Vickinat
Hope you are having a good day.
Our injuries are much the same and I find you to be a person I can go to when seeking information & support and I thank you for that.
For some time I've had numbness in my foot although it comes and goes depending on how much I am on my feet or sitting.
What I have noticed is the numbness stay in the top part of my foot and I have problems when I flex and straighten my foot.
Just wondering if this is something you experience.
Bummer:
This is so odd how we have so much the same in our injuries. Yes I get my left foot going to sleep, sometimes up to the knee. It is down to about 1/4 of the time now. It does stay numb at times and hurts more when I try to flex it.
Do you also have it cramp up and have your toes go into a wierd position, and then go away? I do, especially in Aqua therapy, when I have to be suspended by the bouy and the legs are hanging in the water not touching the bottom. This also can occurr for me when just resting in bed or sitting watching TV.
They tell me that the Radiculpothy of my nerve roots are improving, but I'm not so sure.
I go next Friday for an injection under flouroscopy into my SI joint, the doctor gave me a script for 1 tablet of Xanax to take before hand to try and keep me calm. He said that if he can get that area to not be hurting as much and not as inflammed, that my walking should improve, currently the left leg tends to go out and I walk on the outside of my foot more than on the sole of it. He also said if we get the walk better, it'll help with my balance. This is my new Dr. so lets hope.
I hope I answered you sufficently.
Take care
Vickie
Vickinat
Thanks for the response. Yes, I have the cramping with the toes in a wierd position. Sometimes I have trouble moving my foot when I am sitting or laying in bed. When I am having a bad day I do lots of swing walking as I have trouble picking up my foot.
I've had three epidural injections. The first one the doctor hit a nerve, instant numbness. I did see some relief for a couple of weeks with that injection.
The second injection was very different as I was worse after the injection.
The third injection was higher up on my spine and the same side as the leg/nerve pain. I have been having lots of hard muscle spasms in the area of the injection.
Wed I will have a discogram as the doctor is not pleased with the way the epidurals are working.
I told the doctor since the epidurals I am able to be on my feet for a longer period of time before the leg/nerve pain starts and I would call that a success.
Vicki - my Pm doc wanted to do this to me as well but they wouldn't approve it. He thinks most of my pain is coming from the SI and is throwing me all out of whack. I hope the procedure will help you.
Bummer:
As you know I had the series of 3 ESI under flouroscope at the L5 area. The first he hit the nerve and it hurt like heck, and made me feel worse, second was better but not much relief, the third didn't help at all. My previous doctor did 2 trigger point injections in the periformis muscle and 2 at the SI area, not under flouoroscope. Had some relief but didn't last. My left hip and buttocks as well as my lower back is in constant pain, and has been since the beginning. It just gets scary because I have gotten worse since July (when I went back into the shop for my restrictions), my ROM has gotten worse and pain levels have increased.
Monster:
My previous doctor who did the trigger point injs. said that he unlocked my SI joint, it was locked up(SI dysfunction) when I first started seeing him. He ordered Dexamethason Iontophorisis at my PT for 3x's/week for 10 treatments. I also have a TENS unit for daily use. I still go to PT 3x's/week, mechanical traction 3x's/week and Aqua therapy 2x's/week on differant days from the PT. I am on light duty at work, with no grinding or brake press, no bending, twisting or stooping. I hope this new injection works. Thanks for your concern.
Take care and stay out of ditches.
Vickie
I am still having a lot of trouble with my left leg. It is more of a constant swollen feeling, but it isn't swollen. I also still have some numbness in my calf and under my foot, and my foot and leg are still extra sensitive. I've noticed that the last few weeks I will flex my foot and curl the toes under (trying to relieve the swollen feeling), and my calf, butt, and foot will cramp up and my foot and toes get stuck for a few seconds. Is this anything like you all have?
ksgirl:
Looking at your bio you have some of the same injuries, my disc are similar to yours, L3-L4, L4-L5 and L5-S1, with the L5-S1 being the worst but all of mine are considered mild bulges. I do have swelling(edema) of both legs from the knees down and my family doctor has me on Lasik for that, and my knees hurt when I do certain exercises at PT and Aqua when I have to bend them. So you have alot of the same symptoms as Bummer and I have.Were you ever told that you have periformis syndrome? That is the muscle in your buttocks over the sciatic nerve. I was initially diagnosed with sciatica, but then later was told about the periformis.
Hope this answers your question.
Vickie
No, I haven't been told anything since surgery except it can take up to a year to heal. It seems like the dr is just ready to be done now. I guess I am too. I'm tired of telling him I still don't feel right, and he just brushes it off. I wouldn't wonder so much, but I had the same surgery four years ago and felt fine in six weeks. No lingering pain or irritation, or anything.
I will read up about periformis syndrome. Thanks for listening to me!
ksgirl:
No problem anytime. I don't have alot of answers, but I can state what I have gone thru or researched. I have been told that mine shouldn't be anything surgical, but it has been since 11/06, and I'm not better yet. That's the main reason I went to a new doctor, my previous one told me that he doesn't know why I'm still in pain. He told me that I should quit my job and find something less physically demanding. I told him that wasn't an option right now, I want to be healed. I have been on some form of meds since the beginning and found out how much the NSAIDS made a differance when I had to go off of them for 6 days for the last precedure, now I have to be off of them until after Friday's injection, so I'm gonna be hurting more again all week.
I'm always willing to listen, even if someone just needs to vent, I have no problem being PM'd or emailed. I work during the day, but am usually here in the evenings and weekends. I do check my messages and PM's also in the mornings before work.
Take care
Vickie
Vickinat
What is trigger point injections, I have read your post about them but don't know what they are.
I also have periformis syndrome, I had six weeks of PT this summer and it did not help. PT did massage of the periformis muscle and applied pressure with her hand & elbow due to spasms.
The doctor tells me I have a fixed fusion of my L5/S1 joint, no wonder my range of motion numbers were low in PT.
The S1 leg pain is mostly on my right side, when I am on my feet to much the left side also hurts. My left knee is the one that needs replaced at this time. I always have my limp of my left knee and when I am having a bad day with leg/nerve pain I swing walk with my right leg and walk with my cane.
Guess I look pretty funny to other people.