Nerve damage affecting calf muscle from back injury

Hi. About 12 years ago I had a minor car accident that resulted in a couple of extruded/slipped discs in my lower back. I had surgery to remove the extruded material and since then my right hand calf muscle doesn't 'fire' enough for me to be able to lift the weight of my body. This means I often limp on my right leg and this in turn is now causing me problems in my hips and lower back. I also have some permanent numbness/tingling along the right hand side of my right foot which sometimes keeps me awake at night.

I was told at the time that some nerve damage might happen as the extruded material had compressed a nerve or two.

I had sort of accepted this but over the years it is causing me more and more discomfort, mostly in my hips but also lower back. People more increasingly are also noticing my limp.

If I go into a pool to take weight off my foot I can then lift the weight through my calf, standing on the ball of my right foot. This suggests to me that the nerve connection is working but for whatever reason, I can't lift my bodyweight out of the water.

I was wondering if anyone knows if there is anything that can be done? ... Whether perhaps something has advanced in the meantime that might help my condition. The last time I saw my doctor, he just referred me to physio for the hip pain but that didn't help beyond temporarily treating the symptom rather than root cause.

Does anyone know what kind of specialist I should consult for this or what I could try?

Thanks in advance.

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