Foot drop due to bulging disk in my back, anyone else?

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Who else has Drop foot.

Mississippi38

I have foot drop due to a bulging disc and MRI states it may or maybe not be compressed or damaged, has anyone gone through this?

Chloe_Scope

Hi @Mississippi38 and a warm welcome to the community! This sounds really painful, is there any treatment that can ease it?

Geoark

Hi @Chloe_Scope I have not found the condition itself painful, its affect can be.

The front of the foot does not lift properly so you end up catching the toes. So the pain I get from it is from catching something which can jar the leg and cause pain with the sciatica. The other is of course catching your foot and falling over. I don't run for anything any more as the toe catches on every step potentially sending me over.

I only worked out recently what is was and waiting to get an appointment with my GP so I can see if there is anything which can be done. There seems to be 4 main therapies, physiotherapy, using a leg or ankle brace or splint, electrical nerve simulation or surgery.

There can also be a number of causes including nerve damage, muscle wasting diseases and brain damage. So it is a symptom of something else going on.

It can knock your confidence a lot as you don't feel safe walking.

Topkitten

I have been dealing with walking problems for 12 years or so as I have multiple disc issues from a progressive condition. I have had what you describe many years ago and I just had to take more care when walking as no one in the NHS had any idea what to do about it. In my case it progressed to times when the whole foot wouldn't rise but now, with walking at all so painful, I simply don't walk at all unless I absolutely have to and technically shouldn't walk at all but if I didn't I would die quickly and painfully from dehydration.

TK

Chloe_Scope

Thank you for your insight @Geoark! 
I imagine this was frustrating when they were unsure what we going on @Topkitten, thank you for sharing and I'm sorry to hear it is now really painful.

Topkitten

@Chloe_Scope, they still don't really understand most of the time and every time i see a new doctor I have a 50/50 chance of being misdiagnosed. I try to explain it to them but am usually dismissed quickly because I am not a qualified doctor. Shame really because I have yet to meet ANY doctor who has an IQ even close to mine.

TK