1. < Spine Health

Thigh weakness/foot drop after spine surgery

Posted by luamiller @luamiller, Mar 27, 2023

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has had thigh weakness after lumbar fusion surgery which is creating foot drop. I had my surgery 1 1/2 ago and my leg weakness and foot drop are still persisting. Just curious if anyone else has experienced this and if you have has it resolved?

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beedom | @beedom | Mar 4 8:36am
In reply to @beedom "Thank you so much for your reply. The first EMG showed compression below the knee. I..." + (show)
@beedom

Thank you so much for your reply. The first EMG showed compression below the knee. I had another EMG about 7 weeks after the release and it showed some inervation below the release site. I was also told based on the test, that should my foot not recover, I am eligible for tendon transfer. Obviously, having it come back is what I'm hoping for. In the meantime, I have had a hip replacement on the oposire side and that has delayed the foot therapy. I have always had some slight movement in the foot, but it never goes beyond that movement. I guess I'm over anxious for improvement. Having the drop foot has changed my world and taken away life as I knew it.
Thank you so much for your reply!

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Thank you!

REPLY
sb4ca | @sb4ca | Mar 12 7:53pm
In reply to @luamiller "Thank you for your response. I did discuss it with my surgeon & his PA after..." + (show)
@luamiller

Thank you for your response. I did discuss it with my surgeon & his PA after my follow-up appointments as well as last summer. They seem to want me to give it more time. My foot drop isn't a typical foot drop in the sense that I can move my foot, but more rather is it steming from the weakness in my thigh and I am toe dragging and a foot slap when I walk. My surgery was fall of 2021, I am fused from L1-S1.

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I had foot drop about a decade ago, then I got brachial plexitis and previously carpal tunnel. Eventually I was diagnosed with chronic inflammatory polyradiculopathy or CIPD. It is a motor nerve dysfunction disorder. Mine was diagnosed through nerve and muscle testing. Just throwing that out there and that there can be more than one cause of foot drop. I wish you the best

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2 replies
beedom | @beedom | Mar 13 7:12am
In reply to @sb4ca "I had foot drop about a decade ago, then I got brachial plexitis and previously carpal..." + (show)
@sb4ca

I had foot drop about a decade ago, then I got brachial plexitis and previously carpal tunnel. Eventually I was diagnosed with chronic inflammatory polyradiculopathy or CIPD. It is a motor nerve dysfunction disorder. Mine was diagnosed through nerve and muscle testing. Just throwing that out there and that there can be more than one cause of foot drop. I wish you the best

Jump to this post

Thank you. All info helpful. Best to you!

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Berk | @gba | Mar 13 3:30pm
In reply to @gba "Several years ago I had a Spinal Tap at JFK Hospital in Boynton Beach Fl. The..." + (show)
@gba

Several years ago I had a Spinal Tap at JFK Hospital in Boynton Beach Fl.
The Tech twice missed the vein. Terrible pain. That night Sciatica in left leg. Terrible Pain.
Foot Drop came next, Then Neuropathy and numbness came.
I may have Sinal Stenosis. Could it be the cause of all my problems.

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Anyone have a Spinal Tap hit nerves in error ?

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1 reply
Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Mar 14 4:53pm
In reply to @gba "Several years ago I had a Spinal Tap at JFK Hospital in Boynton Beach Fl. The..." + (show)
@gba

Several years ago I had a Spinal Tap at JFK Hospital in Boynton Beach Fl.
The Tech twice missed the vein. Terrible pain. That night Sciatica in left leg. Terrible Pain.
Foot Drop came next, Then Neuropathy and numbness came.
I may have Sinal Stenosis. Could it be the cause of all my problems.

Jump to this post

@gba I found some other discussions where you may meet other members discussing Foot Drop. Spine problems can cause foot drop. I did have some temporary problems with foot drop after a traffic accident that caused a whiplash, and that injury lead to spine surgery years later when I developed cervical stenosis in the central canal.

Spine Health - "Thigh weakness/foot drop after spine surgery"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/thigh-weaknessfoot-drop-after-spine-surgery/

Neuropathy - Drop foot
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/drop-foot/

Jennifer

REPLY
Berk | @gba | Mar 15 3:38pm
In reply to @donnadrury "A lot of people with spinal cord injury/myelopathy have foot drop. Mine is fairly minor so..." + (show)
@donnadrury

A lot of people with spinal cord injury/myelopathy have foot drop. Mine is fairly minor so I do not wear a brace. There are good hinged braces available for people with foot drop — occupational or physical therapists could help you with this.

Jump to this post

Several years ago I had a Spinal Tap at JFK Hospital in Boynton Beach Fl.
The Tech twice missed the vein. Terrible pain. That night Sciatica in left leg. Terrible Pain.
Foot Drop came next, Then Neuropathy and numbness came.
I may have Sinal Stenosis. Could it be the cause of all my problems?

REPLY
1 reply
beedom | @beedom | Mar 15 3:45pm
In reply to @gba "Several years ago I had a Spinal Tap at JFK Hospital in Boynton Beach Fl. The..." + (show)
@gba

Several years ago I had a Spinal Tap at JFK Hospital in Boynton Beach Fl.
The Tech twice missed the vein. Terrible pain. That night Sciatica in left leg. Terrible Pain.
Foot Drop came next, Then Neuropathy and numbness came.
I may have Sinal Stenosis. Could it be the cause of all my problems?

Jump to this post

Wow! Did your foot eventually "come back" after that insult? Have you had any testing since then? It sure sounds like it came from that.

REPLY
DadCue | @dadcue | Mar 15 8:09pm
In reply to @sb4ca "I had foot drop about a decade ago, then I got brachial plexitis and previously carpal..." + (show)
@sb4ca

I had foot drop about a decade ago, then I got brachial plexitis and previously carpal tunnel. Eventually I was diagnosed with chronic inflammatory polyradiculopathy or CIPD. It is a motor nerve dysfunction disorder. Mine was diagnosed through nerve and muscle testing. Just throwing that out there and that there can be more than one cause of foot drop. I wish you the best

Jump to this post

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a slowly developing autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the myelin that insulates and protects your body's nerves.

I think you left out the "demyelinating" part unless CIPD is something else.

I have foot drop on the right which developed suddenly along with severe right radicular leg pain. An MRI showed that I had severe spinal stenosis. Given the sudden onset neurological changes in the context of severe spinal stenosis that explained the foot drop ---not.

Fortunately, an EMG/NCS was done to "delineate the damage." The results EMG/NCS showed diffuse peripheral neuropathy involving my arms and legs. Neuropathy of the peroneal nerve caused the foot drop.

I still have severe lumbar spinal stenosis. Nobody could explain why I have peripheral neuropathy so it was called idiopathic. I do have autoimmune problems so I suspected CIDP might be the cause except the foot drop happened suddenly.

REPLY
3 replies
sb4ca | @sb4ca | Mar 15 9:57pm
In reply to @dadcue "Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a slowly developing autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune..." + (show)
@dadcue

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a slowly developing autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the myelin that insulates and protects your body's nerves.

I think you left out the "demyelinating" part unless CIPD is something else.

I have foot drop on the right which developed suddenly along with severe right radicular leg pain. An MRI showed that I had severe spinal stenosis. Given the sudden onset neurological changes in the context of severe spinal stenosis that explained the foot drop ---not.

Fortunately, an EMG/NCS was done to "delineate the damage." The results EMG/NCS showed diffuse peripheral neuropathy involving my arms and legs. Neuropathy of the peroneal nerve caused the foot drop.

I still have severe lumbar spinal stenosis. Nobody could explain why I have peripheral neuropathy so it was called idiopathic. I do have autoimmune problems so I suspected CIDP might be the cause except the foot drop happened suddenly.

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Do you still have your foot drop? I had no idea what it was. I only knew I was tripping and slapping when I walked. I did mix up the acryomen. I have CIDP. My NCT/EMG didn't show any spinal stenosis causing my foot drop. Further studies were done after I had another radiculopathy episode, outside my spine again, it eventually led to my diagnosis of CIDP. I had significant conduction delays on my testing. That's only what I can remember off the top of my head. I had to have a sural nerve biopsy that left that area completely numb. Did you have a biopsy? I sure that must have been really alarming for you.

Further testing showed a remitting course of demyelination with remyelination as the nerves repaired themselves. Mine only affects my long motor nerves/fibers. I didn't have any sensory symptoms nor do I remember it being very painful outside of the muscles reacting to not being able to lift my arm. I simply could not lift it just like with the foot drop. Both resolved on their own. I just remember it being such a whirlwind of testing and that's probably close to 8 years ago. Now I just do annual testing. No treatment. I know my balance has now been affected-my neurologist noted that first. I can't do a toe-heel test because I just fall over. He told me he doesn't think I'll end up in a wheelchair and I hold on to that. This is why I don't think what I am experiencing is related to CIDP. I'm not feeling weak in my legs, it is more of a hot burning, deepness of pain mainly in my upper thigh on one side where my hip and butt hurt. How have you been dealing with your stenosis? Have they told you you need surgery? How much does it affect your daily activities? Every time I've see an MRI of my own that says "severe" I've had to have surgery because it's impinging on my cord and causing the thecal sac to narrow. That's been limited only to cervical. Do you have degenerative disc disease? I do-it's just a fancy word for arthritis. I developed OA nodules in my fingers in my 30's. I also have scoliosis from that. I appreciate your comments.

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1 reply
gabriellec | @gabriellec | Mar 16 8:42am
In reply to @dadcue "Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a slowly developing autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune..." + (show)
@dadcue

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a slowly developing autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the myelin that insulates and protects your body's nerves.

I think you left out the "demyelinating" part unless CIPD is something else.

I have foot drop on the right which developed suddenly along with severe right radicular leg pain. An MRI showed that I had severe spinal stenosis. Given the sudden onset neurological changes in the context of severe spinal stenosis that explained the foot drop ---not.

Fortunately, an EMG/NCS was done to "delineate the damage." The results EMG/NCS showed diffuse peripheral neuropathy involving my arms and legs. Neuropathy of the peroneal nerve caused the foot drop.

I still have severe lumbar spinal stenosis. Nobody could explain why I have peripheral neuropathy so it was called idiopathic. I do have autoimmune problems so I suspected CIDP might be the cause except the foot drop happened suddenly.

Jump to this post

Which specialist was able to diagnose your problem? I’ve seen my PCP, neurosurgeon, and ortho and they can’t. I’m scheduled with a neurologist in June.

REPLY
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