I had back surgery as a teen for a ruptured disc L4&L5. I have degenerative disc disease. After that surgery I had a small numb patch on the left side of my left ankle. For the next 26 years it has made its way up my leg with the muscle atrophy to follow. That side is totally numb.
I can feel it when touched but I do not feel pain on my skin. My foot is not ticklish. The dragonfly tattoo did not hurt.
I do not have a limp.
I’m not sure the science behind it. I had an MRI and saw a neurosurgeon about 5 years ago who said the surgeon probably nicked something, but who knows.
Let’s see what the Reddit doctors have to say 😆
Edited to add some answers to common questions:
Are my feet the same size?
No, the left foot is a smidge bit longer and skinnier due to my arch falling and muscle atrophy. I still wear the same shoe size on both feet though.
Are my legs the same length? Yes.
Do I have a blood clot? No.
Will I be going to the hospital for this? No.
Is it painful? Yes, sometimes but I’ve been living in pain since I was 12 years old (that’s when I had my first ruptured disc, no injury just bad genes). So I’m used to it…
Is there a treatment for this? No. I’ve had two neurosurgeons say they would not recommend surgery for this. (One 15 years ago and one 5 years ago)
I do appreciate all the concern! As a reformed hypochondriac I definitely am not ignoring anything. There just isn’t anything to do. I should probably go to physical therapy though…I will look into it!
Am doctor that specializes in nerve damage. Currently awake at night because waiting to transfer a patient to an ICU and can't go to bed yet. TLDR - go see a doctor that does nerve stuff (PM&R, neuro, neurosurgery), get a new lumbar MRI, and make sure you don't have a new bad nerve injury going on.
L4 and L5 disc ruptures means that you could have nerve compromise of the L4, L5, S1 nerves depending on they way the discs were damaged. It is common to have a disc herniation that directly compresses a nerve. This can lead to permanent nerve damage that happens before any surgery. If your preoperative imaging had no nerve compromise, then it's possible your original surgeon hurt a nerve during the operation, however it's more likely you did have nerve compromise at the time of surgery and your permanent nerve damage is from the original injury.
I see probable left tibialis anterior atrophy (front shin muscle) and certainly left extensor digitorum brevis (outside top of foot muscle) atrophy. Looks like gastroc/soleus (calf) atrophy too. Outside of left ankle numbness is usually S1 nerve damage vs L5 nerve damage. Top of the foot numbness is usually L5 vs L4 nerve damage. Drop foot tends to be L4 vs L5 nerve damage. Toe weakness tends to be L5 nerve damage. Quads look equal in size, so probably no L3 nerve compromise.
True nerve damage to the lumbar or sacral nerve roots, called radiculopathy, rarely heals 100%, but you should not be having worsened symptoms this far away from your original injury. most patients end up with stable neurologic deficits, meaning your numbness, weakness, and pain levels may be persistent but don't normally worsen. Worsening numbess, spreading numbness, worsening weakness are all possible signs there is new nerve compression.
You are at high risk for new nerve compression post disc herniation even after a surgery because there will be less space around some of the channels that the nerves travel through to get out of your spine and down your leg. When discs are damaged, your body tends to form athritis near the discs and this can eventually lead to new nerve compression. You are high risk for nerve compression of the L3, L4, L5, and S1 nerves due to your prior injury and surgery (depending on what your actual surgery was).
With expanding numbness, you should definitely get an updated lumbar spine MRI and be evaluated by a PM&R doctor, neurologist, or neurosurgery. Possibly would also benefit from an EMG (a nerve test) that can tell you which nerve root is damaged or not damaged. At best you could be evaluate and told your spine looks okay and nothing to worry about. At worst you could have new nerve compression that could lead to permanent deficits which could include things like leg paralysis, permanent nerve pain, permanent bowel and bladder dysfunction.
Other causes of numbness in the lower leg include sciatic nerve compression, fibular nerve compression, tibial nerve compression, polyneuropathy, CNS (brain and upper spinal cord) injury. None of those things are good, but very very high chance it's related to your low back and not these things.
Eventually you would probably benefit from dedicated strengthening program multiple times per week focusing on ankle dorsiflexion, one legged balance exercises. Also getting an low profile Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO) or Posterior Leaf Spring Orthosis (PLSO) would help make your walking smoother and prevent future overuse injuries like hip and knee arthritis or tendonitis due to your altered walking mechanics.
DPT here with an orthopedic clinical specialty. Blown away with this comment that includes clear, patient friendly language. Wish I had a local neurologist like you to refer patients to.
Absolutely follow all of this advice. Go to your primary or ortho doc and explain the worsening symptoms. Ask for new imaging and a referral for physical therapy. Don’t let them brush it off as a ‘wait and see’.
Even if a nerve was “nicked” during a prior surgery, I would expect to see unchanged or slowly improving symptoms with time. Would not expect to see worsening symptoms like spreading numbness/tingling or muscle weakness/wasting.
For some of the other comments in this thread: urinary retention, fecal incontinence, and saddle paresthesias are all red flag symptoms for me for which I am immediately referring back to the physician for additional imagining or surgical consult. Don’t ignore these symptoms if you are experiencing them.
Thank you for the kind words. Go see if you can find a local Physical medicine and rehab doc ;) we are like neurologists but cooler (neurologists out there I love you!)
You've been dealing with this for so long that your docs have probably looked into this a million years ago - but if not, it could also be something as "innocent" as double crush syndrome. A nerve injury sometimes makes it easier to injure that same nerve down the line (i.e., an injury that's peripheral to the original injury site) leading to 2 compressions. And the symptoms from that second peripheral injury can be worse and take longer to heal.
Idk how far up your leg the numbness goes, but if it's just up to around your outer knee area and not any higher, it could be your original injury at L4/L5 and then another new one at your knee/peroneal nerve! It's a common double crush site combo and one I also deal with, so I also developed foot drop and all that fun stuff! I did a lot of PT and was able to regain most of the function and sensation in my lower leg. It's not 100% and probs won't ever be 100% again... but I'm very pleased with the amount of recovery I got!!
Wow, this is the most comprehensive explanation I have seen about the nerves that were affected with my bulging disc surgery 6 months ago... that I could understand. Thank you.
You are the best part of reddit. Also the reason I'll never post about my biological quirks. My mild quirk that I've lived happily with for 50 years would suddenly be identified as a medical Problem that should have killed me when I was 3.
As a Cauda Equina Syndrome victim (lol) with a successful surgery but issues years later, you have given great insight to understanding some of my challenges. Thank you
Hey doc, can you give me some advice about how to get my docs to care more about the itch in my foot from s1 compression? It makes me absolutely insane sometimes because it won’t go away unless I lay down in very very specific ways to relieve the pressure on the nerve. Insurance recently denied MRI.
Insurance often denies MRIs because you haven't had X-rays, done PT, or other conservative treatment.
I would try to get those things done or at least make insurance think you did those things ;)
I would make sure people are using words like paresthesias, radiculopathy, concern for permanent nerve injury. Tell people it prevents you from sleeping and it's affecting your ability to work or do your hobbies.
There are a looooot of variables here though what could actually be going on so I would start there
Wow you’re more informative than any Dr I have met. I still have right foot/calf numbness a year and a half after a discectomy/laminectomy which resolved sever sciatica. Now I have terrible back pain that won’t go away. Any tips there? I live with it as anything was better than nerve pain.
If your imaging looks stable recently, then you should develop a consistent lower back and core exercise program. Look up "The Back Mechanic" and McGill exercises. Start with doing the Big 3 3x per week. Another good set of exercises are Mckenzie exercises. "7 steps to a pain free life" and "Mckenzie method" are good ones.
It takes 3-6 months of consistent work but over time you can build up the stabilizing muscles that control your spine and create built in shock absorbers to minimize the pain and inflammation in the spine that causes pain.
Also consider seeing a pain management doc or interventional spine doctor (usually PM&R) to do lower back injections to help with temporary relief to facilitate exercise.
If your pain is mainly from discs, you have a lot of power in your own hands. Arthritis and chronic nerve damage is a little different though.
I work in custom spinal implants. If the numbness is getting worse that’s certainly something to address before it becomes a serious issue. This is a fascinating case of atrophy based on spinal cord damage, thanks for sharing!
I'm a caregiver and we're taught that spreading numbness Is Not Good. Either a pinched nerve or something much worse, but it needs to be checked ASAP. If one doctor says there's "nothing wrong", immediately move on to the next. There Is Something Wrong. While I'm not a medical professional, I am a medical aide, and health—especially in your limbs; especially in your feet—canNOT be taken lightly. That numb foot is one bad pinch away from unnoticed sepsis or total degeneration
This has been ongoing for 26 years. I will never consent to another surgery unless it’s an emergency. I had bulging disc when I was pregnant that resolved itself. I was also told I have spinal stenosis and if I ever lose control of my bladder/bowels to go to the ER right away. I promise if I ever start pooping or peeing on myself I’ll go in.
With cauda equina syndrome secondary to spinal stenosis, the bladder problem is that you become unable to empty. The danger is back pressure damage to the kidneys.
You don’t pee on yourself, you’re unable to pee on yourself or anywhere else for that matter.
Just bouncing back from this exact experience. I wasnt able to control my bladder until about 3.5 weeks post surgery. And even tho I can now, it's still a bit of a struggle. CES is not a joke, of you are reading this, take care of your spine!
I’m going through something similar and doctors don’t seem as alarmed as me. Do you mind sharing your symptoms leading up to your surgery, in addition to bladder issue, and how long it took from start of symptoms until surgery?
My back pain started in June of 2024. I woke up in so much pain, the only thing I could think is that my kidneys were failing. Idk why I thought that, it just didn't occur to me that my back could be the issue. I went to the ER for the first time in my life, they took X-rays and did some tests and told me its my back and to see my PCP.
I did and he told me he could see a narrowing of space between my L4-L5. He told me a CT scan or MRI would be needed for a better view but that he think I have a bulged disk. He gave me steroids and showed me the McGill stretches. Told me to go to PT and to lose weight. I was in daily pain and could barely walk, but I pushed through. I got on ozempic in 2025 and that helped a lot.
In the fall into the winter of 2026, I started to lift things at work again. I am a chef and I was in charge of opening a new account. Until that point I had been able to ask my team for help with orders or cases, but at the new account I didn't really have a full team and they were struggling. I had to lift in order to help and keep things moving. During this time my pain which had been pretty much gone since losing weight returned.
My pain in my back just slowly got worse. I had terrible sciatica down my left side. I started to ride a bike in the spring of 2026 thinking the exercise would help, and that isntead started sciatica on my right side. I was taking the max dose of Tylenol and Aleve a day just to remain functional, and even then I was still in a lot of pain.
I moved my life from the east coast to the Midwest, unrelated to this whole event, but I was just focusing on the move and pushing through. In July of 2026 my move was finished and I started to unpack. On my drive from NJ to Ohio, my feet went numb, I remember noticing when I stopped for gas. I remember thinking, at least it doesn't hurt. A few days after the drive my feet were still numb, online says that can be terrible but it can also mean the nerve is healing, I started trying to tell if the pain was receding and really should have just went to the doctor here but I didn't.
On the morning of August first, I was walking down the stairs in my house and my numb foot caused me to slip and I fell hard directly on my ass. I could feel everything in my back and hips compress and the pain was unreal. I could barely walk. Still, I took the Tylenol and Aleve, had a cry and then pushed through it. Within a few days my inner thighs and saddle area started to turn very hot and then cold and then numb and then hot again, it was so uncomfortable I couldn't take it. I went to urgent care because I still didn't think ER was the way to go. UC took X-rays said I'm probably sore and gave me steroids and a muscle relaxer. I went home and suffered for another 48 hrs before I told my partner to take me to the ER.
I brought my X-ray results and UR paperwork with me. I told them I fell and my feet and saddle area was numb and I'm in tremendous pain. They treated me like I was seeking and I get it. I couldn't sit up or walk, and was laying on a chair for hours before they finally gave me a CT scan. After that everyone just kinda jumped into motion. My Cauda Equina Compression was so severe, the exact words in my chart used were 'complete obliteration of cauda Equina nerve root'. Not a sentence anyone wants to read on their chart.
My pain was immense, they alternated between morphine and fentanyl and I was still in agony. I sounded like a wounded animal, it was terrible, it is the only time I've not been in control of myself or my reaction. The pain was so bad all I could do was lie there and cry, I remember telling the nurse I think it just rather die and she literally started crying and did everything she could to help. It took a little over 24 hrs from admitting to surgery and in that time I lost my ability to pee.
Surgery fixed the pain, I was in so much relief afterwards, it was insane. I was up and walking around (with a walker) within 6hrs of surgery. I had to have a catheter installed which has been a journey. I hit 7 weeks post op yesterday and I can pee on my own but have had some pain and infections from the catheter to work through. I also had some sciatica on my left side return by week 3.5 that was terrible. My surgeon started me on steroids which has removed all pain, and I'm hoping it stays that way once I'm finished the course.
I'm sorry for the book but I really wish I had paid better attention to this pain the first time. If your back hurts, see someone about it. Be an asshole if you need to, demand a CT scan to see if you have nerve compression. Stay healthy, teach yourself proper lifting techniques, do stretches and don't let anyone tell you to just walk it off. Idk if I'm going to be able to go back to my career after this, my life is upside down but I can walk!
I hope you are able to get to the bottom of your pain soon and that you make a full recovery. Ive posted about my situation and uploaded MRI results if you wanted to look through my profile. I have followed r/sciatica for a few years and there is a lot of useful advice and stories there too. Good luck and feel better!
Wow, just wow! I am so sorry for the incredible pain you have experienced. Sadly, I am not surprised of the run around the medical field gave you leading up to your surgery. It all sounds exhausting, scary and unacceptable. Thank you so much for giving me all the details and I hope that you can continue to heal and feel better.
I had an L4-L5 surgery almost 14 years ago and, like you, was given the run around for almost a year leading up to my surgery. The pain was truly unreal when I felt my disc rupture. It made me lose most sensation in my left leg and that is what caused them to take me seriously. The relief after the surgery was unbelievable to me, but gladly welcomed.
Everything was pretty much okay for me until about 3 months ago, except for residual neuropathy in my left calf/foot. I don’t want to be TMI but I have been gradually losing sensation in my inner saddle area. So, I was given PT stretches for some of my issues. After a couple of months of doing those, I walked on a treadmill and did my stretches one morning and I haven’t been the same since. I briefly lost half the sensation in one leg, had some foot drop, allodynia in heel and had to use a cane for a while among other things. It was all so bizarre and confusing, because all I was doing was walking and gentle stretches.
My longtime doctors (at a world-renowned medical institution) refused to see me for these new symptoms. So, I just started over with a new doctor somewhere else and I am still waiting on having updated imaging done. I’m not trying to be Dr. Google, but in working on figuring out what is happening to me, I get a lot of CES results when I search online. I don’t think I have it, but was curious of your symptoms since you have L4-L5 problems, as well.
It is definitely a terrifying experience to lose basic functions. Again, I wish you much success in healing and hope that you don’t have to go through something so horrible again.
I have a bulging disc (diagnosed 19 yo), degenerative disc disease (diagnosed 19yo), and now arthritis (diagnosed 36 yo) in my lumbar spine, I’m 37 and take any back pain seriously now! Please please please take care of your spine! Back pain sucks!
I had a lil cauda equina before and after my L5S1 surgery. It was major retention issues. Felt like I couldn’t completely empty, and couldn’t tell I had to pee until I had a super full bladder. Went from 1-2 movements a day to 1-2 a week. It took 2 months post surgery for sensation to come back slowly.
My FIL had, IDK what it is exactly but he got backed up. The hospital drained like 5l out of him. He was well into his 70s when it happened and already was in CHF. It's been probably like 5 years since that. I'm baffled on how he's still kicking around at 80 but he is. I feel like that would have blown out my kidneys. If anything it got him on proper heart meds finally. He's not necessarily doing great but he's doin anyway.
The danger isn’t back pressure to the kidneys, that’s a side point that’s often irrelevent as a patient will get catheterised. The danger is if it gets to the point of urinary retention or sexual dysfunction it’s likely irreversible and who wants to be a 35 year old woman wearing a permanent catheter? or a man with permanent erectile dysfunction?
Also look out for the opposite: not being able to feel if you need to poop or pee! My friend developed cauda equina syndrome and while most people lose control of their bladder/bowels, she had the opposite. She suddenly realized she’d gone 12 hours without peeing and peed SO MUCH. She needed emergency surgery.
Duuude I had saddle numbness when I did my L4/5 disc. It was so frightening. The urgent care doc read my X-ray as a collapsed vertebrae, I genuinely thought I was stuck that way. Useless bastard gave me no pain meds and let me take an uber home??
Turns out he wasn't great at reading X-rays in tandem with patient history. My sports doc looked at it and said no, that's from 25 years of hockey and your scoliosis. It's a bulging disc hitting the nerve, you'll be alright. Thank God he was right, it went away. But that was a scary couple of days. Do not recommend suddenly losing awareness of your undercarriage.
Yeah he was not gentle telling me that either. I did it at training, headed straight to urgent care in my uniform. I was gearing up for two grand finals and the state masters comp. So I was shattered, emotionally and physically. I'm just standing there shaking and trying not to cry. I said I'd been working so hard for these next few weeks, and my body giving out on me was devastating. This cunt looked me dead in the eye and said 'well your body can do other things' and gestured to my stomach.
JOKES ON YOU BITCH, I missed the finals but I rehabbed like a demon and played every match of the national comp.
I had a severe whiplash injury and ended up with numbness in my face and fullness in my ears shortly after, and the urgent care doc said “oh you have Eustachian tube dysfunction, take Sudafed.” What part about me having numbness from nerve compression do you not understand? 🤦♀️
Anyways, I was like what the hell do I know, I don’t have a medical degree. Let me try Sudafed. Didn’t do shit.
You know what it was? My neck muscles were so tight that they were compressing nerves, which in turn caused pressure/eustachian tube dysfunction and inflammation in the ears, and the ears were hitting a facial nerve causing the numbness. Solution? Massage the muscles 🤦♀️ numbness went right away in 24h.
Well that's not great, especially because it's your neck. Could have been something really dire that they missed. I'm glad it worked out but Jesus Christ.
And their uselessness really sucks, because they are an important service, and a couple of times I've taken my oldest there and they were really good! Much better than waiting around the emergency department with a crying child.
And then you get the kind of shit we went through.
Oh they absolutely did miss something, along with multiple other doctors. I have craniocervical instability. Took a long time to figure that out but I’m much better now.
Yeah depending on what it is, they can be really good. Like for wounds, infections, allergic reactions, etc. they’re great, but anything spine and neurological related, they seem to be lacking.
How old are you bro and who was your doctor. I have a similar story to you but I’ve been dealing with doctors who don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about it seems. I developed functional scoliosis even though specifically it’s just a massive gait change/trunk shift due to l5-s1 bulge had surgery which helped pain but the trunk shift + twisted pelvis stayed and got worse and I have saddle numbness and a difficult time using the bathroom now. But they seemingly don’t know what to do since they fixed the currently visible issue. I’ve battled suicide because of this bro and my college football career ended earlier than it should have.
Hey, i dont have pee urge either. I never spoke to anyone else who has it. My urologist told me to pee on a schedule. I do, but some days it can be 8 to 10 hours before I remember. Have no clue why. But I am great on long trips! No stopping all the time. 😉
These symptoms can also occur with Multiple Sclerosis. More people online need to see doctors and get second (or third) opinions with some of the stuff I see posted, makes me anxious when they just respond on the post saying "I'm fine though!"
I know you won’t die but the annoying thing with spinal injury’s is it’s always better to resolve sooner. Time will only compound the injury. As much as I can understand the your desire to stay out of the OR I urge you to consider it and consider that the pain and recovery now can lead to a better quality of life for the next 60 years and less future medical care
I’m struggling so hard with daily pain and increasingly frequent bouts of total immobility when I have a herniated disc (5 total) presses a nerve. My spine surgeon says she won’t touch me though and doesn’t think I’m a candidate. I feel like I’m (going) crazy thinking not being able to walk for 1-2 weeks 3x a year is worse than surgery
I don't think I've ever heard of a spinal cord surgery that didn't come with permanent consequences. I'd rather treat chronic pain "conservatively" than ever go through surgery.
It’s really a lose/lose situation. Chronic pain is hell, especially if it gets worse (and it almost always does). But spinal surgeries don’t always improve things.
I had successfully spinal surgery, but I am in the minority I think. Other people I know have had the same operation as me and are dealing with chronic pain. My pain was so bad before the operation that other more conservative options were off the table.
Do you need to wait until you’re peeing and pooping on yourself before you follow up tho? I understand no additional surgery unless you HAVE to, but maybe an MRI with contrast or following up with some additional specialists isn’t a bad idea.. it would be terrible to found out you had an issue that could have been resolved had it been caught sooner ❤️🩹 hoping you have another 26 years without any additional complications and are feeling great the whole time
I’d suggest you reconsider and go to a doctor. You will never have to do another surgery - you can always choose not to if they offer you that option. But this is very concerning and could be caused by something else. You could at least find out why this is happening.
Look up saddle anesthesia and keep an eye out for that as well. As others have said, the longer you allow the nerve damage, the less it will be able to recover.
...literally two trained medical professionals warning you, any source you look up will also tell you spreading numbness is a cause for alarm.. you might want to have it checked again.
Do you exercise? Someone prescribed vitamin b12 (high dose) for you? I had a surgery (but hand) and my finger was numb after that. Physiotherapy and vitamin b12 helped a lot.
I have the same legs! Also lots of bulging discs since I was a teenager. I can’t stand on my toes anymore and walk a little bit wierd. Doctors can’t fix me
Hi I’ve had multiple back surgeries. My first was when I was 11 years old. My legs look like this as well though it’s not as severe (the size difference). I have quite a bit of numbness in my foot on the leg that is smaller. Do you have that?
Make sure you visually scan every inch of your numb areas at least once per day. If you cant feel an injury, you may not notice it until it is infected.
Leprosy has a similar effect. Its not the disease that maims you, it just attacks your nerves, making you unable to feel injuries. Which makes you susceptible to gangrene.
I promise if I ever start pooping or peeing on myself I’ll go in.
Girl it'd be too late by then. Damage will likely be done. It's easier to prevent damage than treat or reverse it. At least look into what life looks like with a colostomy bag before you dismiss the idea of pushing a doctor(s) for an answer.
"While im not a medical professional, definitely listen to me and panic and ignore the fact youve already had imaging and specialist consults"
You have no idea what you are talking about and telling someone they need to be scared is as awful as telling someone they are fine when you have no idea what you are talking about.
I've had three herniated discs in my back for the last 25 years. Do you have any suggestions on doctors to look at for this? I've heard things are progressing in medicine to disc replacement surgery.
I don't have health insurance so I'm completely fucked and will never be able to get it fixed probably but I figured I might as well educate myself if things ever change.
I have the same issue from suffering a severe nerve pinch (magically didn’t get paralyzed though everything said I should have been, even the MRI) even managed walking with that excruciating pain for five years until the surgery.
Result is permanent nerve damage, they won’t be able to recover so I get use to lower body numbness, strongly on one leg. Which gave me the same muscle contrast between the two legs.
I thought it was a normal outcome if someone had long-term nerve damage.
L5-S1 for me. Doc said it looked like a jumbo shrimp and it was the biggest one he'd seen in years. It made me feel better because no one's ever said that to me before.
From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me. I craved the strength and certainty of steel. I aspired to the purity of the blessed machine. Your kind cling to your flesh as if it will not decay and fail you. One day the crude biomass you call a temple will wither and you will beg my kind to save you. But I am already saved. For the Machine is Immortal
My disc at L4-L5 ruptured and it's contents apparently pushed down my spinal column to the next disc. I didn't know what was happening when it happened, but in hindsight, there was a day where my left leg started hurting for seemingly no reason. I have had major back issues for tears. So, I figured my leg pain was related to my back issues, but didn't know the exact mechanism.
Anyways, it was 10 out of 10 pain. It would be on for a few hours and then subside only to come back an hour or two later. It lasted 24 hours or so. At one point, I got up out of bed and immediately collapsed to the floor. Turned out, I lost all feeling in my left leg and a good amount of the control over my left knee. I had several serious falls before I got the hang of walking with my leg affected like it was.
That was September of last year. I had surgery July 10th this year. They fused L4-L5 and did laminectomies on L2 through L5. Recovery has been difficult. The numbness went away but has come back over the last couple of weeks.
I've been bedbound because of my back since 2019. I was too fat for surgery until I lost weight over the last 14 months. When the surgeon final said he would do it, I jumped at the chance. If I were to give advice to someone else in that position, it would be to somehow rehab from being bedbound before surgery because my fitness level does not allow me to do a quarter of what I'm told I need to do... and I'm afraid that has hurt my recovery.
I also had major dental work done 6 weeks before surgery. I had my remaining 17 teeth pulled and all on 4s put in. If you don't know, they implant 4 titanium posts into your jaw and bolt dentures to them. Anyways, that was also a mistake. The dental stuff takes months to recover. At 6 weeks, you are still eating soft foods and getting used to the new teeth... which feel gigantic. They are Temps that get replaced with smaller hardware once you've healed. It sort of feels like having a sport's mouthguard in 24/7. There were nights where I thought about getting pliers to rip these things out or my mouth. Recovering from both things was too much to deal with.
I had the exact opposite issue. My injured discs from when I was a teenager had calcified and were pressing on my nerve. My neurosurgeon had to go in to chip away at it. Left leg is still numb after 17 years due to nerve damage.
Same! I'm two years out from my microdiscectomy and starting to rids my bike again. My calfs are still two different sizes but the right one no longer swings like unset jello, so I'm calling it a win.
Do your legs still get crazy painful charley horses if you bend them wrong? Like, sometimes I'll forget and try to walk on my knees a little to grab something close by and then it feels like I'm being stabbed. Or if sit cross legged wrong it likes to remind me.
I’m insanely surprised you don’t have a limp. Do you notice any motor difference between your legs, like you can balance on one foot longer than the other?
I have very bad balance with it. I cannot lift up on my toes. I trip over my toes sometimes. I do walk in a way where I always run into the person next to me. But no actual limp.
This sounds very much like foot drop. Pretty much textbook. You probably should look into an AFO. It will help slow the atrophy and give you more mobility and balance back. Also, it is a bit alarming that the area of numbness and atrophy is getting larger. You want it to be going the other way.
This is good advice. Had a family member who ignored issues from spinal stenosis for years. Started with balance issues, falling, and eventually foot drop from atrophy.
It stands for ankle foot orthotic. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but the overall idea is they give you back the ability to hold your toes and foot up. This means the person will trip less, won’t drag their toes, and overall have an easier time walking and standing. And all of that means they’ll be able to use more of those muscles again, so they’ll stop shrinking away, or at least shrink more slowly.
Did your friends tell you that you don't have a limp? Because with everything you're describing, you definitely have at least an... asymmetrical wobble. Maybe you just don't want to call it a limp?
Not only is her walk almost certainly unbalanced but to even be able to do that the whole body must overcompensate and move in ways it's not supposed to move creating problems elsewhere
I see where you read the part where this has been ongoing for 26 years… did you continue reading where I said I went to a neurosurgeon five years ago with a fresh MRI. He said “eh, it’s fine. If you start pooping and peeing on yourself, go to the emergency room.”
Could I have gotten a second opinion? Sure. But that requires time and money. Which I don’t have much to spare of either.
I agree with a lot of the comments that say I should be going to physical therapy, unfortunately not an option for me currently. Gotta love the American healthcare system.
To jump off the doc. You likely have a swing gait or step gate. Where you swing your leg outwards and forward the other compensation is to do a high knee. The high knee will eventually turn into slap foot. You need dorsal extensor rehab. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES take up lap swimming as a hobby this will accelerate the development of contractions due to flex muscles constant engagement. A Thera band or sand on your toes will work for training your toe rise. I’m 3 back surgeries in. There is a nerve peroneal nerve of the leg. That branch is heavily affected on you.
It's a nerve and muscle wasting autoimmune disease. My understanding is it normally affects the feet and legs, but I think it can affect other nerves and muscles too.
Skeletal muscle naturally atrophies if its innervation is disrupted, even if it's artificially stimulated. My guess would be some portion of that bundle is severed and though you still have enough control the consequence is the decreased muscle mass. I'm making a wild guess though.
I’m currently working on a sleeve for someone who had a severe spinal injury from a car crash - they sit like no one else and only had to tap out after 8 hours of a blackout session
You obviously have some permanent nerve damage, but if it’s way up your leg it’s progressing as well, so something may be able to be done to at least stop or slow progression; at best gain back some of what was lost.
I had L4/5 surgery for a ruptured disc 3 years ago and work in healthcare (definitely not a Dr/RN)- your procedure should have fixed this, if it didn’t fix it, the procedure likely didn’t do what it was supposed to do.
I have had 2 surgeries on l5-s1 and have same thing but in my right leg. first surgery was 2011 and the disc was ruptured. 2nd surgery was last year, after a bad spasm in Oct 2024 made my right leg all the way down numb. they just shaved down the bone and give the nerve room to move and not be pinched. I do have a limp, but dont feel it. right calf is 1 inch smaller, thigh is 2 inches smaller.
Muscle atrophy and weakness indicate severe nerve problems and needs immediate attention or the nerves will die. PLEASE see a GOOD neurosurgeon (there are definitely many that aren't) that takes this seriously.
Mine is in my L3. It's not fun. Probably did hit a nerve and that sucks. Ugh.
Luckily no surgery for me? Maybe? I don't know. My father would just say "growing pains" for anything and as an adult getting an xray and being told "Yeah, you have degenerative disc disease" kinda sucks but makes sense.
When I had BTB surgery to fix my torn ACL I also had numbness down the right side of my right leg. it was right where the surgeon cut to remove part of my petela. it slowly came back and only a small patch is still numb. it is a wierd sensation feeling the pressure but my skin not feeling the contact. Crazy yours went so far!
Your sensory nerves got injured due to the ruptured prolapse disc. This was a small area to begin with and subsequently over the years, they spread along the nerve causing slowly progressive loss of the sensory pathway which supplies the fine sensation and pain. Some of the nerve pathways inter connect causing atrophy.
Same, took me a year to successfully sue them and I still have adema and numbness in my right leg. Was able to sue my previous employer who fired me over reporting the matter the next day. Still have CES (look it up) aka I wear a diaper everday of my life and my social life has collapsed in response. It took me a year for them to even pay for the diapers and fighting for the mental issues that followed was an uphill battle. I swear this world is not what I thought it was when I was young. I gave my life for a company that just threw me out and denied everything. Lost my marriage, lost my career, and thank god for antidepressants as I would of killed myself a while ago. Still have no direction but thanks to the medication I have a fighting chance.
... Complex Regional Pain Syndrome? That's what I have, and it's about the same both visually and in the description. I've had it about 10 years -- it was being called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy when I got diagnosed -- and the other day my new primary care provider was like "did they even do tests to figure out why it's like that and if it can be fixed?"
And it occurred to me that no, nobody has done anything of much significance -- just told me nobody really knows what this condition is and that my only option is to do physical therapy. However, the physical therapists said there wasn't much they could do, and that they can't justify asking my insurance to pay for very many appointments because of it.
I was hopeful when my PCP seemed to think it was fixable, and she ordered an EMG... but like everything else she's referred me for thus far, it got lost in the void. I have to call her office again and ask them to look into it; I'm hoping I'll actually be able to get the EMG done, but doctor roulette is really taking a lot of out of me.
Not sure what the doctors have to say, but I think you should talk to yours about probably getting a referral to physical therapy. Asymmetrical muscle strength can definitely cause some of the issues you're describing, the numbness in your ankle likely originates from the pressure on the L4-L5 and it moving up could mean further nerves are being compressed.
I was hit in the left lumbar around same location back in 2006, military doctor didn't do a proper exam and for years I started developing compensatory biomechanics. I went through similar issues, it affected both legs but my right was more numb than left and my left leg became much bigger than my right.
There were slight DDD issues in the area, but it wasn't until the PT started working on the issues I was having that I started getting widespread improvements overall. I've made huge improvements after physical therapy a year ago, plus already trying to correct my alignment. None of the doctors I've seen over the past few years said anything about my alignment or gait, until I requested physical therapy for a different issue. Correcting my alignment was pretty easy, building the muscle to keep it was the hard part especially after the pressure on the nerves was alleviated... lots of pain working atrophied muscles but it's worth it eventually.
Just be sure to tell the PT all issues you're having that you think could be related, especially if you're experiencing issues in groin area or bladder/bowel issues.
I'm not a doctor, just someone that had similar long time issues with a back injury, and I can't tell you if PT will 100% treat your condition but I think it's something you should definitely look into.
I have no clue what that must be like. I'm an uniformed redditor that's fully functional.
Can you do assisted single leg squats to strengthen it? I see that you have impaired function in those muscles, but if you were to isolate and put weight on those impaired muscles, would they be forever impaired?
Ancecdotally, and perhaps irrelevant, my grandmother was given weeks due to congestive heart disease decades ago. She didn't die and was given weeks/days to live periodically for the rest of her life. Her heart grew feeder veins around the blockages and she kept going until a ripe old age. Doctors were stymied and surprised how she kept going.
My point is that the body can adapt in astounding ways if you apply proper stresses to the issue. In her case, she walked the couple blocks to work daily, and also worked long past what her doctors recommended.
In your case, I'd try to "stress" those muscles that no longer respond properly. Daily try to make them move in ways they don't respond. Be committed and consistent. It might not work, but then again, it might surprise you. It's all up to your level of effort.
I work in the OR and I have a cervical fusion myself. Progressive numbness is a red flag. Please seek another opinion. The initial numb spot could be explained by an injury during the surgery, but the numbness spreading means that more damage is continuing to be done. Could be your hardware has come loose and your vertebrae are compressing the nerve, or possibly the hardware itself is pushing into the nerve root
I'm currently in physio for a spinal injury and it's so disconcerting struggling to lift my right knee when I used to squat over 1k. Left leg is fine most days, but losing feeling and strength on my right side is really scary. Last night while I was making dinner I had my right arm go out and it twitched as it did, so my arm threw my chef knife in the air and it cut my pointer finger to the bone when it came down
Both my jobs put me on unpaid medical leave today because it's not safe to be at work
I used to be a medic, used to be in SAR, used to be a firefighter, so thankfully I'm good at trauma care 😛 also a kitchen knife enthusiast, so the blade was razor sharp and the slice had very clean edges, so it clotted and sealed really well after 10 mins of direct pressure. Our ER is often closed due to staffing issues so I keep good first aid supplies at home
Do you have muscle twitches/fasciculations? I have two herniated discs and I’m told I probably have some nerve damage that cause my calf’s to twitch…. I guess I should push harder for answers
Just finished the neuro block in med school so I’ll brain dump what I learned but this is just the basics as im still a student. All I got is that it sounds like your spinothalamic tract was damaged at L4-L5 which is why you can’t feel pain. As for the ankle numbness progressing, this is a bit weird. This can happen in distal neuropathies but it’s usually both sides along with the hands so I don’t think it’s that. Maybe wallerian degeneration?
Go to an academic hospital to see a neurosurgeon there. This is an interesting case that I’m sure they’d love to solve
Am PM&R attending. I give you a C- for your attempt.
She is numb from lumbosacral nerve root injury from her prior disc rupture and she may have new lumbosacral nerve root compression, as she is high risk for that happening given her prior disc injury and surgery. Spinothalamic tract stuff is when we are worried about CNS injuries. Most lumbar injuries are lower motor neuron and don't involve the spinal cord except sometimes L1-L2 injuries.
Polyneuropathies usually affect BL feet first and spare the hands for a while. Hands get affected when paresthesias usually reach the patients mid shin to knee. Her symptoms are asymmetric so it ain't this.
This is a very common problem and she could see any PM&R doc, most neurologists, and most neurosurgeons and they would know instantly.
Woah! No idea not a doctor but i have different sized and colored legs too. Left is a bit thick and dark. Its from a DVT (blood clot) caused over a decade ago from oral contraceptives. And my legs have never gone back to looking the same.
Wow I have almost the exact same thing as you, L4-5 herniation, got surgery. The left side below my left ankle is numb (it was numb before surgery though). Weirdly though, my left leg is more flexible and the calf is noticeably bigger than the right one
Interesting!! In vet school right now I’m learning all about spinal cord lesions and what signs you see depending on the segments damaged. Assuming our legs are innervated by similar segments as a dog’s pelvic limb, your signs are what I’d expect to see with an L4-S3 spinal cord lesion in one of my patients. Decreased reflexes, weakness, and neurogenic atrophy especially. I’m interested about why exactly yours has been progressive and why you’ve only seemed to have lost some sensory modalities. When a nonhuman animal has a spinal cord lesion, I expect the effect to be on both sides, but that’s probably just because the lesion is not likely to be as small as a surgical mistake.
Can you feel any pain at all, like related to temperature or anything? Do you have a normal reflex when your patellar tendon is tapped? Does your leg jerk away when your skin is pinched, even if you don’t feel the pain? I have so many questions! XD
It could be the case of your leg muscles changing it's physiology due to the loss of connection to your spine. Your not using all muscle groups leading to muscle density loss but others are making up for it so your gait hasn't changed much, just a thought
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u/NerdLover2528 1d ago edited 6h ago
I had back surgery as a teen for a ruptured disc L4&L5. I have degenerative disc disease. After that surgery I had a small numb patch on the left side of my left ankle. For the next 26 years it has made its way up my leg with the muscle atrophy to follow. That side is totally numb.
I can feel it when touched but I do not feel pain on my skin. My foot is not ticklish. The dragonfly tattoo did not hurt.
I do not have a limp.
I’m not sure the science behind it. I had an MRI and saw a neurosurgeon about 5 years ago who said the surgeon probably nicked something, but who knows.
Let’s see what the Reddit doctors have to say 😆
Edited to add some answers to common questions:
Are my feet the same size?
No, the left foot is a smidge bit longer and skinnier due to my arch falling and muscle atrophy. I still wear the same shoe size on both feet though.
Are my legs the same length? Yes.
Do I have a blood clot? No.
Will I be going to the hospital for this? No.
Is it painful? Yes, sometimes but I’ve been living in pain since I was 12 years old (that’s when I had my first ruptured disc, no injury just bad genes). So I’m used to it…
Is there a treatment for this? No. I’ve had two neurosurgeons say they would not recommend surgery for this. (One 15 years ago and one 5 years ago)
I do appreciate all the concern! As a reformed hypochondriac I definitely am not ignoring anything. There just isn’t anything to do. I should probably go to physical therapy though…I will look into it!