@njed' I too have numbness in the lower right leg and foot with occasional pain especially in the 3rd toe of that foot. As you mentioned at times a description of the changing symptoms is not even clear to me! About 6 years ago stenosis, spondylosis and some osteoporosis in the lumbar region caused ever increasing pain experienced in my spinal area, right butt, leg, foot and toes, along with that incessant numbness. At that point, surgery was the only option because I needed a physical reduction of the pressure on the spinal chord from the narrowing and disc movement. After healing the results were amazing-no pain or numbness!-but in 6 mos the numbness returned, no pain though (which was a blessing). Since then I have been constantly monitored since the stenosis is on going, wide spread and severe. I am now 10 weeks out from my second (and last btw) spinal surgery which completes what could not be totally addressed in the first. My healing and mobility are considered excellent since total recovery is about 9 mos. I still have that damn numbness though! Maybe it will be less at 9 mos, IDK. I am 80 and at times I wonder what is from the spinal chord or just old age! It was almost guaranteed that unless I reduced the stress on my spinal chord more bad things would happen including eventually not be able to walk. I guess I would like to share two points; 1, pain caused by spinal problems can be far reaching and felt in many seemingly unrelated parts of the body, 2,Although I am not super pro surgery- when physical intervention is absolutely needed what else can accomplish that, for the most part anyway? I hate to see people suffer and maybe even misled by trying a "therapy" that simply can't work.