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Obturator nerve damage post prostatectomy?
I had my robotic assisted prostatectomy this past March. I'm fortunate in that everything went well; am fully continent, ED not terrible (I'm 72 years old).
Started walking again towards the end of June. Before surgery, I generally walked about three miles a few times a week. At about 1.5-2 miles I got a severe ache in the lower groin, upper thigh area, shortly followed by m yleg going numb (I almost fell over; very unsteady). I managed to crawl home and after rest, situation cleared up.
It seems that it's getting worse. Early Summer I had no problem playing 18 holes in a cart, but recently this issue "comes on" after 4 or 6 holes; while being in a cart I'm rally not walking that much.
Saw my doctor recently and have an EMG scheduled with a neurologist October 1st.
Urology has indicated that this usually resolves on it's own, but I'm wondering why it seems to be getting worse if that's the case. Have read that this can be the result of nerve damage during surgery or caused by a lymphocele forming that rubs against and irritates the nerve.
Anyone else dealt with this issue, and if so, how did you resolve it and what treatments did you undertake?
Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this perplexing complication.
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I see how frustrating and even scary that numbness can be : (.
I would not jump into conclusion that it has something to do with surgery per se until all tests are done. < 3 It can be that some other nerve is acting up and produces a reflex pain in the groin area. Maybe it is simple sciatica or it could even be that you piriformis muscle got too tight and needs some gentle stretching.
If your doctors do not find anything on EMG ask for MRI and also for physical therapy. The fact that it is acting up during long walks to me signals some muscle involvement (muscle pressing on a nerve) and the more you anticipate the pain the more it tightens so it gets "worse". I am telling all of this from personal experience (as well as of my family members and friends), but I am not medical professional and could be completely wrong. I am just trying to say that you should try not to worry ahead of time and that there are many ways how one can find help with nerve pain .
Wishing you all the best and fast resolution of numbness and pain < 3
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2 ReactionsI had this problem almost exactly how you wrote it. About 3-4 weeks after my prostatectomy I was able to do long walks, but all of the sudden I couldn’t go more then 1 and 1/2 miles or I would start getting pains in my hip and groin. If I didn’t stop walking shortly thereafter, the pain would get very severe. I stopped my walks for a few days and did some hip flexor exercises and the pain eventually went away. I walked all over Boston this weekend and never had any of that pain. Plenty of other pains though. Getting old is tough and I’m only 50. Good luck!!
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3 ReactionsJohn, did you do the hip flexor exercises on your own, or did you have professional physical therapy? Did you have any testing to verify or determine the extent of the injury? I'm scheduled for an EMG with a neurologist October 1st. I'm actually leaving today for a trip to Europe, so the timing of this development isn't ideal, lol. How long did you do the hip flexor exercises before you felt relief? Sorry to ask so many questions, but this issue is kind of rare and there isn't a lot of real world info on line. Boston is great; did you do the Liberty Trail? You can feel the history. Fun city to visit, as I am in the Midwest.
Thank you for the encouragement. Hoping to get this resolves sooner than later.