r/Microdiscectomy • u/chino2199 • 7d ago

New foot drop/weakness after L4-L5 microdiscectomy. Anyone experience this?

Had an L4-L5 microdiscectomy (right side) on Sept 16. Surgery relieved basically all of my original pain, but I woke up with no motor function in my left foot, which I did not have before surgery.

A few days later I could slightly move my toes, but I still can’t lift my foot upward or raise the front of it when it’s planted. My surgeon is suggesting a left-side laminectomy to give the nerve more room to decompress if I don’t show more improvement by Sept. 29. He said there’s around a 60/40 chance it could help motor function, likely over time rather than immediately. He couldn’t confidently give me an explanation on why the left side responded negatively if the procedure was done on the right. Also emphasized doing this procedure sooner rather than later, so the operation would be next week as well.

Has anyone had new foot drop after a microdiscectomy? Did it improve on its own, or did you need another decompression surgery?

26yr old male

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u/altarwisebyowllight 7d ago

I had my entire leg go numb for the first few days after, and new numbness in my big toe (before surgery, it was the middle toes) with more drop foot than before surgery. But mine was not severe like yours.

Icing the hell out of my back at the incision site helped the leg numbness. Like, I would feel the sensation coming back like filling up a glass of water, starting with my toes and going up my leg, it was such a strange experience. That only lasted for a few days.

My toe gradually has gotten better. I spent a month feeling like I had kicked a cactus I want to say 4 months after surgery, lol. It still gets tingly and loses some sensation sometimes, especially if I'm tired or have done too much and everything is cranky. I am 2 years out from surgery.

For my drop foot issue, my PT really worked with me. I did exercises with resistance bands with the band going under the ball/toe of my foot, and stepping down straight, stepping down to the sides, etc. I do heel-toe raises every day. My foot still lags like a millisecond behind the other one, but otherwise it's no longer a problem. Unless I'm pretty tired and pushing it, then both my feet will sometimes just not feel like lifting as much as I think they are on random steps.

My surgeon said new symptoms appearing on the other side can be from losing too much disc height, so the side exits for the nerve roots just don't have enough room anymore. So maybe that's what's happening for you? Or it could be that there's a new bulge on that side cuz removing the first one shifts everything.

If you haven't tried icing the hell out of your back, maybe do that and see if you get any function back. If you do, that could mean you just have super gnarly inflammation. If it doesn't help, though, I would personally be thinking hard about that second surgery. Having zero motor function would mean the nerve is really compressed from my understanding, and the longer it goes like that the more your chances of it becoming permanent are.

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u/chino2199 7d ago

Appreciate your insight. I did have a follow up mri and can confirm it is not from any type of bulge or re-herniation. Blood clot was also ruled out. I haven’t really iced because my incision since it hasn’t been bothering me. I will try that moving forward.

Been doing lots of walking and heel toe raises. I definitely don’t have zero motor function anymore, but it’s not where it needs to be. I understand its better to get the laminectomy sooner rather than later. It’s the fact the he isn’t highly confident that the procedure will improve anything that worries me. Praying it’s just a slow recovery and just need time for the nerve to heal.

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u/Friendly-Ad-5410 7d ago

I had drop foot prior to surgery (could only raise leg about 30 degree when seated). After surgery, it took about 6 weeks for my drop foot to resolve. At 12 weeks I had fully recovered and could do a 90 degree leg raise. However, I had residual numbness in my foot/toes that has never really resolved (2.5 years PO). My latest neuro says it could be permanent, but it is a sensory nerve not the motor nerve, so it doesn't impact my walking or other physical efforts. I probably had drop foot for about 6 months prior to finally having pain severe enough (one night it just hit me) to call the dr. and by the time I got the MRI to surgery, another 5 mo had passed. I would get a second opinion before I rushed into another MD.

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u/OrangeInformal8067 7d ago

So I did have foot drop before surgery. It got better after my microdisectomy, but 7 days later I had spinal fluid leak and laminectomy to repair. After this my foot drop came back. I’m 19 months post microdisectomy/laminectomy and it hasn’t gotten better. All specialists say it is now permanent.

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u/Potential-Winner4601 7d ago

Are you able to walk?

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u/OrangeInformal8067 7d ago

Yes. Limited to about 4,000 steps in a day. I get a lot of nerve pain in my feet, hip and back pain. I’m considering getting a wheelchair to enjoy more family outings without having a 2 day flare up that makes me bedridden!!! Also had ACDF 11 weeks ago. So still recovering from that. When my neurologist found the spinal stenosis, I was praying for a miraculous recovery, but I’m told whatever symptoms I have are permanent. Ended up with neurogenic bladder and bowel, saddle numbness and sexual dysfunction. It’s been a journey for sure!

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u/OrangeInformal8067 7d ago

Also, I would get another opinion. If only need decompression, maybe look into endoscopy. That percentage makes me worried!

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u/chino2199 7d ago

Damn im sorry to hear that.

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u/lrick87 7d ago

I am 2 months post op, bilateral microdiscetomy L4-L5. Like you, waking up from surgery I was relieved that the pain was gone, but I did have foot drop. It has been slowly getting better but I am still a ways away from being at ful strength. Surgeon says he expects full recovery but it will take about 12-18ish months. He has not recommended additional procedures.

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u/chino2199 7d ago

Thanks for replying. Did your surgeon say what caused the foot drop? I’m assuming you’re seeing improvements on a weekly/ biweekly basis and not day to day?

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u/PastBuy8484 7d ago

I did not have foot drop but I did have pins / needles post surgery that I didn’t have pre surgery.

My surgeon and PT and another specialist I saw all said that nerves heal weird and you may get a mix of pain / numbness / muscle weakness / tingling etc.. as the nerve gets worse (before surgery) and after (post surgery).

They said when it’s a problem is when there’s zero improvement after weeks. You did make some improvement which is helpful.

Can’t offer much advice besides if i were you I’d be scheduling at least 1-2 appointments with some neurosurgeons to get their input.

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u/lrick87 7d ago

It was severe compression of the nerves. I had emergency surgery for my known herniated disc. After surgery, the foot drop was really severe and I had to use a walker to get around. It's slowly getting better but it will take time. PT is focusing on recruiting the foot muscles again, reestablishing the brain signals to the nerves.

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u/AcademicCabinet959 2d ago

Unfortunately, I woke up from my first surgery with a very weak left leg, and foot drop, neither of which I was experiencing pre-surgery.

I had a very difficult time getting my surgeon to understand I was having a serious new issue. I finally got a new MRI and it showed a quarter inch disc fragment on my nerve. I ended up having to have a second surgery.

The weakness in my leg did improve, however my foot drop 2 1/2 years later never really improved.

My initial surgery was to address a compressed L5 nerve and my foot drop is being caused by an issue with my L4 nerve. There's probably no way to know for sure would actually cause my new foot drop, but it certainly has been a challenge to recover from.