This delightful patient was sent to us by a very astute neurosurgery team who made the diagnosis that her weak left leg was NOT due to a spinal lesion such as a herniated disk but was due to a compression of the common peroneal nerve at the level of the knee. At this level, the nerve can be pinched by a band of thick tissue much like the median nerve can be pinched at the wrist in the carpal tunnel.
When she arrived at the office she could hardly move her foot up or out at all and could not raise her toes. We confirmed the diagnosis and offered the patient a nerve decompression. Very quickly, this patient had essentially full resolution of her symptoms after months of paralysis. Needless to say – we are celebrating with her!
I will add that in addition to the weakness, she also had dense numbness, and tingling down the outside of her leg to the top of her foot.
It is important to note that we always hope to get these same results with every patient that has this operation, but individual responses may vary depending for many reasons. Some of these reasons include the length of time that symptoms have been present, the severity of the injury, the method the injury occurred, and the overall health of the patient. There are many factors that go into determining the potential for recovery after a nerve decompression.
Needless to say, we are very pleased with her recovery!