This patient is now 2 months from a decompression of the left common peroneal nerve, superficial peroneal nerve, deep peroneal nerve, and sural nerves for severe persistent refractory pain in the left leg with some associated weakness in the ankle. She had pain that radiated from the outside of her knee to the top of her foot, and weakness in the ability to pick up the ankle and the toes. Her symptoms were present for 6 years! Her pain has gotten so extensive that the pain began to radiate up the back of the leg up to the buttock.
The pain began after an injury from soccer that fractured a bone in her leg. This injury was bad enough to cause a “stretch” traction type of injury to the ankle and leg most likely leading to a damaged nerve that was healthy enough to function… “sort of.” But from the very beginning, she had this pain. Her pain and weakness worsened until it came to a head.
When the patient came to our office, she had clear evidence of entrapment of these large nerves. We discussed treatment options that centered around nerve decompression surgery of the affected nerves. Within a few weeks, her pain was 90% improved after 6 years of pain!
In these types of circumstances, where there has been ankle trauma or lower leg trauma, but no need for previous surgery to repair terribly displaced fractures, we have a very high success rate in helping those patients who continue to have persistent pain after what their physicians typically feel “should have resolved by now.” Especially when that pain is associated with numbness, tingling, and partial weakness. We see many patients with similar stories.
So if you have had an lower extremity ankle injury, or knee injury that has “completely healed,” but continue to experience life-limiting pain in the foot and ankle, then we would be delighted to evaluate your lower extremity for possible peripheral nerve injuries or entrapments that can be overlooked at times by other teams.