Femoral nerve damage after kidney transplant

I have severe femoral nerve damage in my left leg but that was after a OBGYN cancer surgery where a large pocket of blood(300 mls) pooled at the hip and that essentially killed that nerve. First you need a test called EMG where they will assess/document the extent of the damage. It is important you do that soon because that will be your baseline for the future. Then you should start PT asap with the intent of making your leg strong. That will make you more functional on a day to day basis. My surgery was 3 1/2 years ago and that leg has no feeling at all, PT has done wonders to establish a connection between my brain telling the leg to move and it responding, albeit not perfectly. Mine will never go back to normal but thanks to almost 1 yr of PT, I now function without needing a walker or a cane. A difference is that your is hypersensitivity and mine is lack of sensitivity/feeling. I don't know if my experience is of help to you?

Hello,
I experienced femoral nerve damage in my left thigh after my kidney transplant, in the form of numbness, tingling, and weakness. For several years, I had to lift my left leg to get into cars, could not do stairs without substantial use of handrails, and was no longer able to demonstrate when teaching dance (I am a ballet, tap and jazz teacher). I also experienced multiple knee and ankle injuries, when my leg would just give out beneath me. Each injury set me back months.

I used a knee brace and ankle brace for many months, did some PT and determined weight-lifting to be the best exercise for my body to help develop leg strength. I am 4 years post-transplant and I believe the nerve has repaired a bit. I have some sensation on the front of my left thigh now, and the weight-lifting has helped me regain muscle strength. I feel strong again. I am still not able to demonstrate much ballet or jazz, but I am able to tap.

While every situation is different, the good news is, the body is regenerative and wants to heal - strength can be rebuilt, and nerves can repair. I think it is best to at least start with a physical therapist, when rebuilding. I hope something I shared is helpful.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm glad to hear the progress you have made. My damage is a super sensitive knee to upper thigh, and constant pain/ache in my pelvi area near the transplanted kidney. I have complained to all my drs. Have seen a neurologist with not much help. Never was offered PT or an EMG test. I too have a hard time with stairs up and down. I grip the rail for dear life. I have already fallen and broke my wrist 1 year after transplant due to lack of being able to raise my leg enough to clear a curb. I will persue the PT and other questions on repairing this nerve.

I did not get much help from Mayo, the neurologist that gave me the path to improvement is at Barrow Brain and Spine. The EMG will give you a baseline against which you can measure improvement in the future. It is an unpleasant test to go through but it becomes your baseline. PT needs to focus on strengthening both legs so your strength aims to even out. I totally relate to your comment of gripping the rail for dear life and the difficulty in clearing the curb. It is tough!

Thanks for your comment. I have been so frustrated not getting any answers. Not from Mayo but from all the drs I've seen in my state, and all the imaging which show nothing. They are all in the same network and dont want to give an independent decision it seems. I know what I have is real and it's debilitating.

You and I have the opposite problem but with similar consequences. I am not a doctor and don't know about the feasibility of my idea but....hear me out - If you have an EMG where the performing doctor is asked beforehand to specify in the report exactly which nerves/muscles are causing you pain, as in mapping it out, then a neurologist should be able to inject those muscles/nerves with either steroids or Botox (google Botox for TMJ and for migraines, it works by temporarily disabling the hyperactivity of muscles and nerves). That is a solution that would help you for maybe a few weeks or months but a process that would identify exactly which muscles or nerves are injured and angry. Then later, maybe these specific nerves could be disabled to interrupt the conduction of pain? I am just thinking out loud here and your insurance might not be willing to agree to this. As spephanierp said, your body wants to heal.

Yes, I’m almost 12 weeks post. I have numbness in my lower right groin area that goes into my upper thigh

@dkshroyer1313
Good Morning, and Welcome to Connect. Congratulatios on on your kidney transplant, At 12 weeks, I am guessing that you are beginning to regain some energy and the desire to return to a more normal life style.
I am a liver and kidney transplant recipient. I received both organs in the same surgery from one deceased donor in 2009. So please forgive me if my memory from my early post surgery is lacking details. I do remember that after the surgery, I had aches that were from the way that my body was positioned for the procedure. I also remember feeling abdominal pain in my lower left abdomen where my kidney is located when I began exercising at the gym. It frightened me, but after mentioning it to my transplant PA, it was determined that it was a normal response to the forming scar tissue. I was advised to ease up and to gradually increase my efforts. I did that, and the pain is gone. I realize that this not the same as the pain that you are describing, but ist is my post transplant experience memory.

Now, more recently, 10 months ago, and unrelated to transplant, I had a hip replacement. That is when I felt a pain more I feel that you are experiencing. The surgeon and physical therapist told me that it was likely due to the surgical position and the healing plus swelling/inflamation of the surroumding area. I worried about nerve damage. For me, going easy, slow, gentle with movement began to reduce the aching and the pain that jolted down my leg. Today that pain is gone. It took me 9 months to accomplish.

Is your transplanted kidney on the right side? Are you possibly becoming too agressive with your phyical activity since surgery? What has your transplant team suggested about this pain?

I also have some numbness in the right upper thigh near the groin.