16 years I have minimal control of the foot. I still have no sensation but before I couldn't or wouldn't know where it would hit the floor. so I am hoping that with physio I can gain back some use of the foot. sine the stimulator I can actually place it i still have lack of sensation all down my leg. I have been through so many operations including fusions and disc replacement but my drop foot either stayed as it was or it was worse. hope this helps liz
Leigh_7 lizzielynx
Posted
I hope the spinal stimulator helps you out! It has to be rough not knowing where or how you're placing your foot when walking. My drop foot isn't quite that bad in that I can still feel and control parts of my foot. It seems like the numbness and weakness is just along the L5 dermatome. I can walk, but my gait is off and my leg/foot weakness makes me feel really unsteady. It's so frustrating because before this happened, I was running regularly and walking a ton. I'm doing all the exercises my physical therapist assigned me and I'm seeing a specialist this week. I'm just so worried whatever nerve damage has been done won't reverse. Thanks for your note -- take care and good luck! Really hope you're able to get that foot/leg going again.
mark69155 Leigh_7
Posted
I have 25 years of chronic back problems too. have had many surgeries and have 2 spinal cord stimulators installed. i developed drop foot pretty bad a few years back (it came on all at once one day a few hours after exercising). I had a neuro surgeon do a lumbar decompression surgery (a tweak, not a fusion) and it mostly solved the problem for me.the general numbness (and/or sensitivity to touch/feel) may be peripheral nueropathy. Mine is 100% because I waited too long to have my first cervical fusion surgery.Even when they can fix/fuse bone and discs....nerve damage caused by the impingement it can be permanent and be progressive. The nerve pain (different than ortho pain) is why I had the stimulators installed which helps....medications that help with ortho pain rarely work on medication resistant nerve pain. Good Luck!