Peripheral nerve injury and foot drop after GSW to theigh please help - Foot Problems Message Board

reagansregiment · 07-14-2005, 06:29 PM

This is my first post please forgive my rambleness

on June 2 2005 A pistol that was in my closet for years feel out and landed in my lap it discharged into my theigh app 6 inchs above my knee the bullet exited app 3 inches above the bend of my knee on the back I was in the hospietial for sevreal days almost immiately I could not lift my foot or toes and the top of my foot as well as the outside of my calf was numb , the surgeon said that since it was a clean shot no surgery was needed at the time he also thought the feeling in my leg and foot would return after a few weeks , but it did not and soon severe pain in my calf and foot started, after 5 weeks i had the Emg test it reported no response it was at that time that I got an AFO brace and learned i should have been wearing it for weeks , now Ive been told that nerve sugery only becomes an opion 3 months after the injury , but heres my question , why does it hurt so bad , the wound is completly healed and has no pain in it all the pain is in my calf and foot the drs seem to be more concern with my drop foot but Im more concerned with the pain , i know someone out there has suffered from this to i just want to know im not alone why does it hurt if the the nerve is severed somebody talk to me please

KarynLR · 07-15-2005, 11:10 AM

I hope I can shed a little bit of light--next time you post, PLEASE use punctuation--it's so much easier to read! I have my own nerve damage in the foot--a podiatrist accidentally severed the lateral plantar nerve in my right foot. The reason a severed nerve still causes pain is because nerves always try to regrow. They will only send out more endings from the severed ends, hoping to join up with the severed part. If the nerve severed is close and in a straight target, it is a good chance it can rejoin. If not, the resulting bundle of nerve ends is called a neuroma, or nerve tumor. The bundle keeps sending out nerve fibers but never has an end, so it is open to the body and causes pain. You could also be having phantom pain if the nerve is cleaned and removed (most likely this would happen if you had surgery to clean and resect the nerve though).

Nerve surgery is not easy and does not carry a very high success rate. In certain areas, recurrent neuromas (which happen after the nerve "untucks" from where it is buried) are more prevalent. Therefore, it's almost always a last option--hence the reason for waiting, hoping that the nerve may just calm down on its own.

Hope this helps,
Karyn

shambbles · 07-16-2005, 08:13 PM

Sorry to hear of your accident. I also have foot drop due to a knee dislocation back in Oct 03. The Dr.s advised it could take up to 18 months for the nerve to regenerate. Unfortunately, mind didn't making my foot drop permanent. I had to try several different medications to get the nerve pain under control. ELAVIL, (an antidepressant) helps the pain but can make you incredibly tired although it usually wears off in a few weeks. Neurotin is another med often used for nerve pain. Another option for foot drop is a "posterier tibial tendon transfer", this surgery will only hold your foot in a permanent 90 degree angle to assist in walking. As each month goes by adjusting to the brace gets easier. Its not on my mind every waking moment as it was in the beginning. Finding a shoe to fit into a brace took me almost a year and it turned out to be a sandal that I have to wear even in winter.

Best of luck to you.