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ankle bone pain from back???

Posted by willow5 @willow5, Nov 16 9:22am

hi - I’ve posted about my spinal stenosis, surgery postponed, need to strengthen my bones. A reprieve, kind of.

The main pain I have, like an 8 out or 10, is around my outside ankle bone, which when really hurts shoots up my leg, and tenderness down the foot starting mid ankle bone. That is what limits my walking/running

I plan to go to the surgeon’s PA, and ask him is this really is from the L5-S1. Are there nerve tests that can be done to show this is what the pain is from. When I have mentioned it, the answer is yeah, that area can hurt from the nerves. Somehow that is not enough of an answer for me

The last back epidural took the pain away but only for a few weeks, which makes me wonder if it’s not from the compressed nerve

I’ve been injected, thrown money at it with shockwave therapy, done endless ankle and foot exercises. Had MRI, xrays. This has gone on for at least two or three years, sometimes better, sometimes not.

I’m seeing my podiatrist for something else on Thursday and will talk to her. Once she did tell me to wear a boot for a month, and I didn’t. Stupid, but I didn’t know what boot to get so didn’t do it. The only thing I haven’t tried is complete immobilization.

Concerns, getting back surgery and finding out this pain isn’t part of the leg pain at all. Or doing complete immobilization of the ankle for a month and losing some strength in that leg and the funkiness of walking in a boot will get other parts of my body out of whack.

Is there another type of doctor I should see? Are there tests I should be asking for. I am going to try some mindful meditation for chronic pain - but my thought/question is, is it chronic or something that can be fixed that isn’t L5-S1 fusion. Anyone relate?

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bayhorse | @bayhorse | Nov 18 1:46pm

I have the same sort of issue. I have severe lumbar stenosis, and all pain is being attributed to that, while I am sure that the pain in the outside of my ankle and calf is unrelated. I am going to see a pain specialist this week; am hoping he will be more willing to explore other causes. If not, am likely headed to an acupuncturist, as I was able to stop the ankle pain temporarily simply by putting pressure for about a minute on the worst spot.

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1 reply
willow5 | @willow5 | Nov 18 2:09pm
In reply to @bayhorse "I have the same sort of issue. I have severe lumbar stenosis, and all pain is..." + (show)
@bayhorse

I have the same sort of issue. I have severe lumbar stenosis, and all pain is being attributed to that, while I am sure that the pain in the outside of my ankle and calf is unrelated. I am going to see a pain specialist this week; am hoping he will be more willing to explore other causes. If not, am likely headed to an acupuncturist, as I was able to stop the ankle pain temporarily simply by putting pressure for about a minute on the worst spot.

Jump to this post

hi. i've been goi g to acupuncture and i get decent relief for a handful of days. today im goi g to a
sports med doc and she's goi g to ultrasound the area to see if anything else is going on in the ankle area

good luck to both of us!

REPLY
1 reply
bayhorse | @bayhorse | Nov 19 11:57am
In reply to @willow5 "hi. i've been goi g to acupuncture and i get decent relief for a handful of..." + (show)
@willow5

hi. i've been goi g to acupuncture and i get decent relief for a handful of days. today im goi g to a
sports med doc and she's goi g to ultrasound the area to see if anything else is going on in the ankle area

good luck to both of us!

Jump to this post

Thanks for the encouragement, and for letting me know about ultrasound. No one has mentioned that to me as a possible diagnostic tool!

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willow5 | @willow5 | Nov 19 1:16pm

So the ultrasound showed some inflammation for something I have called sinus tarsi syndrome. There was nothing else, and pretty sure it’s the nerve pain from the back. I will increase gabapentin to 200 mg at night and 100 mg in the daytime.

Also, i will start walking up hills (we lean when we go up hills so generally that doesn’t hurt) and I will use hiking poles going down hill, which will take some pressure off the back, and we’ll see how that goes. I’d like to be able to get out walking again!! Or the very least get on a treadmill with a bit of an incline. I’m kind of burned out on my pelaton,

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loriesco | @loriesco | Nov 20 8:30am

Yes, I have that. I suspect it's from your spine exiting nerve roots. I am sorry your surgery was postponed. I had mine in 2018 with a FABULOUS surgeon. But we only did L3, 4, 5. Now, 6 years later I have the bones around collapsing and the revived leg nerve problems. Here's my suggestion: See the spine surgeon NOT the PA. OR, agree to see the PA but require the surgeon to attend after you finish with the PA. I've done this for many years and the PAs are NOT the same as seeing the surgeon. The surgeon looks at the xray they take in the office and HE/SHE KNOWS if your discs are compressed and your are looking disc height, blah, blah - and if surgery is the solution. Make sure you have the best surgeon you can get. I went thru 4 before I got the perfect fit. Because that happened - during that time - the surgeries got better over 20 years. I am probably staring my next spine surgery in the face as I write, but I am immune now to any fears - they always make my life so much better afterwards. Good luck. p.s. feel your entire leg to your toes. If there is any numbness, tickling, abnormal sensations along the other parts of your leg, any atrophy of the leg itself, its the spine which is the source. I wasted a lot of time and money on foot inserts, TENS, acupuncture, rehab, etc - it was only bandaids for the real problem. A good lumbar spine specialist is GOLD. If its not your spine as the source then they will confirm that for you.

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