Will my leg strength come back ?

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Roadworker

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I have had this disc problem fo about 9 wks now Herniated L5 S1 w/ impinging on spine.

Since about a week after my upper leg has lost it strength, now have pain in lower calf muscle.

I am having a EMG test done on the 14th, but will my leg come back. It has more pain then my back now and have a hard time going up stairs .

Thanks
 
i am just wondering if when you said this is impinging on your spine,did you mean the actual spinal cord itself? do you have your own copy of the MRI results? if not get one and read thru it or post the summary part here. we can help you decipher it. if this is actually your spinal cord that is being impinged,it just ups the need to get to the surgical level. if not,more conservative measures can be tried. the description of your symptoms just really sound more cord related to me.

knowing exactly what it is that you are dealing with is just really crucial in order to make the best informed decisions on any treatments or surgery. marcia
 
On my MRI report where the doc write " Impression" here is what it says

Central Subligamentous posterior Disc herniation at L5- S1 impinging on the anterior aspect of the spinal canal.?

What i don't get is my leg is getting worse and now not just the thigh it is the lower calf in ALOT of pain.

Where as my back feels much better, though i am nt working yet.

Any thoughts would be great...Thanks Mike
 
Hey Mike,
I did exactly the same thing.....my back felt fine but the leg and buttock started to jurt bad. Please be careful, it really sounRAB like significant nerve damage. Hope you feel better.....pain sucks! Take care!

Deb
 
It is going to depend on what they find on the EMG. The longer your nerves are impinged, the more likely your nerve damage and leg pain will be permanent. Depending on why you have weakness, if it is because you have been sedentary, it is possible to get back the stregnth. For me, it was not until I started to see a pain management Dr. that I started to be able to work on my legs. There are so many different therapies that can give you some relief from the pain. Even if it is not long term, you can use the time that your pain is lessened, to start your excercise to stregnthen your legs. If you leg muscle has begun to waste away, which I don't think ususally happens after just a few weeks, but if it is, then it will be harder to regain the stregnth.

Has your Dr. told you or written in his notes, his thoughts on how much stregnth that you have lost? In his reports, it would say something like 3/5 etc. They often use the no. 5 as being perfect...then when they do your physical and do things like push on your leg and feet, telling you to push against their stregnth. Then they will rate on a scale of 1-5, what they think your stregnth is.

Lorie:angel:
 
Same here, the back got better but my butt and legs have kept worsening. I sure hope you can find a way of fixing the problem and if it is permanent nerve damage, I hope you can find something that helps with the pain.

Lorie:angel:
 
Thank you for the info, my doctor has not told me much except he does not think any perm damage is taken place in leg.

My concern is , i have alot of pain in upper thigh and now in lower calf muscle. Extreme weakness in thigh and i think muscle is getting smaller. It is now 1.5 " smaller then left leg in roundness.

My leg is hurting more then my back now, i can't even drive without pain, walk stairs etc.

I am losing my patience though....

Mike
 
I am right there with you. I am sorry that you are going through this pain and I hope you get the answers that you need, from your Dr. The pain is from the impingment and it sounRAB like you have Sciatica. If you ever notice that your thigh has a hollow or dimpled look to it, that is a sign of a muscle that is wasting. So, make sure if that ever happens, that you tell your Dr. right away.

I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers,
Lorie:angel:
 
Hi Mike,
Sorry you are in so much pain.
My herniation and broken piece of disc was only on my L5-S1 nerve root for about 3 weeks and I have permananent nerve damage. My right leg is weaker than the left and my foot scuRAB after only 15 minutes of slow walking. Your pain definitely sounRAB like nerve impingement. Your EMG can actually distinguish between nerve damage and nerve irritation. Nerve irritation will go away, the nerve damage MAY be permanent but even that MAY improve over a long period of time. Good luck and keep us posted!

Deb
 
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